View allAll Photos Tagged iLoveScience
Wildebeest travel thousands of miles on their annual circular journey across the Serengeti, following the rains and greener pastures. It's an incredible journey that has been called, "the great migration."
But what of light's journey? Could there be anything more magnificent? Light leaves the sun, travelling at 186,000 miles per second. It takes approximately 8 minutes for it to traverse the 93 million mile distance between our mother star and earth. It filters through the patchy clouds and blankets our landscape. This light is then reflected from all the surfaces that we see and a very small portion manages to travel to our eyes. Specialized cells, the rods and cones, in our retina convert the photons that impact their surface into electrochemical signals that travel through the optic nerve and to the cortex of the brain. The brain then interprets these electrochemical signals as sight. From the moment that light is reflected from an object to time we interpret it as sight takes merely fractions of a second. Amazing, isn't it? In a sense, we never actually see the "present." We only see that what has already occurred a few milliseconds ago. Since it takes time for light to travel from an object to our eyes and be interpreted by the brain, we never actually see the "here and now" but rather only the recent past. Think about it! That's an incredible concept and one incredible journey. #iLoveNature #iLoveScience #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Tanzania #Nature in #Africa #Serengity #DrDADBooks #Canon #WildlifeConservation #JourneyOfLight
I had originally posted one of the shots on my Tumblr which has now declined in one of my favoured web communities since they introduced this "Tumblarity" thing. I figured out the point system but I am unsure of the timeline.
Warren Ellis said it best:
It’s a Tamagotchi number. You log in, see your tumblarity’s dropped, and you can’t help but suddenly think “oh my god, my Tumblr’s dying.” There’s almost an urge to do something to feed it, to pipette precious drops of life-giving tumblarity into your Tumblr.
Until, obviously, one day you look at it and say, “ah, fuck it, let’s watch the little bastard die.”
Anyway I can't say that Tumblr completely sucks... It is what it is which is a microblogging site and further congests these series of tubes. I designed mine to force me to take a photo everyday.
All that garbage aside, this is my father's mug. I am the daughter of a scientist, and am definitely a product of rational thinking. :)
The Purple Gallinule's apparent ability to walk on water has nothing to do with divinity and everything to do with physics! These medium sized birds are fairly light, and are able to spread their weight over an enormous surface area because of their extremely large feet. They don't actually walk on water, but they can walk on Lilli pads, giving them a similar appearance. These medium sized birds of fresh water marshes are members of the rail family. They construct their nests of twigs and dead leaves, placing them on a small hill of floating grass-like plant growth. So, even the nests float! #iLoveNature #iLoveWildlife #iLoveScience #WildlifePhotography in #Florida #Nature in #America #USA #PurpleGallinule #Canon #DrDADBooks #Bringit #Photography #Picoftheday #Photooftheday
The Apapane is one of Hawai'i's endemic honeycreepers. Endemic means that you will find this bird only in Hawaii and nowhere else in the world. It and about 40 other species are thought to have derived from a single finch like ancestor over millions of years. Many of these remaining honeycreepers are endangered as the results of invasive species that entered Hawaii along with man. These invasive species compete for some of the same food sources and some of them do it more efficiently. Some carry and are resistant to a variety of bird diseases that adversely effect the apapane and other honeycreepers. Of course, if you think about it, the original finch that arrived in Hawaii millions of years ago was also a new or invasive species. So, nature changes things all the time. In fact, the nature of nature is change! We, arguably, may be one of nature's most invasive species. Our