All plants and animals identified by science have been given a scientific name and classification. The scientific name is used to help prevent confusion and is used across languages. It is helpful when an organism has several common names, or names that change across an area. I just learned that a flower I know as … Continue reading Understanding Scientific Naming
Category: science
Photosynthesis – In Brief
It’s easy to take oxygen for granted. But, let’s not for a moment. Instead, imagine a sugar maple with its broad, green, leaves. Zoom in on a single leaf, rustling slightly in the breeze. Think of a cell within that leaf. Now we’re getting closer to the action. Dive a bit deeper and you will … Continue reading Photosynthesis – In Brief
Birds are Dinosaurs
I remember kayaking on the Charles River near Boston. The river was narrow, and overhung with trees. Vines and bushes crowded the bank while dragonflies skimmed over the water. I went around a bend, startling a Great Blue Heron into flight. It gave a honking squawk as it beat its great wings and took off … Continue reading Birds are Dinosaurs
Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter of the 1800’s
In the early 1800’s Charles Dickens was born, Jane Austin was in the middle of her career, and a young girl named Mary Anning was about to unearth a fossil. Mary Anning was born in 1799, to a poor family living in the coastal town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, England. Her father, Richard, was … Continue reading Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter of the 1800’s
What is Race?
The idea of race was formally introduced to Europe by an adventurer and traveler named Francois Bernier (1625-1688.) In 1684, after traveling around the world, he published a work called A New Division of the Earth. In it he proposed that humanity could be divided into “four or five species or races of men in … Continue reading What is Race?
What’s So Great About Carbon?
Anyone who has ever read science fiction (and perhaps other people as well) knows that life on earth is carbon based. There is a reason for that. Carbon is a supple element. It can easily bond with other carbon. and when they do so they form strong bonds. Carbon to carbon bonds are found in … Continue reading What’s So Great About Carbon?
What is a virus?
What is a virus? A virus is a microscopic particle of genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a shell of protein and sometimes a further protective envelope. For all the trouble they cause viruses are tiny things, generally many times smaller than bacteria. But they exist in the trillions and gazillions and whatever word … Continue reading What is a virus?
What is an Atom?
everything made of matter is made from atoms
What are Greenhouse Gases?
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of our atmosphere. The problem comes when we have too much of a good thing.
Malleus Maleficarum, or, The Hammer of Witches
Belief in magic and witchcraft was common in Europe during the early Middle Ages. However, despite rumors to the contrary, neither the public nor the Church was (originally) hysterical about it.
The Nature of Things 