diatoms — 2014 — The 21st Century Matriarch

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

An Astronaut’s Guided Video Tour of Earth - Worth the 3-4 minutes to watch!

Toxic “Toupee”: Explaining the Most Venomous Caterpillar in the U.S. - I’m glad they don’t live in Maryland!

Do wearable lifestyle activity monitors really work? - The Fitbit has certainly caused me to increase my level of physical activity since I got my first one in June 2010. For the first few years I used it to monitor my sleep; I sleep consistently and well so I no longer wear it at night….but the steps and floors measurements are still something I check every day!

Nine fats to include in a healthy diet - A list from the Institute of Food Technologists.

This Is How You Make Art from Microscopic Forms - Diatom art….and video about how it is done!

6 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder - A list for educators….but the suggestions seem valid for other professions as well.

Sugar Substitutes, Gut Bacteria, and Glucose Intolerance - Artificial sweeteners may have an unexpected - and not positive - effect.

American Farmers Are Growing Old, With Spiraling Costs Keeping Out Young - The average age of principal farm operators is now 58 years old in the US. I’m thrilled that the farmer at my CSA is young and seems to have a successful enterprise.

The secrets of the desert aircraft ‘boneyards’ - A few years ago I took the bus tour of The Boneyard at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson. The aerial view was a different perspective than we got from the bus window!

Planetary atmospheres and climate: An interview with Dr. Jonathan Mitchell - Interests and adventures in planetary science - there is a lot to do!

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Ten Fabulous Facts about Butterflies: A Wildlife Garden’s Best Friend - Now that the weather in our area is getting warmer…..we’ll be seeing more butterflies. They’re one of my signposts of summer!

10 Breakthrough Technologies 2014 - The list is from the editors of MIT’s Technology Review (and they include a pointer to past lists too).

Diatoms on Display - Fan shaped - they reminded me of stylized papyrus images.

Why Do Americans Hate Lives of Leisure? - The article went a different direction than I anticipated. It really was not about ‘lives of leisure’ but about why we tend to feel we have too little or none at all.

Blocking pain receptors extends lifespan, boosts metabolism in mice - It is appealing to find that something done to improve the quality of life (like blocking pain) might also extend lifespan. Of course - it may not work the same in humans as it does in mice.

Super-power Chia Bread - My routine breakfast is a tablespoon of chia seeds in almond milk - but I have been noticing more recipes that include chia recently and this is one I plan to try. It would be a lot easier to eat ‘on the go.’

London’s Greatest Scientific Experiments - An interactive tour.

On the shoulder of a giant: Precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu discovered - My daughter is in Hawaii on a geology field trip right now so this article captured my attention.

A Map of National Landmarks That Are Most Vulnerable to Climate Change - Time to plan a vacation to see some of these? We were at the NASA Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral National Seashore last fall.

Visualizing the Ocular Microbiome - The surface of our eyes is yet another complex ecosystem and it has some unique properties. Modern molecular diagnostic tools are increasing our understanding of what it takes to sustain ‘health.’

Filigree Floral Sculpture Produced with Innovative 3D Printing - This one is added to my list for the week because of beauty and the use of technology.