adaptability has allowed us to enter and thrive in a wide variety of nature's niches. As a result we will surely affect change but we have the ability to limit that change, if we so choose. If we are not careful, the things that we do today can adversely effect our environment tomorrow. Even things done with the best of intentions can have serious negative effects. Change is inevitable but we are intelligent enough to make smart choices. #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveBirds #ILoveScience #WildlifePhotography in #Hawaii #Nature on the #HawaiianIslands #Birds #Birding #Photography #Apapane #Picoftheday #Photooftheday
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The Japanese white eye was introduced to Hawaii in the late 1920's. It is, without doubt, a beautiful bird. A more varied but competitive diet and a resistance to some key avian diseases has placed the white eye in direct competition with some of Hawaii's indigenous honeycreepers, like the Apapane. The white eye is now one of the Big Island's most numerous bird species. Beauty can be deceptive in the world of nature, and the most innocent of errors can have grave consequences. #ILoveScience #ILoveNature #ILoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Hawaii #Nature in the #HawaiianIslands #Birds #Birding #JapaneseWhiteEye #HawaiianPacificParks
When lava flows to the sea the rocky coastline that develops has a plethora of nooks and crannies, many of which make wonderful tidal pools. It may not be easy to walk on but it's fascinating to investigate. Wading birds like this juvenile black-crowned night heron find it to be a veritable smorgasbord of seaside cuisine. We don't regularly get to see these birds on rocky coasts near breaking waves on the east coast. At home they are generally limited to the bays and backwaters of our coastline. There are no significant differences between the Hawaiian black-crowned night herons and their North American counterparts despite separation for at least thousands of years. That would suggest that they are well adapted for both environments and there is no environmental pressure to change. Isn't nature interesting? #ILoveNature #ILoveWildlife #ILoveScience #ILoveBirds #WildlifePhotography in #Hawaii #Nature on the #HawaiianIslands #Birds #Birding #HawaiiPacificParks #Picoftheday #Photooftheday
The still warm air and soft breezes of an approaching summer tickle my memory and makes me think of Tanzania. A Black-headed Weaver anxiously builds a nest for a prospective mate. Compared to the Masked Weaver his eyes are red and his mask more extensive. He is also a slightly bigger, heavier bird. He may build a dozens of nests this season. An amazing feat considering their complexity. And all this is innate. The concept of innate knowledge is very obscure to me. I find myself wondering if a weaver were born and raised in captivity, never having seen a weaver nest, would it know how to build one? Perhaps I am being naïve? Everything that occurs in a biologic organism is biochemical, so why not a memory? A saved memory over generations would, therefore, seem almost simple compared to all the information needed to create all the biochemical processed that go into making a living organism. It's food for thought, and though that feeds a hungry imagination. I wonder how much of it is innate? #iLoveScience #iLoveNature #iLoveWildife #Wildlifephotography in #Tanzania #Nature in #Africa #Serengeti #BlackHeadedWeaver #DrDADBooks #Canon #WildlifeConservation.
The dish at Space Sciences Lab, UC Berkeley, just seconds after it moved into position to track a science probe in orbit around the moon. The big dish makes a cool sci-fi sound as it moves. It was a thrill to be standing right under it while it SLID into position! (Even though this particular dish rotation only took about 10 seconds, I still wondered if I would have to duck, lol). HSS!
The probe the folks at SSL were getting ready to monitor is called ARTEMIS P1, formerly THEMIS B. For more on the history of this project, see ARTEMIS/THEMIS Missions
Once again I'm in post-and-rush mode but I'm COUNTING on having a leisurely afternoon sliding through sliders and visiting you eight-days-a-weekers, too - see ya!
