Something I wondered about while going for a run today: Would it be possible to map my favorite runs and get the exact distances? Sometimes I run on bikepaths and on forest pathways. It should be possible to estimate about how far I’m traveling. MapMyRun seems to do what I want, though it is too commercial to include in my blog. The beautiful parts of this run start when I reach Wolf Park. There is a walking bridge across Alum Creek which I always find interesting. Sometimes I just cross it one way and turn around to go back. It’s fun to watch the ducks feeding in the stream. Last year some rocks were removed because it was thought that pollution was being deposited in the resulting slow spots at the base of the rocks. Now the water streams more smoothly. Unfortunately the Crested Night Herons no longer come to this spot to fish. I hope they don’t move their nests from the tall trees above Preston Road. Judging from the lack of bird poop below the nests, I’m afraid they have moved on.
This is one of my old standby runs. It has been over a year since I last ran it (without walking). The distance is 5.67 miles.
This is a special winter opportunity for those living near Columbus, Ohio. It is a rare chance to see displays and the professional scientists who are spending their lives studying about the natural world, both past and present.I spent a few hours making the rounds and will share some of the insights while the memories are still fresh.
Darwin was a recurrent theme at many of the displays. It is the 150th anniversary of the publishing of the Origin of Species. Make sure to get hold of a copy of National Geographic from February 2009.
An ornithologist displayed birdcalls from warblers collected around western Washington and Oregon. Spectrograms were on display which showed the variation of frequency with time. We could press buttons to actually hear the call of males of the species. All of the calls start out the same, but different individuals have different trills at the end of their calls. The map showed the distribution of calls around the region. The males learn their calls from their fathers. The warblers migrate, but return to their home regions. The scientist mentioned that the females of this species are not selective about the particular call of the males they choose to mate with. This is probably good for biological diversity, though it does raise a question about how the geographical distribution of calls can be maintained.
Spectrogram of a Cardinal
Then we spoke to a scientist with recording equipment. My wife was recorded and we could study the time domain view as well as the spectrogram of her voice. We compared this to birds and other animals.
Next, we experienced arachnophobia as we examined live tarantulas and black widows as well as the preserved body of a brown recluse spider. We could see the red hour glass on the black widows and learned that they like to live in basements and sheds, places where the air is undisturbed. We then saw a preying mantiss devouring a cockroach.
We then viewed an amazing journey through gut of a mite. The camera view entered the mouth which had parallel ridges. Down the gullet we travelled through a seemingly endless labyrinth of channels. These images are taken from an actual mite using Synchotron-X-ray-Tomography. This technique allows 3-D reconstruction of structures lying below the surface at the submicron level.
We moved on to look at a microscopic protozoan that lives in pond water. It was magnified 100 times . It rotated around and around using antennae as paddles. We could see legs, two eggs, gills, and eyes. The scientist told us it was stuck in place on a bubble of air. (Damn that surface tension!)
Then I went into the fossil room. I saw something about the size of a head of cabbage. I guessed it was a stromatolite, one of the earilest forms of life on Earth. The scientst told me that it was a kind of sponge that still exists today. It is found in caves in the Carribean. Each layer consists of thousands of individuals living in a colony. They are not sure why there are cabbage leaf-like layers. Many periodicities are measured in the fossil record. Many times, paleontologists are at a loss to explain whether it is seasonal like tree rings or epochal like changes in ocean levels. One scientest did show that the number of days in a year used to be greater during the Devonian. Was this is because the rotational speed of the earth was greater or the orbit of the earth was different? That’s another question for next year.
I was extremely pleased to see a fossil from Caesar’s Creek. I recognized the it from a recent trip documented here. The scientist helped identify all the different kinds of animals. I learned that the lily-like crinoid was really an animal. The rock is indeed limestone.
Ordovician Fossils from Caesar Creek, Ohio
Then Anne and I went into the insect room where our son, Jerry, has been an intern for the last two years. We saw the tiny scielionadea wasps that are almost too small to be seen without a magnifying glass. Jerry had to view them under a microscope to tell male from female. The undergrads and interns often mount the insects on paper, pins or clay, so that the more-experienced scientists can do further studies with microscopic cameras.
