June 30, 2011

Science Diary: Water – Moon

You may want to think twice before taking a dip in the ocean during a full moon.

June 29, 2011

Science Diary: Water – Fingerprints

Bodies of water have unique identifying characteristics that enable scientists to trace pollutants to their source.

June 28, 2011

Science Diaries: Okefenokee – Living Landscape

Cycles of growth and wildfires keep Okefenokee swamp in an eternal state of flux.

June 27, 2011

Science Diaries: Okefenokee – Standing Up to Bears

What hisses at bears to defend its nest eggs? Hint: it’s bigger than a robin.

June 24, 2011

Science Diary: Okefenokee – Sandhill Migration

Each year flocks of migrating Sandhill Cranes descend on Georgia’s Okefenokee refuge and join their southern cousins.

June 23, 2011

Science Diary: Okefenokee – Sandhill Monogamy

Young Sandhill Cranes are all for group dates, but when it’s time to get serious, these giant birds commit to one partner.

June 22, 2011

Science Diary: Okefenokee – Peat

Think of a swamp, and you might picture mud and muck. But Okefenokee rests on a spongy foundation of peat.

June 21, 2011

Science Diary: Okefenokee – Rain Gators

Someone should tell Captain Hook. If you can see the length of an alligator’s nose, you can easily judge his overall size.

June 20, 2011

Science Diary: Red-Cockaded – Cavities

Red-cockaded woodpeckers have specific home-site needs, and once their nest cavities are built, larger species have no qualms commandeering them.

June 17, 2011

Science Diary: Red-cockaded – Snakes

Red-cockaded woodpeckers build a sticky sap fence to keep predators at bay.

June 16, 2011

Science Diary: Red-cockaded – Overview

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 1200-acre oasis for small groups of Red-cockaded woodpeckers.

June 15, 2011

Science Diary: Long Leaf Pine – RCW

Restoration of the Long Leaf Pine ecosystem at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is central to the survival of an endangered woodpecker.

June 14, 2011

Science Diary: Long Leaf Pine – Restoring

Forestry experts at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge are working to restore Long Leaf Pine, a species that once ranged from Virginia to Texas.

June 13, 2011

Science Diary: Galway – Sediment

By analyzing samples of sediment from the sea floor, Irish scientists can map underwater ecosystems.

June 10, 2011

Science Diary: Galway – Explore

Most of Ireland’s land mass is well below sea level, and that’s why mapping the ocean floor is a high priority.

June 9, 2011

Science Diary: Beach Sand – Results

After heat sealing and incubating samples of ocean water, counting bacteria is a numbers game.

June 8, 2011

Science Diary: Beach Sand – Testing

Two resourceful middle school students use a household iron and a homemade incubator to conduct bacterial research.

June 7, 2011

Science Diary: Beach Sand – Sand

A school science fair project has caught the attention of an oceanographer, who is helping to guide some significant research.

June 6, 2011

Science Diary: Beach Sand – Beach

Could bacteria in beach sand be contaminating ocean water? Two middle school students are attempting to find out.

June 3, 2011

Science Diary: Exploring Tibet-Stone Tools

Thousands of years after they were made, the scraps from a tool-making session are found.

June 2, 2011

Chamarita

In honor of Azorean Portuguese ancestors and a beloved queen, the festival of Chamarita is one of humble origin.

June 1, 2011

Science Diary: Exploring Tibet – Bad Roads

Before Science Diarist Mark Aldenderfer can start his research in Western Tibet, he has to get there!