A fern grows out of a large lava field on Chain of Craters Road in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Desolation marks large areas where lava once flowed. But nothing seems to stop life from springing forth after all the destruction. Driving through extensive swaths of land covered in lava I couldn't help but be amazed a nature's awesome power. That being said, I also found myself craving brownies? Any idea why? #ILoveNature #ILoveScience #HawaiiVolcanoesNationalPark #Hawaii #Lava #Live #Nature
Wait a minute! That's not a shorebird! Or is it? Adaptability is the single most important characteristic that determines survival of any species. That being said, this female House Sparrow helps demonstrate just how adaptable these little birds are. They are amongst the most wide spread birds in the world. Most people see them all the time, however, they hardly pay them much attention. The House Sparrow is not a native species to North America. There are over 30 species of sparrows in North America but these are not genetically related to them. They were introduced into New York at about 1850, but by early 1900 they had spread all the way to the Rockies! You won't find them in open woodlands or fields. They are only found in the vicinity of humans and their habitats. They eat mainly seeds and grain, however, they will eat insects too. They will also eat grasses and weeds, and at times discarded human food. It seems, however, that along the coast they will join with shorebirds and begin foraging for ocean treats. In this case this sparrow takes off with a sand crab. Now that's not your average meal for a house sparrow, but when at the shore, do what the shorebirds do! #iLoveNature #iloveScience #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #NewJersey #Nature in #NorthAmerica #USA #HouseSparrows #DrDADBooks #Canon #WildlifeConservation
One of the most numerous birds in North America is the Red-winged Blackbird. Males are glossy black with red and yellow shoulder patches. During breeding season males are extremely territorial and have been know to chase animals much larger then themselves, including humans. There is a great variation in size and proportions depending upon regions in which these birds are located. Experiments that moved nestlings between populations found that the nestling grew to resemble their foster parents. This suggests that the differences in populations is due more to environmental characteristics rather than genetics. If that were true in humans, parents who wanted their child to grow up to become a basketball star could choose to move to a different region of the country, where their young one would grow taller. Think about those possibilities! #iLoveNature #iLoveScience #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Delaware #Nature in #NorthAmerica #RedWingedBlackbird #DrDADBooks #Canon #WildlifeConservation
Sanderling sandpipers fly into the wind on a breezy August morning. Sandpipers, as opposed to plovers, are tactile foragers. They have specialized receptors on the tips of their bills that allow them to probe the sand in the intertidal zones and find food to eat. Plovers, on the other hand, tend to favor visual foraging methods. Watching how the two types of birds act on the beach will demonstrate this well. Plovers tend to stand still, staring in a particular direction. Their heads may bob up and down, giving them a better perspective on distance. They move quickly, briefly, and then stop. Sandpipers, on the other hand, are in constant motion. Running back and forth in the intertidal zone, constantly probing the sand for food. They may occupy the same niche but their approach is very different. #ILoveBirds #ILoveScience #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #Sanderlings #SanderlingSandpipers #Sandpipers #Wildlife in #NewJersey #Nature in the #USA #Picoftheday #Photooftheday #Photography
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This is a semipalmated plover. If you visit the #NewJersey beaches this time of year you may catch a glimpse of one of these scurrying across the beach by the waterline. It's likely that they will be in proximity to the sandpipers nearby. Semipalmated plovers look remarkably similar to the killdeer that you may have noticed inland, however, the semipalmated is smaller and only has one chest band while the killdeer has two. They are one of the few plovers who's numbers are actually thought to be increasing. This may be due to their wide range of dietary habits. Remember that adaptability is the single most important factor that supports survival. Everything changes. The living creatures most able to adapt to those changes will be here in the future. Those that can't, won't! #ILoveScience #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveBirds #Birds and #Wildlife in #NewJersey #Nature on #LBI #SemipalmatedPlover
Overlooking Kilauea caldera at night earlier this week from the Jaggar Museum in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. It's a magnificent sight and makes me realize just how lucky we are to have a planet poised so perfectly, providing us with a hospitable ambience in which to live. Just a short distance below us the earth is fiery, molten, and inhospitable. In the sky the stars burn with a taunting glow. They remind us from where we have come and that our time here is borrowed. The volcanic plume rises up to the stars, honoring their existence. Suddenly, I feel so tiny and insignificant but so lucky to be able to enjoy this moment. #ILoveNature #ILoveScience #LandscapePhotography #NightPhotography #LongExposures #Kilauea #HawaiiVolcanoNationalPark
