15: Earth Science Lab Supplies - let's keep the momentum going!

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

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Sunday November 01, 2015 · 7:00 AM PST

2015/11/01 · 07:00

no image description available — Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

Diary header banner for Daily Kos Inoculation Project diaries.

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. We identify projects in traditionally red state classrooms, preferably in a high-poverty district. This week, we are focusing on funding a single large project that we started working on last week.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy

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Sunday November 01, 2015 · 6:20 AM PST

2015/11/01 · 06:20

I think matching mole must be in a Halloween-induced sugar coma. He was scheduled to do this week's open thread. I'll take this one down if he posts. Thought I'd share some photos of Anna's Hummingbirds taken in my backyard yesterday. We have a lot more hummers in the new yard than we did in the old one! All Anna's so far but I'm be curious to see who else shows up over the next years.

Dawn Chorus: Songbirds (and more) from Brazil's Pantanal

tgypsy

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Sunday October 18, 2015 · 6:00 AM PDT

2015/10/18 · 06:00

Good morning, Dawn Choristers. I haven't been around a lot lately. Dealing with a move and the addition of Frank's elderly mother to our household have been challenging and time consuming for the better part of this year! Even with diminished participation, I always look forward to spending a little time here Sunday mornings. Many thanks to Kestrel and matching mole for keeping this little corner of Daily Kos going for the past several months.

My last Dawn Chorus was about my travels in Brazil's Pantanal region, touching on birds and other critters that we saw while we were there - especially the jaguars. In that diary, I promised another diary or two about more of the birds we encountered. Now, almost 8 months after that diary and a year since we returned, here we go.

I'm starting with the "and more" part of the title because I really love this photo. It gives a good sense of what a lot of the Pantanal looks like - flat grassland punctuated with islands of trees - plus captures the interaction between two charismatic bird species. The large bird in the center right of the photo is a greater rhea. He's defending the group of chicks on the left from the jabiru stork fleeing toward the right, though truth be told the jabiru was not a threat to the chicks. What he really wanted was a fishy handout from our guide!

I think we counted about 20 chicks total. In this species, the chicks are cared for by the father. Both males and females will mate with multiple partners, but the males stay at one next (or two if he has a helper), so it's likely the chicks come from more than one mother.

Songbirds (and more) below.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday April 26, 2015 · 7:00 AM PDT

2015/04/26 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 29, 2015 · 7:00 AM PDT

2015/03/29 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fifteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 01, 2015 · 6:00 AM PST

2015/03/01 · 06:00

In October 2012 and again in October 2014, I had the great good fortune to visit the Pantanal in southern Brazil. The Pantanal is a world-wide destination for wildlife lovers known for its diversity of birds - nearly 100 species of herons, ibis, egrets, storks that weigh more than a pound, plus hundreds of species of passerines - and also for the charismatic big cat, the jaguar. For very good reason, the central portion of the Pantanal, accessible by boat on the Cuiaba, Piquiri, and Tres Irmaos Rivers, is dubbed "The Jaguar Zone" by our tour operator. (Note that most of the photos and narrative in this diary are from the 2014 trip.)

Join me below for a pictorial safari to see the wildlife of the Pantanal.

A note to the squeamish - there is some minor gore coming up so proceed with caution.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday February 22, 2015 · 7:00 AM PST

2015/02/22 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fifteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday December 28, 2014 · 7:00 AM PST

2014/12/28 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 28, 2014 · 7:00 AM PDT

2014/09/28 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy for The Inoculation Project

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday August 31, 2014 · 7:00 AM PDT

2014/08/31 · 07:00

Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.

The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.

DNA_Overview2

Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.

tgypsy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday August 03, 2014 · 6:00 AM PDT

2014/08/03 · 06:00

I was born in and grew up in southeastern Michigan. My dad, two sisters, and other family members still live there. So I was very excited to be able to combine a family visit to Michigan with Netroots Nation 2014 in Detroit. I got to celebrate my dad's 91st birthday (twice) and also catch up with on-line friends that I haven't seen for while. I even got share a bit of the NN14 adventure with two of my sisters, who stayed with me for the first two nights.

