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Another volume scan of the monster EF-5 Hackleburg - Phil Campbell tornado, during the April 2011 Super Outbreak. In this scan, you can clearly see the structure of the tornado; the red shading indicates the more intense inner vortex, which does most of the damage and sucks debris up into the storm. The yellow shading indicates the less intense outer vortex, while the blue and purple shading indicates the slow-moving outermost 'shell' of the tornado, as well as the surrounding clouds.
Puebloan stone structures with a wood protective structure overtop at the Mule Canyon Village Interpretative Site.
Mule Canyon Interpretive Site is located in Bears Ears National Monument. The Mule Canyon Interpretive Site is a complex of ancestral Puebloan structures located on Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah. Well-preserved Pueblo structures found at this site are over 700 years old. The complex includes above-ground and underground dwellings including a kiva and tower that have been excavated and stabilized, as well as a block of 12 rooms. The BLM has constructed a canopy to protect the kiva. Interpretive panels and vault toilets are provided.
Photo Courtesy of BLM High School Interns Nya Hunt and Savanna Richmond.
This is a farm building that I usually see when I take the backroads home. I just happen to see some nice backlighting on this structure so I stopped to take a picture.
Built between 1937 and 1959, the Organic Modern-style Taliesin West was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed by his apprentices to serve as the winter home of Wright and his Taliesin Fellowship. The complex, which consists of many buildings, began as a set of temporary, tent-like structures in the late 1930s, before evolving into more permanent buildings over the course of the 1940s, reflecting the ever-experimenting nature of the Taliesin Fellowship and Frank Lloyd Wright, something also seen at the original Taliesin in Wisconsin. Wright developed an architecture at Taliesin West that reflected the surrounding desert environment, with long, low stone buildings featuring long and narrow expanses of glass, shed roofs, stone walls, and timber framing, with rooflines that reflected the surrounding mountains, small areas of non-desert plantings, and buildings that were, alternatively, reminiscent of tent pavilions and stone caves. The complex is clustered around the main building, with much of the site remaining an undisturbed natural desert landscape, an increasingly rare feature of the greater Phoenix Area, which was already beginning to disappear during Wright’s lifetime. The site is home to rocks with petroglyphs created by the indigenous Hohokam people, along with remnants of their habitation of the site prior to their migration out of the region during a period of climate change, which was accompanied by severe flooding that damaged their irrigation canal infrastructure, in the 14th and 15th Centuries. The buildings surround various courts, gardens, and natural areas, and many incorporate Chinese sculptures near their entrances, collected by Frank Lloyd Wright due to his lifelong fascination with East Asian art.
The buildings consist of a main building, with a stone vault at its northwest corner. Built in 1937 as the first structure at Taliesin West, the cave-like stone vault meant to protect drawings created by Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship in the event of a fire, influenced by the fires that had previously destroyed Taliesin in Wisconsin. From this initial structure extends, to the southeast, a drafting studio with a canvas roof, large roof beams, ribbon windows, stone walls, and a wooden pergola on its northern flank, which contained the main drafting studio of the Taliesin Fellowship, and has a large entrance terrace on its south facade, with steps leading down to the pool and the prow at the southwest corner of the complex. To the east of the drafting studio is the kitchen, which features an exterior bell tower that would signal members of the Taliesin Fellowship to come to the dining room for meals, and dining room, which served as a large communal space for the Taliesin Fellowship and Wright. These public and communal spaces sit west of a breezeway that connects the northern patio with the sunset terrace on the south side of the complex. On the southwest side of sunset terrace is the Garden Room, a large living room utilized by both the Taliesin Fellowship members, as well as Wright’s family, as a gathering space, which encloses a small walled garden and, along with the breezeway, marks the transition between the more communal, public spaces at the western end of the main building with the more private rooms to the east. The eastern portion of the main building contains bedrooms and bathrooms for the Wright family, and a weaving studio utilized by Olgivanna to create textiles, with a ventilation tower, the tallest section of the complex, being located on the north side of this wing.