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The Hawaiian Amakihi is a variety of honeycreeper like the Apapane. It is one of Hawaii's indigenous bird species. These birds all derived from a single finch like ancestor over about 3 millions years, developing into a varied group of colorful birds that thrive on nectar and insects. The phenomenon is called adaptive radiation. Changes in environment can open up new challenges, environmental niches, and provide new and different resources. This leads living organisms present at the time to develop into a multitude of new forms. Now isn't that interesting! #ILoveScience #ILoveNature #ILoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Hawaii #Nature on the #HawaiianIslands #HawaiiPacificParks #HiPacParks #HawaiiVolcanoesNationalPark #Honeycreepers #HawaiianHoneycreepers #Amakihi #birds #birding #Photooftheday #Picoftheday
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A young hippo almost seems to be laughing out loud, but it's really yawning! What is yawning? It's a simple activity characteristic of just about every animal I can think of, yet we know remarkably little about it! We know why and how the heart pumps; why we walk and why we jump; why we blink and why we drink, but why do we yawn? And why is it sooooo infectious? Ever see someone yawn and then feel the overwhelming need to do the same? Oh my, just the thought makes me want to yawn! There have been dozens of postulated theories, but no real consensus. The only consensus on yawning in any animal seems to be in polar bears, where it's commonly called a stress yawn, and is thought to be an act of non aggression. Personally, I don't think polar bears yawn for any different reason than people, and so that is probably just rubbish. Figure this one out and you might just discover the meaning of life! #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveScience #WildlifePhotography in #Tanzania #Wildlife in #Africa #animals #Hippos #Hippopotamus #Hippopotami
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The Nene or Hawaiian Goose is descendent from a wayward goose that landed on the Hawaiian Islands some 500,000 years ago. Those geese found favorable living conditions and never left the islands again. They developed into several different species of geese, of which only the Nene survives today. The goose in the photo demonstrates how, over time, these geese have lost much of the webbing between their toes. Since they don't need to travel great distances their wings are not as strong as their cousins, the Canada Goose, and since they spend more time on land than in water the have begun to develop stronger walking legs and less webbing than is characteristic of most geese. Change is inevitable and the animals that survive best are those most able to adapt and change themselves. #ILoveScience #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveBirds #Wildlife in #Hawaii #Nature in the #HawaiianIslands #Nene #HawaiianGoose #birds #Birding #Picoftheday #Photooftheday #wildlifePhotography
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or so I called this Black-crowned Night Heron that hung around the rocky coast and fish ponds at Mauna Lani. Black Beard had only one leg. There is stump left where the other leg should be. It's not clear whether this was a deformity or an injury but Black Beard does just fine, nonetheless. Hawaiian Black-crowned Night Herons are no different than those that inhabit North America. They are referenced in ancient Hawaiian folklore, yet they are not really considered an indigenous species.
Hawaii, for all it's beauty, is considered a hotbed of extinction. There were once approximately 150 species of indigenous birds on the Hawaiian Islands. These birds all derived from about 15 ancestral types that lived on the islands some 3 million years ago. Over the last 200 years less than one fifth of these still remain (less than 40 species) and over half of them are endangered. Almost all of these changed are directly or indirectly as a result of problems introduced by people. #ILoveScience #ILoveNature #ILoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Hawaii #Nature on the #HawaiianIslands #Photography #Birds #Birding #BlackCrownedNightHeron #HawaiiPacificParks
A fleeting glance, a cold, hard stare, a wonton look of admiration....What is it that draws our attention to eyes? Is it a fascination with their jewel-like quality? A simple admiration of baubles? Somehow, I doubt that. Perhaps it is rooted in some primordial deep seeded fear of being discovered or akin to an invasion of our space, the breaching of an imaginary boundary? Maybe there is an innate communication associated with mutual eye contact? In fact, just the statement suggests a form of "touch," but instead of touching with the molecules of our hands, we touch through an exchange of photons. Whatever the reason, we all seem to have eyes for eyes. The characteristic seems to be shared by animals as a whole and isn't simply human. This Baboons gaze transfixes ours. It is what makes this photo stand out from the others that I took of this particular animal. #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveScience #WildlifePhotography in #Tanzania #Wildlife of #Africa #Animals #Baboons
We've got some paperclip worshipping on our hands. Magnets are RAD! #ilovescience #thingsgotweird
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