Nature, Science, & Mathematics: October 2005 Archives
Our relatively minor spinoff of Wilma flows by--it will continue throughout the day as she moves north eastward (Hopefully more east before north). And I think what a wonder these things are. Not a wonder I particularly enjoy participating in at the time, but it's great to talk about afterwards. I begin to understand the purpose and meaning of "hurricane parties" where people gather in large groups to wait out the storm. The sound of human companionship makes more bearable the terrible sounds that come from outside. They restore a perspective from primordial horror to major inconvenience; from waiting for the apocalypse to waiting out a bout of bad weather.
What is even more interesting about this storm is the huge, strong front that is driving it off. We're starting the morning at about 80 degrees and this evening we'll be down to 48. That's amazing for Florida, and almost unheard of for October. But it is another thing to thank God for--it is the whisk broom that forces this pesky storm out to sea so rapidly that we have merely two or three hours to endure of the worst weather. Like Charlie last year, it hits hard and fast and then is gone. There is probably nothing worse than what the Yucatan suffered--sitting under a glowering hurricane for hours upon hours on end.
Thank goodness for the diligent Priests of St. Blogs (nod to Dappled Things) who keep us apprised of these monumental <*ahem*> issues--a 1300 lb pumpkin threatens to take over New England! (How's that for a Tabloid Headline?)
An explanation of Hookes observations through the microscope with resizeable lpage images. Nice for historians of science.
The world of science is filled with oddities--such as the recently filmed Architeuthis. In the course of my explorations of paleontology, I have happened on many wonderful, beautiful oddities. Those of the echinoderm world are amongst the oddest. If you want to see some odd animals, google helicoplacoids some time. Or perhaps edrioasteroids.
But over chez Darwin the other day I had cause to remember the great carpoid debate. The center of the debate was taxonomic--were carpoids echinoderms or chordates. (Curiously, echinoderms are the only other major group of deuterostomes--if one holds by evolutionary theory, that would make them our closest relatives in the invertebrate world--how close that would be is still miles off--nevertheless. . . )
Anyway--get a load of these odd little guys. (Ignore the picture that says Tetragraptus, I'll get to the graptolites some other time.)
Anyway, enjoy this momentary excursion into the odd as the first of my morning offerings--a sign of the greatness and the profound love of God for His creation.
CNN.com - Scientists�photograph giant squid - Sep 28, 2005
Critically important news--from Eve Tushnet, I think. Thank you!
