Posts tagged nature
Birds-of Paradise Evolved in Lost Worlds
For the first time, all 39 known birds of paradise are documented in a single volume that reveals the beauty and unusual behavior of these unique birds, which evolved in remote and rugged parts of New Guinea, the Maluku Islands and eastern Australia.
According to a recent CNN report, project organizers hope that the space “will become an eco-tourist destination showcasing sustainable practices and plants from across the globe.”
Singapore’s Supertree-Powered Gardens By the Bay.
“One of the largest horticultural attractions in the world, Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, opens to the public Friday, June 29, 2012 offering a unique fusion of nature and technology.
Since we last reported on the project’s most distinctive element — 18 giant solar-powered, plant-growing “Supertrees” — UK-based landscape architects Grant Associates have released some stunning photos of the £500 million complex.”
Photo Credit: Photos 1-3: © Craig Sheppard / Grant Associates. Photo 4: © Robert Such / Grant Associates. Photo 5: Jackerbie/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Photo 6: © Munshi Ahmed.
The Depths of the Cosmos Under Yosemite Skies
Dark skies are often difficult to come by, especially if you, like the majority of the world’s population, live near a sprawling metropolis. The increasingly acute scourge of light pollution is a pressing issue not only for amateur and professional astronomers, but for anyone who wants to look up on a cloudless night.
But deep inside Yosemite National Park, astronomers flock with their increasingly sophisticated array of astronomical equipment to stare deep into space and bathe in the starry spectacle above them.
Climate change is hitting the parks hard.
It’s not the only problem they face, but instead one of many.
Light and noise pollution are also culprits.
Will Budget Strapped National Parks Be Able to Respond to Climate Change?
Environmental changes confronting the National Park System are widespread, complex, accelerating and volatile.
The assessment is not good and on closer inspection, things only get worse.
Um, cool.
…and weird.
Behold the ribbon eel! They are native to Indian and Pacific oceans. This one was filmed in the waters of Indonesia.
via Neatorama.
(via treehugger)
“You know how when you’re in a mall and it’s coming down in sheets, and you think, I’ll give it five minutes, and when it lets up I’ll run to my car? Well, imagine that it didn’t let up until the next day.”
My thought: I hope Auntie Annie’s is open 24-hours.
Special weather coverage in the September issue of National Geographic: Extreme Weather.
Rains that are almost biblical, heat waves that don’t end, tornadoes that strike in savage swarms—there’s been a change in the weather lately. What’s going on?
Image: Prairie storm in Montana
OMG Adorbz. Red pandas might be some of the cutest things ever..
Flynn the red panda by Deric Wagner
(via daily-animals)
Woooooow………..
Milky Way
This name derives from its appearance as a dim “milky” glowing band arching across the night sky, in which the naked eye cannot distinguish individual stars.
Standing on the Oberrothorn in the West Alps last week, this hiker got to see some amazing sights in every direction. Fantastic!
Happy Monday!
(via dearscience)
BIG PIC: ‘Fire Rainbow’ Over South Florida
So-called “fire rainbows” are neither on fire nor are they rainbows, but they sure are stunning.
They are technically known as iridescent clouds, a relatively rare phenomenon caused by clouds of water droplets of nearly uniform size.
Whatever they’re called, they’re gorgeous. Nature is stunning!
If anyone tries to tell you science can’t be artsy, show them this. Or this, or this… What am I saying?! Who would deny that in the first place? Crazy people, that’s who. What did you say? Nothing.
Those Who Live In Glass Houses . . .
Custom-crafted glass shells give biologists an unprecedented view of hermit crab housing behaviors. The sharing and swapping of shells between hermit crabs creates elaborate social networks, a blend of cooperation and competition that you’ve got to read to believe.
I don’t know if that particular metaphor was meant to be taken literally, but the irony is probably lost on these little fellas anyway.
500-Million-Year-Old ‘Mistake’ Led to Humans
A spineless creature experienced two doublings in DNA, triggering the evolution of humans and other animals.
Image: An amphioxus (also called a lancelet), which is a very distant cousin to humans and other vertebrates. It is the creature most similar to the original spineless organism that existed before a major genomic event occurred. Credit: Carol MacKintosh
