August 2015

Jurassic Celebrity: Early Bird Gets the Spotlight

August 31, 2015May 12, 2016 Science ConnectedArchaeopteryx, dinosaurs, Jurassic, paleontology

By Steven Spence A Lasting Impression For its sheer beauty, the Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx has been described as a “paleontological Mona Lisa” by Dr. Luis M. Chiappe of the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. Without a doubt it is one of the most attractive fossils that I have ever seen. It is striking because it clearly has avian features, yet it is so different from modern birds. Clawed Wings and Teeth A previous article on the reference specimen of Archaeopteryx (London Natural History Museum) mentioned both the claws and…

Engineering Get to Know a Scientist Science Videos

Do You Want to Be a Chemical Engineer?

August 26, 2015April 21, 2021 Science Connectedchemical engineering, science careers, STEM careers, Women in STEM

Do you want to be a chemical engineer? Then meet Sylvie Cloutier. She is a scientists who uses chemical engineering to make foods healthier.

Photo of coral (Courtesy of Public.Resource.Org via Flickr)

Environment Zoology

Copying Coral to Contain Heavy Metal Pollution

August 25, 2015July 30, 2022 Science Connectedcoral reef, marine biology, oceans, sea life

These scientists are building artificial coral that can absorb heavy metal pollution. Find out how it could work to protect the environment.

Engineering Get to Know a Scientist Science Videos

Women in STEM Careers, Women in Action

August 19, 2015April 21, 2021 Science Connectedengineering, STEM careers, Women in STEM, women in tech

By Chantal Brine We have teamed up with Techsploration to bring you the Women in Action video series featuring women working in STEM careers. In this, the first video of many, meet hydrogeologist Nora Donald and learn about the important work she does. Techsploration’s Women In Action series delivers a quick overview of over forty careers in sciences, technology, trades, and engineering. The series features short clips of various female role models who share “the best thing” about their careers. The series introduces young women to careers in which females…

Zoology

Photographer in Alaska: Grazing Grizzly Bears

August 18, 2015April 20, 2021 Science ConnectedAlaska, animals, bears, grizzly bears, wild alaska, wildlife photography

Did you know that grizzlies eat grass? Grazing Grizzly Bears is the second installment of wildlife photographer Max Goldberg’s latest Alaskan Adventure. By Max Goldberg After spending a few days at Brooks Lodge, my father and I went back to Anchorage, Alaska, and took three flights to our next destination: the Natural Habitat Ursus. The Ursus is an old crab-fishing boat converted into a floating home-from-home, and our base for the next week. Every morning, we would eat breakfast, put on our waders, get into a skiff, and go to…

Environment

Recipe for the Perfect Coral Reef

August 17, 2015August 8, 2022 Science Connectedbiology, climate change, coral reef, ecology, environment, marine life, oceans, reefs

The latest health check on the world’s coral reefs wasn’t all doom and gloom; it’s shown us we have a plan for preservation that works.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Biology

Comet Carries Building Blocks of Life

August 10, 2015April 5, 2021 Science Connectedcomets, dna, origins of life, space

Many of us learned in school that comets were lifeless balls of frozen gas and dust hurtling through space. In recent years, however, we have changed the way we think about comets, which are now thought to be the couriers that delivered life to a young Earth. Boosting the courier theory, the European Space Agency’s comet-chaser craft named Rosetta has found complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, on a comet. These are the exciting initial results of the data analysis using the information returned by Rosetta’s lander, Philae,…

Biology

Sleep Makes Memories More Accessible, Vivid

August 5, 2015July 22, 2021 Science Connectedbrain, sleep

You may have heard that sleeping protects memories from being forgotten. According to new research, however, sleep can also make those memories easier to access. The results of a new study from the University of Exeter and the Basque Centre for Cognition, Brain and Language suggest that after sleep we are more likely to recall facts we could not remember before. The beneficial impact of sleep on memory is well established, and the act of sleeping is known to help us remember the things that we did, or heard, the…

Berlin Mounted Dinosaur Skeleton: The huge mounted Giraffatitan in the main hall in Berlin, dwarfing the Diplodocus that stands behind it. (Photo by Steven Spence)

Paleontology

Mounting a Monument to a Mesozoic Monster

August 3, 2015April 3, 2021 Science Connectedanimals, dinosaur, dinosaurs, evolution, fossil, paleontology, skeleton

Renowned paleontologist Dr. Dave Hone explains how the largest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world was put together. Photography by Steven Spence. By David Hone Dr. Dave Hone is a lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, specialising in dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In addition to writing for The Guardian, he blogs at Archosaur Musings, is a contributor to Pterosaur.net, created Ask A Biologist, and has published more than 50 academic papers on dinosaur biology. His latest book, The Tyrannosaur Chronicles, is now available from Bloomsbury Publishing. Few visitors to the…