Long before J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ring of Power enabled its wearer to vanish, animals evolved the superpower of transparency. No mean parlor trick, Tolkien’s Ring also conferred the power to prevail against one’s competitors. Transparent animals profit similarly in their struggle to survive.
Sand is the consummate shapeshifter, marking time as it sifts through an hourglass, forming ephemeral wave patterns on a beach, squeezing between one’s toes or even morphing into the concrete of our buildings. Yet few realize sand’s fascinating story. What is sand, and where does it form?
An Urchin in Hand Red pencil urchin (Heterocentrotus mamillatus) in Hawaii Sea urchin skeletons are frequent finds along the Maine coast. With luck, the shell-like skeleton is entire but denuded of the animal’s tube feet and protective spines, revealing orderly but mysterious patterns of tiny knobs and holes. Alive, a sea urchin is equally enigmatic. …
Cacti are more than charismatic desert superstars of movie Westerns. They have fascinating biology, and some even live in rainforests.
Avoiding the Big Freeze – Animals in the Cold A spider, about 1 centimeter long, traveling on the snow at -2°C (28°F) Imagine a tiny spider no more than a centimeter long. Winter is in full force, and the spider’s body temperature is below freezing as it slowly crawls across the snow. Yet, the spider …
FOAM-Oh! 1 Stream foam collecting around fall leaves Foam isn’t just stuff that comes out of shaving cream cans, keeps your take-out coffee hot, or floats in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.2 It is a ubiquitous natural phenomenon that is fascinating and can affect rainfall; has caused seabird die-offs; and influences global climate. Don’t sell …
Mice-capades Mice1 live in a gray zone between the heroic and charismatic mini-fauna that star in Disney movies, children’s stories, and cartoons2 and the reviled, disease-infested rodents that a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry is dedicated to eliminating. It’s no wonder that mice seem nervous all the time. As we shall see, however, despite their tiny physical stature, …
Crystalline Entities – Snow, Hoarfrost, and Rime Ice Hoarfrost under a snow covered mountain Waking up after the first heavy snowfall has always been a magical experience for me – a white cloak transforms familiar objects into alien shapes that look like lumbering snow-creatures. Snowfalls present us with macroscapes (a scene we can view with …
Crystalline Entities – Snow, Hoarfrost and Rime Ice Read More »
Slime molds are diamonds in the rough, and the closer you look, the more they shine. You may have encountered them as amorphous blobs on a lawn or a walk in the woods. They are on leaves, in the soil of Antarctica, and in deserts, to name a few habitats.
Birds have perfected the fine-tuned ability to fly over millions of years. In fact, some geese have been observed flying over Mount Everest. Their enviable ability to fly relies upon several factors, the first and foremost being the engineering marvels called feathers.
