Baby Mammoth discovery unveiled

A baby mammoth unearthed in the permafrost of north-west Siberia could be the best preserved specimen of its type, scientists have said.

The frozen carcass is to be sent to Japan for detailed study.

The six-month-old female calf was discovered on the Yamal peninsula of Russia and is thought to have died 10,000 years ago.

Call me crazy, immoral, pathetic, whathaveyou, but I can’t wait to see a cloned, baby mammoth. I wonder if they can make a pot-bellied variety I can keep as a pet.

By the way, it just looks like an elephant to me.
(H/T: Tales of the Burning West)

As an aside, no I haven’t finished Harry Potter. Standing in line to purchase it I couldn’t wait to get home to race through it. Now I’m finding that I’m dreading the end. Because, well, it’s the end. So I’m taking my time. And, Bruce, if you really want me to email you the ending, I will, but it may be a few more days.

Today I learned that Mr. Wizard passed away on June 12, 2007 after a battle with bone cancer. Mr. Wizard — you made a science geek out of me.

From his website:

It is with deep sadness that we regret to announce the passing of Don Herbert - the one and only “Mr. Wizard”. Don lost his battle with cancer today, June 12, 2007, at 9 AM Pacific Daylight Time - slightly more than one month shy of his 90th birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family, who are at once, saddened by his passing, and relieved that he is no longer suffering.

I was watching Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! again last night. Episode 7 focused on Feng Shui and bottled water. Imagine my surprise when the following landed in my inbox this morning.

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted
thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental
inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there.
Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage.
Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and
possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance.
For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
contributes to the “greenhouse effect.”
may cause severe burns.
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream,
lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global,
and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has
caused millions of dollars of property damage in the US.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

as an industrial solvent and coolant.
in nuclear power plants.
in the production of Styrofoam.
as a fire retardant.
in many forms of cruel animal research.
in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains
contaminated by this chemical.
as an additive in certain “junk-foods” and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done
to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is
extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution,
or use of this damaging chemical due to its “importance to the economic
health of this nation.” In fact, the navy and other military
organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing
multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations.
Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a
highly sophisticated underground distribution network.
Many store large quantities for later use.

The Horror Must Be Stopped!

Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical.
What you don’t know can hurt you and others throughout the world.
Please visit DihydrogenMonoxide.org to see what you
can do to help!

[Note: By the way, if anyone feels the urge to send me one of those oh-so-politely phrased emails that never really are, explaining to me what DHMO really is -- Don't. My patience for condescension is wearing thin. However, if anyone actually falls for this I will laugh heartily at your expense. ]

This artist’s illustration shows a newly discovered planet otuside our solar system that’s so similar to Earth it might sustain life, astronomers say. The planet’s temperature is between 32 and 104 degrees fahrenheit. While it is 14 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, the star, Gliese 581, is smaller and dimmer.

A new Earth Like Planet has been discovered orbiting the star Gliese 581.

The new planet, which is the smallest planet beyond our solar system found to date, circles its star 14 times closer than Earth orbits the sun. But because Gliese 581 is smaller and colder than our sun, the system’s so-called habitability zone, where liquid water and thus life is possible, is closer to the mother star than in our solar system.

Wish me a safe trip, I’ll see you suckers later!

I can admit it: I’m weird. I always have been, and I see no end to the weirdness, much to the dismay of those around me.

Many of these I would like to have, and many I would like to have a more ‘mature’ version of, either way, I like them all. And yes, I am aware that I’m an adult.

1.Beetle Barn

Watch the interesting lifecycle of a mealworm with this easy-to-use insect kit. As their development from larvae to pupae to adult Darkling Beetle progresses, move the mealworms from the barn into the see-through silo in their unique habitat.

I have a Leopard Gecko that decided she no longer wished to eat her meal worms. A while later I had beetles coming out of the woodwork (literally).

2.The World of Germs

Learn about the many different types of micro-organisms and the benefits and dangers they present in our world.

I have a similar kit, the Smart Labs Grow Your Own Bacteria Farm, but this one looks more fun.

3.Ant Farm

Watch ants create a fascinating network of tunnels!

The original! I don’t actually want one. I want about 10 of them; they can be linked together via tubing.

4.Incubator with Four Quail Eggs

This chick egg incubator comes complete with four fertilized quail eggs that will hatch in 17-23 days! The plastic incubator has a clear dome, egg cradle, 110-volt light to produce heat, thermometer, and complete hatching instructions. Incubator capacity is 2 duck eggs, 3 chicken eggs, or 8 quail eggs.

I don’t have any urge to get a real incubator and hatch eggs for fun and profit, but I would like to try it once. The question is, what would I do with the quail?

5.Owl Pellet Dissection

Learn about owls and the animals they eat by doing an owl pellet dissection.

I dissected my first owl pellet in the second grade, and I’m still fascinated by them.

6.Fruit Fly Culture Kit

This media kit contains everything except the flies and anesthetic.

There’s actually a reason for me to get this one: Carnivorous Plants and Poison Dart Frogs. I don’t currently have any frogs, but the habitat is already being built mentally.