To the east of the main building are various cottages and residences for the Taliesin Fellowship, as well as Sun Cottage, the former residence of Iovanna Wright, the daughter of Olgivanna and Frank Lloyd Wright, which are simpler versions of the main building, and remain private living quarters today, not open to visitors taking tours of the complex. At the southeast corner of these structures is the cave-like Kiva, originally constructed to serve as a theater for the Taliesin Fellowship, which features stone walls and a rooftop terrace, and is connected to the main building via a covered walkway. At the northern end of the original complex is Frank Lloyd Wright’s office, which is extremely similar to the drafting studio, but at a smaller scale, and features the same ribbon windows, canvas roof with large beams, and stone walls seen on the drafting studio. To the north of the office is the Cabaret Theatre, built in 1950, which replaced the Kiva as a performance space and meeting space for the Taliesin Fellowship, and consists of a long, low cave-like structure built of stone and concrete that is embedded into the surrounding landscape. On the east side of the theater is the music pavilion, originally built in 1957, which was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1963 according to the original plans, and rivals the main building in size. West of these structures is the Visitor’s Center and Maintenance Building, which was built in the early 2000s to allow for additional visitor capacity at Taliesin West. Following the design of the rest of the complex, the visitor center harmonizes with the rest of Taliesin West, feeling like a natural extension of the buildings constructed with oversight by Wright.
Taliesin West was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982. The structure is also part of The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2019. Taliesin West is the final resting place of the remains of Frank Lloyd Wright and Olgivanna Wright, which, controversially, led to the exhumation of Frank Lloyd Wright from Unity Chapel Cemetery in Spring Green, Wisconsin following Olgivanna’s death in 1985. The complex remained in use by the Taliesin Fellowship until it became The School of Architecture in 1986, which remained in operation seasonally at both Taliesin and Taliesin West until moving its operations to another location in Scottsdale in 2020. Taliesin West today is owned and operated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which continues conservation work on the buildings, including reconstruction of various wings that were built quickly with low-quality materials, ensuring that the buildings continue to stand and remain open to visitors in perpetuity.
ANATOMY
Reptiles, the group that gave rise through evolution to birds and mammals, have the same basic body structure as those higher vertebrates. Yet just as birds and mammals changed from their reptilian ancestors, reptiles themselves underwent great changes over their millions of years of existence. This exhibit shows some anatomical features of the reptilian body and shows how structures differ among major groups of reptiles.
RETICULATED PYTHON (Python reticulatus)
Typically, snakes have a greatly elongated body and lack limbs. Some snakes such as this python (see partial skeleton) retain vestiges of the hind limbs, however. This skeleton is 7 meters (23 feet) long. Its 321 vertebrae in the body and 91 in the tail number close to the maximum known in snakes; individuals of some species may have fewer than 130 vertebrae. (Human beings have only 24.) A snake does not add vertebrae and ribs as it grows, but has its full amount before it is born or hatched.
KOMODO DRAGON LIZARD (Varanus komodoensis)
AMERICAN ALLIGATOR (Alligator mississippiensis)
These basically similar skeletons differ in many details evident only on close examination. As an aquatic animal, the alligator has a somewhat high, flattened tail for swimming and relatively small legs and feet. The land-dwelling Dragon has a more rounded tail and larger, more powerful legs. The large, heavy skull of the alligator would be a burden on land but is supported by the water. Another difference in these skeletons is the presence of abdominal ribs (gastralia) in the Alligator.
SKIN
Skin, the outermost covering, protects the body from micro-organisms, poisons and physical damage, retains fluids and minerals, and provides structural support. Its sensory receptors receive stimuli (eg, touch, temperature) from the environment, and it maintains the colors and some structural modifications of the species.
Reptile skin typically consists of rows of raised, hardened scales usually connected by soft, flexible tissue. The outermost layer (epidermis) of the skin forms the hard (keratinized) part of the scales. Such scales differ from fish scales, which form in a different part (dermis) of the skin. Amphibians, unlike reptiles, lack epidermal scales and usually maintain a moist skin that may function in respiration. Reptile skin lacks the feathers and hair that characterize birds and mammals, respectively.
Extensive use of reptile skins for purses, shoes and other leather products has led to massive slaughter, especially of crocodilians. Consequently, the survival of many species is endangered.
SKIN STRUCTURE
This cross-section of lizard skin shows two overlapping scales (350X). Important features are:
EPIDERMIS: Outermost skin layer. Its germinative cells produce daughter cells that move outward and transform into the hard, protective outer scale surface through the process of keratinization. Keratin is a strong protein in epidermal derivatives such as claws, fingernails and beaks. Periodically, the keratinized layer is shed and replaced (Growth and Longevity exhibit, Case 2).