Anne Visits the Insect Lab
Doug and Shannon Visiting the Insect Lab
Jerry Holds Forth
Insect Biologists
Sarah
Entrance to Insect Lab
I then visited the plant DNA lab and saw three scientists describing the encoding of life I learned that each cell has almost 6 feet of DNA coiled up in the nucleus. The entire genome is encoded with paired nucleotides designated A, G, T, C. We compared different species of orchids and observed code substitutions. The scientist explained that some substitutions could change how the entire sequence is read, while other substitutions have a minor effect. All of the substitutions are subject to random changes. I asked for an example of how those sequence changes might cause a change in the form of a species. The scientist took in a big breath, and said, “That is the topic of my research. There are two phases of photosynthesis, a daytime and night time phase. I am studying a species whose genome has mutated so that the night time phase of photosynthesis does not work That gene is what is called a fossil gene. And yet the plant survives. It sends out chemical messages from its roots that causes another species of plant to provide essential nutrients.”
Back in the museum, I saw a video of a fresh water clam dangling a protrusion from its bivalve. A darter fish was attracted and actually bit off a small piece. The scientist explained that the continental US has more fresh water mollusk biological diversity than all the rest of the continents combined. However, they require fish to help spread their offspring. I agreed that it was fascinating to observe the many forms of life and the complex ways they find to survive and propagate. I was curious about who would fund the search for knowledge. The scientist explained that the fresh water mollusks were very sensitive to pollution. We risk losing them if we allow our streams and rivers to become polluted. In some cases a stream may have many adults of the species, but the population could still be in collapse if new generations of mollusks were not being produced. They often gather a gravid female and observe how it interacts with fish species in the lab. Then they know what to look for in nature. I asked if it would be possible to train non-scientists to take part in the monitoring of fresh water molusks in nature. He agreed it may be possible, but that it takes a special individual to go snorkeling in shallow rivers and streams to observe these interactions so essential to the preservation of the species.
I finished my tour in the horticultural room. I learned how plants are pressed and preserved. They use white glue like Elmer’s to glue the sample to paper. Large twigs can be sewn or taped. I observed a display entitled “Bark is a Many Splendored Thing”. It was used in many medicinal remedies down through the ages. Today, we take aspirin without thinking of where it originated. Then I got a nice lecture on the reproduction of ferns. I observed the disk shaped spots on the bottom of fern leaves. I could see numerous spores within the circle.
Plant Press
Reproductive Life of Ferns
If you live nearby Columbus, Ohio and would like to find out more about the natural world, then make sure to make it to the open house next winter.
At first I felt let down by Obama’s inaugural address. I showed it live in my Physics class and was overly concerned about the technical details like volume and lighting levels. It lacked the practiced rhythms of a stump speech which Obama would have had the chance to refine. He talked way too fast for my slow ears to hear what the author of this article was able to discern. That’s how history gets made. The significant ones, like the Gettysburg address, are lost on most listeners. After the speech my class discussed a solar energy physics problem. Everyone agreed that green collar jobs would help get our economy on track.
Please take the time to read and discuss, before attending to those necessary “matters of consequence” which fill up our years.
The speech analysis:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/21/195515/922
Text and video of the speech:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text
Here’s one of my favorites:
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
I have a 4 mile commute to get to my workplace. I have a teenager who has started to drive, so we are thinking of getting a third car. Riding a bike would be nice, but I am finding it hard to get motivated to actually follow through on the plan. An electric scooter makes a lot more sense. I am a little concerned about finding a low-traffic route, but I think that can be arranged.
The EVTA Z-20b electric scooter costs only $3000 delivered. It has a range of 30 miles with a top speed of 45 mph (72 kmh). They claim it takes only 2 kwh to fully charge. It seems incredible that it can travel so far on so little energy. Did they leave off a 0 or something? I just got my electric bill and I owe $27.61 for 225 kWH: ($27.61/225 kWH) = 12.27 cents per kWH. 2 kwh would cost only $0.25. How is that possible?
Let’s approach the problem another way. The motor generates 2500 Watts. At 30 mph it would take one hour to travel 30 miles.