7.Worm Vue Wonders

Enjoy learning all about earthworms with this fascinating “worm farm” kit! Not only will your kidsweird self watch the worms move, eat, and dig, but they can also perform a number of experiments to learn about soil types, soil pH, soil composting, worm sensitivity to touch and light, and more!

I would really raise worms, but in a much more sophisticated set up and on a larger scale.

8.Root Vue Farm

Watch roots grow from the time they sprout until they are harvested! See how light, temperature, and other factors affect plant growth rate by performing basic experiments. Kit comes complete with unique clear window viewing box, light shields, built-in watering system, three seed packs (carrot, onion, and radish), soil, and a 16-page activity booklet.

I think it would be neat to take a picture of the growth every day and then put them all in a short video clip.

9.Triops

Embark on a biological adventure with this deluxe “Triassic” Triops kit! The eggs of these small creatures remain dormant for years, but when placed in water they hatch and grow to adulthood in just nine days.

Triops and also, Sea Monkeys, I want to have the weirdest pets.

10.Hikers Plant Press

A larger 5″ x 7″ press for preserving flowers, leaves and other botanical specimens. Includes 14 blotter cards and 6 cardboard cards for drying.

I seriously want this one.

11.Dino Dig Triceratops

Let your children weird self experience paleontology as they excavate and assemble a triceratops skeleton from “fossilized” rock.

I love this type of excavation kit.

12.Rock Tumbler

This classic Smithsonian rock tumbler kit polishes rough rocks to produce attractive gem-like stones, perfect for making your own jewelry.

I’ve always wanted a rock tumbler, but think I’d rather have a nice one.

13.Sheep Pluck Dissection

This sheep pluck includes the heart, lungs, and fully attached trachea.

Dinner anyone? I had to see if you were still paying attention.

Does This seem wrong to you? It’s the first sheep/human chimera; 85% sheep, 15% human. Seriously. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.

And as a bonus, just for kicks:

Toadzilla, this two-pounder is the size of a small dog.

The world’s largest toad is a Cane Toad.

Every schoolboy knows that toads and frogs make great pets.
But they might flinch at picking up “Toadzilla”, a warty toad as big as the monster found in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Remember This Post? With the cool USB microscope and the portable, pet cactus? I told you I had to have them, and today the cactus arrived (the USB microscope was out of stock and I’ll have to wait a while before I can get it anyway). I had no idea it was that tiny! (I apologise for the poor quality photos — I can’t keep my hands from shaking today.)

I purchased this through Think Geek but the manufacturer is Pet Tree. I had a little trouble with their site, if you click English and then click a sub tab, you can see pics of others mini-plants, and care instructions.

Actually this frog found encased in Amber is from the Oligocene epoch, and the stone’s owner is not likely to allow DNA to be taken from the frog, due to its rarity. Which is a bit of a shame, but certainly understandable. Oligocene is from the Greek meaning, “few recent forms.” That refers to few modern animals that originated during the Oligocene. Mostly animals became more refined, and began to resemble the animals we see today, but archaic vertebrates died out. The Oligocene was a major division of the Tertiary Period between the Eocene and Miocene epochs and occurred about 33.7 to 23.8 million years B.C.E. It was mostly temperate with some areas bordering on tropical. This little frog, while quite rare in it’s current form, was probably as common in its native habitat as tree frogs are today.

February 17, 2007—A miner from Mexico’s Chiapas state has made the find of a lifetime—a tiny tree frog preserved in amber that could be 25 million years old, a scientist recently announced.

I think this is one of the coolest things ever.

I have a feeling Star Showers doesn’t look nearly as neat in person, but the picture sure looks pretty.

Star Showers is not a timing mechanism, but an amazing conversation piece that captures all the majesty and wonder of a shower of falling stars trapped in time. A simple flip of the hand blown glass chamber generates a cascade of thousands of phosphor coated glass beads that glow brightly as they are charged with static electric current.

The Discovery Scope 25X Microscope/Viewer is something I could see myself taking on hikes, fishing trips, into the garden… The question is, which would be more handy? This Scope or the USB Microscope?

Compact, portable hand-held 25X widefield microscope fits snugly in a pocket or hooks onto a belt.

Two 1″ x 2″ x 3/4″ acrylic see-through containers serve as viewing chambers for pond water or larger live specimens. Needs only natural lighting for illumination.

By the way, the Portable Cactus should be here next Wednesday. When it arrives, I’ll post pictures.

If you think for a second that I wouldn’t actually order these, you are quite mistaken — I’m already planning on the Human Heart Mold for a Valentine’s Day Dessert next year (since I didn’t get one in time for this year). Twisted? Me? Okay, a little!

Science, Art and More Inc. Brain Mold

Human Heart Gelatin Mold

Fill the clear heart or brain mold with a customized gelatin mix and create an edible, anatomically correct organ.

For more cool, science stuff like this, check out the entire science toys list at Science, Art and More Inc. I’m also in love with the human anatomy clip boards.