DERMIS: Deeper, thicker skin layer, composed chiefly of fibrous connective tissue. Most pigment cells lie within the dermis. Most blood vessels (not shown) are in both the dermis and epidermis.
HINGE REGION: This area with loose folds allows distension of the skin between the keratinized scales.
SCALE TYPES
Reptile scales vary in size, shape and number according to location on the body. For example, in most snakes the scales on the belly (ventral scutes) are enlarged transversely and are important in locomotion. These differ distinctly from the scales on the back.
Reptiles inherit their basic scale pattern, though temperature during embryonic development may influence scale size and number. Comparison of distantly related species reveals a wide variety of scale types. This diversity probably reflects adaptations for various functions, such as body water balance and reception of solar radiation. The lizards here illustrate various reptile scales.
OSTEODERMS
The deep layer of the skin (dermis) in many kinds of lizards, all crocodilians and on the legs and tails of some turtles contains discs or nodules of protective bone. Often these exist in rows corresponding to those of the outer epidermal scales. Nearly all surfaces of the South American Caiman, Caiman crocodilus, whose skin is shown here, are protected by osteoderms, which appear as numerous light patches on the x-ray photograph (claws and bones of the skull are light also).
COLOR CHANGE
In some lizards, particularly True Chameleons of the Old World and Anoles (American Chameleons) of the New World, individuals can change color completely and rapidly. Color change is stimulated by various factors, including excitement, temperature, lighting, and shade of the background behind the animal.
The Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, shown here can change from brown to brilliant green, or vice versa, in a matter of minutes. Cross-sections (1,000X) show how color change is caused by movement of pigment within melanophores (brown pigment cells).
TEETH
Reptiles of different species may vary greatly in the food they eat, and this shows in their teeth. Seen here are the lower jaws of several reptiles, together with the enlarged drawings of the teeth. Teeth may differ in size and shape from one part of a jaw to another, serving different functions (piercing and holding, cutting, chewing), or may all be much the same. Unlike most mammals, which produce only two sets of teeth in a lifetime, most reptiles are continuously replacing teeth. A lizard may produce hundreds of new teeth in a year. In addition to teeth in the usual places on the jaws, snakes and some lizards also have teeth on bones on the roof of the mouth.
SKULLS
Evolutionary change may involve loss of parts (for example, limbs of snakes), multiplication of parts (vertebrae of snakes) or modification of shape and size of parts. These skulls exemplify such differences among certain bones in four major groups of reptiles.
TURTLE SHELLS
The shell, which may include up to 30 percent of a turtle's weight, is mostly bone, overlaid by skin. The large, hard plates conspicuous on most turtle shells are keratinized epidermal scales (scutes). The shell's bone forms by fusion of ossified structures in the deep skin (dermis) with vertebrae, ribs, and pectoral and pelvic girdles.
The epidermal scales of the upper shell (carapace) of this Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, are removed from the left side to reveal the bones beneath. Sutures between scales and those between underlying bones are not directly aligned, a feature which may result in greater strength.
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE, Caretta caretta
The turtle's skeleton is ingenious architecturally and peculiar biologically. The ribs, expanded and joined, form the main part of the upper shell (carapace), and the body vertebrae are immovably fused as part of the shell. Most unusual is the position of the dorsal bones of the shoulder girdle; these lie beneath the ribs rather than atop them, as in other vertebrates. The derivation of the bones of the lower shell (plastron) is unclear; they may incorporate ventral elements of the shoulder girdle and abdominal ribs.
Bony shell elements are somewhat reduced in these sea turtles. A typical land or fresh-water turtle would have a relatively larger, solid plastron firmly joined at the sides to the carapace.
The structure of this leaf cluster struck me so much that I couldn't bear to start my car (it was on the hood). Something about the way the leaves are growing off the thin branch is fascinating, and almost creepy, to me.
Second fire of the day it was spotted by crews responding to another structure fire about a mile away
Gigaom Structure Data event at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York, NY on Wednesday March 19, 2014. (© Photo by Jakub Mosur).
Gigaom Structure Data event at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York, NY on Wednesday March 19, 2014. (© Photo by Jakub Mosur).
today was amazing in so many ways. i'll have to take time later to explain part one of my day.
part two involved some local site seeing w/ my buddy Rhonda . paul told us about this spot and his amazing pics are up on his stream too. go check them out. i don't even have words to describe this experience, so just look. ;)