(2500 Watts) * (one hour) = 2.5 kWH,
which is in good agreement with their claim. Assume 1 kwh of coal based electrical energy produces 0.97 kg of Co2. If traveling 30 miles requires 2.5 kWh, then the amount of CO2 generated is
(2.5 kWh)* (0.97 kg CO2/kWh) = 2.4 kg.
My Corolla gets about 30 miles/gallon. One gallon of gas generates 9 kg of CO2.
(2.4 kg / 9 kg ) * 100 = 27%.
The electric scooter and driver weigh about 227 kg, while the Corolla and driver weigh about 1270 kg.
(227 kg) / (1270 kg) * 100 = 18%.
The scooter weighs 1/5 as much as the car. Hence, a lot less energy and about 1/4 as much CO2 is generated as compared to a gas powered economy car.
Updates:
Spreadsheet showing a comparison between the EVTA z20b, the Enertia, and the Myers Motors NMG.
Video of conversion of gas powered motorcycle to all electric.
What is the matter with the US? 5% of the population burns 25% of the fossil fuel. We have allowed ourselves to be led into a war so the multinational oil companies can control dwindling oil reserves. Oil prices are well above $100 a barrel due to the continuing war and new demand from the developing economies such as China and India. Profits of the oil companies are through the roof. Truckers are striking. Airlines are going bankrupt. What really bugs me is that NOBODY has undertaken an effective plan to break the oil habit in transportation. Tesla offers a high performance electric car affordable by a handful of people with movie star incomes. As long as most of our electrical energy comes from coal, the only way electric vehicles make sense is to greatly reduce the mass. Yamaha and Honda seem to be in the development stage. They have the leverage to produce on a mass scale, but, so far, only for the Japanese market.
The Enertia Electric Motorcycle costs 4 times more then the z20b, but has superior batteries and greater power output.
My son has an internship. He loves biology and has worked hard gathering insects, mounting them, and learning about the places they occupy in the web of life. Today he learned how to take highly focused images. He shared a photograph of this beautiful wasp. I hope to see many more such beautiful images.
“This is a lateral habitual image of the wasp, as if you were looking at its full body in nature.”
The November 8 Nature podcast (text) celebrates 100 years of Drosophila research with the theme “Hurah for the Humble Fruit Fly!”. Amongst other gems I learned a good joke:
“Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like bananas.” – Marx
Be sure to listen to Tanguy Chouard’s statement about the publishing of 10 new fruit fly genomes at 11:21 in the podcast.
A great presentation by Jane Goodall on The Science Show podcast from January 13, 2007. Jane shares stories demonstrating the changing relationship between humans and chimps gathered over her 46 years observing Chimpanzees in Gombe National Park near Lake Tanganyika. Here is her inspirational conclusion. I love the way her mind works!
You may find this piece about the Fertilization of Flowers especially interesting. Darwin ends his 1882 book review with:
But it would be superfluous to make any further suggestions. These will occur in abundance to any young and ardent observer who will study Muller’s work and then observe for himself, giving full play to his imagination, but rigidly checking it by testing each notion experimentally. If he will act in this manner, he will, if I may judge by my own experience, receive so much pleasure from his work, that he will ever afterwards feel grateful to the author and translator of the Befruchtung der Blumen.
CHARLES DARWIN.
DOWN, February 6, 1882.
Of course, science has not rested on its laurels for the past 124 years. Here is a story from Nature about the sequencing of the honeybee genome.
I have no connection to Al Gore or the makers of the movie. Aside from the titles and pictures, the following text is an unofficial transcript of the movie, An Inconvenient Truth. It is created to help in the discussion of this important issue. I recommend that as many as possible should see the movie. Whether you agree or not is unimportant. The movie will help you judge for yourself which direction we should take. After seeing the movie, use this page to dig deeper into the material. Not everyone has been exposed to the the science and debate behind global warming. Therefore, I have included links to web pages and pictures for those wishing to find out more.
On Thursday, August 17, my son and I had the opportunity to help scientists assess plant growth at the Olentangy River Research Wetland Park, aka, the OSU Swamp. We were greeted at the door at 8:00 AM. I had little idea of what the day would entail. I thought we would go for a morning walk around the 30 acre site, noting birds and hyrdological measurements along the way.