I started the trip staying with my dad in my hometown of Adrian. My sisters and I helped him clean out and reorganize the house. It wasn't all drudgery - there were those two birthday parties, after all. Plus I was able to do a bit of birdwatching from his backyard, watching Chimney Swifts and Turkey Vultures careen overhead.

Hmmm... what did I do with that card? Maybe it's in my pocket?

The search continues over the fold...

tgypsy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday December 15, 2013 · 6:00 AM PST

2013/12/15 · 06:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to do a road trip to Arizona and New Mexico to visit family and a few interesting birding hot spots. We knew that the weather was likely to be chilly in November but we ended up driving across Arizona into New Mexico on the trailing end of a very cold and snowy storm, much colder than typical for this time of year. The cold settled in for most of our trip though the skies did clear, providing spectacular clear blue skies and landscapes.

Snow Geese rising.

Watching birds on this trip got me wondering about why and how birds' feet and legs don't freeze when they are exposed to sub-freezing temperatures for days on end. Geese, ducks, and Sandhill Cranes even stand or float in water for extended periods of time, especially at night, to avoid predators. Makes my feet ache just thinking about it! Googling a bit, I discovered the term "rete mirabile," Latin for "wonderful net." Both terms sound a little magical to me - sort of like birds standing in a near-frozen pond all night and not ending up with icicles to stand on. (Note - please see discussion in the comments. Several people who have studied ornithology and/or biology have expanded the discussion about rete mirabile. Their input is that this process is more about maintaining birds' core temperature than preventing their legs from freezing. Oversimplification on the Internet? Who knew?)

I found a Living on Earth BirdNote called Why Birds Feet Don't Freeze - here's the description of rete mirablile provided by Michael Stein:

Unlike our feet, birds’ feet are little more than bone, sinew and scale, with very few nerves. But it takes more than a lack of nerves to keep their feet from freezing. A miraculous adaptation called rete mirabile is responsible. This fine, net-like pattern of arteries that carry warm blood from the bird’s heart is interwoven with the veins carrying cold blood from the feet and legs. This interweaving warms the cold blood in these veins, before it reaches the bird’s heart. This system keeps the bird’s legs and feet warm, even without leggings and slippers.

There's a more general description of rete mirabile at Wikipedia.

Kimberly Bostwick, Curator, Birds and Mammals at Cornell University Museum, adds more about other strategies that birds use to protect their legs in cold weather including tucking up one leg at a time for some warming near the body, or squatting on a perch to warm both legs when it gets extremely cold. And lastly:

There are two more things I want to say. The first is that even we scientists don't have all the answers to questions like this. Blood flow and hiding feet cannot be the whole story. Maybe the scales on the feet of the bird are less likely to frostbite than skin is. For instance, we can not get frostbite on our hair, because our hair is not actually living, much like the scales that cover birds feet. Maybe bird feet are so skinny so that there is less flesh in there to freeze!

With that introduction, on to some examples of birds surviving in the cold. Read More

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The Inoculation Project 11/1/15: Earth Science Lab Supplies - let's keep the momentum going!

Dawn Chorus: Backyard Hummingbirds

Dawn Chorus: Songbirds (and more) from Brazil's Pantanal

The Inoculation Project 4/26/15: If They Build It, They Will Learn

The Inoculation Project 3/29/2015: Little Scientists!

Dawn Chorus: Brazil's Pantanal - The Jaguar Zone

The Inoculation Project 02/22/2015: Plate Tectonics!

The Inoculation Project 12/28/2014: It's Elementary!

The Inoculation Project 09/28/14: Second Semester Supplies

The Inoculation Project 08/31/14: Geodes and Science Labs

Dawn Chorus: "Michigan Seems Like a Dream to Me Now..."

Dawn Chorus: Baby, it's cold outside!