Museum of Life gives viewers an inside look at the Natural History Museum and some of the 300 or more scientists who work here. Cameras follow them on collecting expeditions around the world, as they hunt for dinosaur fossils and study the biodiversity of remote areas. But there are also plenty of discoveries to be made at the Museum itself, including hidden store rooms full of specimens, and high tech science facilities, such as the DNA labs. Find out about the huge variety of plants and animals that scientists study here, and why they are important for conservation efforts today.
About the presenters: As a young man, Jimmy Doherty (Jimmy's Farm, Jimmy Doherty in Darwin's Garden, Jimmy's Global Harvest) worked as a volunteer at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Now he returns to join the Museum scientists and find out how much has changed. He is joined by engineer Kate Bellingham (Tomorrow's World), doctor of tropical medicine Chris van Tulleken (Medicine Men), conservationist Liz Bonnin (Bang Goes the Theory) and zoologist Mark Carwardine (Last Chance to See). LINK: Youtube
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Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died. Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old. Lonesome George, a giant tortoise, was believed to be the last of his subspecies.
With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world. For decades, environmentalists unsuccessfully tried to get the Pinta Island tortoise to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies on the Galapagos Islands. Park officials said the tortoise was found dead in his corral by his keeper. LINK: The presurfer
(Video Link) Scientists in Antarctica used a time-lapse camera to capture the formation of a brinicle — an icicle made from brine. As the salty water sank, it froze, forming a spike of brine down to the seafloor. As it grew over several hours, the brinicle killed everything in its path, including numerous unlucky starfish.
Plants are able to remember and react to information contained in light, according to researchers. Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems. These electro-chemical signals are carried by cells that act as nerves of the plants.
In their experiment, scientists from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond. And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark. This showed, they said, that the plant remembered the information encoded in light. LINK: The Presurfer
For the first time, a large Pacific barreleye fish - complete with transparent head - has been caught on film by scientists using remotely operated vehicles at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The deep-sea fish's tubular eyes pivot under a clear dome. LINK: Youtube
The Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica, named after Soviet geophysicist Grigoriy Gamburtsev, lie beneath a mile of solid ice. Scientists have known about their general location for a while, but only recently were able to take pictures of them:
The images are the result of radar technology, and reveal a dramatic landscape of rocky summits, deep river valleys, and liquid, not frozen, lakes, all hidden beneath the ice. The range itself rivals the Alps in size and cover an area that is roughly the size of New York State.
“What we’d shown before was an estimate based on gravity data — a little bit of a coarse resolution tool,” said Robin Bell, a senior research scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York. “What we showed at this meeting was the radar data. It’s like going from using a big, fat sharpie to using a fine-tipped pencil.”
“Some catfish species have been known to be venomous — including a few dangerous enough to kill a human. But scientists knew little about how common venomous catfish are or how the fish produce and deliver their venom. Turns out, the ability is more widespread than anyone realized extending to about half of the more than 3,000 known catfish species, according to a new report. For the study, biologist Jeremy Wright studied the venom and microscopic tissue structures of 158 catfish species. Based on known relationships among those species, the University of Michigan graduate student concluded that at least 1,250 to 1,625 catfish species are likely venomous. The explosion in known venomous catfish species, however, doesn’t mean you have anything to fear, even if you’re an inveterate noodler — especially in North America.” LINK
Scientists have discovered an octopus utilizing tools by carrying around a coconut shell to be used as shelter, which is a first amongst invertebrates. LINK: Youtube
Scientists witnessed the eruption of the deepest underwater volcano and caught the entire event on film for the first time - complete with molten lava and sulfur smoke clouds.
The volcanic eruption was filmed by a U.S. robotic submarine more than 1.2 kilometers (4,000 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean near Samoa during an expedition in May this year. Scientists have been trying for 25 years to witness an underwater volcanic eruption, but this is the first time it has ever been caught on film. LINK: The Presurfer
* Brought to you by WEPC.com * Boing Boing video peeks inside the electrified world of Omega Recoil, a group of engineers and "makers" who craft giant Tesla Coils, and stage humorous and thrilling performances with those large electrical display devices. LINK: Youtube
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