Tag-Archive for » orchids «

May 22nd, 2010 | Author: sarcozona

Mining companies like to claim that they’re bringing economic benefits, but cleanup and health costs far outweigh positive contributions to the economy.

After thousands of years, we’ve finally discovered what the argonaut octopus uses its shell for – it’s essentially a ballast tank.

HUGE step: we’ve synthesized life.

Autism doesn’t have anything to do with vaccines, but children of migrant parents in Europe are at higher risk.

Susan B. Anthony wasn’t anti-choice, no matter what this obnoxious group claims.

The economy is fossil fuels.

Public pressure actually changed the rainforest destroying policies of Nestlé.

Because of decades of unsustainable fishing practices, we are now faced with a very unpleasant choice: the loss of 20 million jobs now or the permanent loss of the fish.

Cypripedium fasciculatum

Cypripedium fasciculatum

The BP oil spill is an American Chernobyl.

Try this fun logic puzzle with the not so fun title non-normalizable probability measures.

Ultrasound could be a good method for male contraception.

We still don’t fully understand why the bees are dying, but at least they aren’t dying everywhere, as was previously believed.

The end of Usenet.

Acupuncture might not be completely useless.

Ugandan women have high rates of maternal mortality that their health minister blames on poor training for health professionals.  Considering how much of that mortality is due to obstetric fistula, focusing on preventing child rape might go further than additional training for nurses.

Oh look, MORE sexism in academia.

The water crisis in Yemen continues to cause conflict and cost lives. We should expect much more of this kind of thing as the climate continues to change.

Many of the people I went to college with probably shouldn’t have gone to college.  And that may have been a better strategy.

Texas is rewriting history for its public schools:

Several changes include sidelining Thomas Jefferson, who favoured separation of church and state, while introducing a new focus on the “significant contributions” of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the civil war.

The new curriculum asserts that “the right to keep and bear arms” is an important element of a democratic society. Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favour of examining scientific advances through military technology.

Sculpture by Mia Liu

Sculpture by Mia Liu

December 12th, 2009 | Author: sarcozona

Testosterone doesn’t actually make people selfish; it promotes fair play.

It’s not that feminists don’t have a sense of humor, you’re just not funny.

China really isn’t getting better about human rights abuses.

Fantastic essay by Asimov on “The Relativity of Wrong.”  I feel like this would be especially good to read in intro science classes.

Having health insurance doesn’t necessarily make healthcare affordable or accessible.

Large animal farms (actually large farms period) do incredible environmental damage with human victims.  Dairies in New Mexico have led to contaminated water in a region where water scarcity is a growing issue.

We thought flowering plants had such an advantage because of their flowers.  Actually, it’s their veins!

Teeny tiny orchid discovered by accident

Teeny tiny orchid discovered by accident

The Discovery Channel clearly doesn’t appreciate the women who watch their shows.  Otherwise why would they put out such offensive ads?

Comic books and vagina dentata.

September 28th, 2008 | Author: sarcozona

Welcome to the 9th edition of Berry Go Round, your favorite botanical carnival!  This is my very first carnival hosting experience, so I hope you like it!

I’m taking a plant morphology class this semester, and my professor has me a bit wary about the looming section on ferns with statements like “if you think this is complicated, just wait until we get to ferns.”  Christopher Taylor over at Catalogue of Organisms has a great post up on the details of a fern life cycle that I will certainly be referring back to!  Did you know that the “normal” fern plant with two sets of chromosomes develops from a totally different looking fern plant with just one set of chromosomes?  Luckily, the panic induced by trying to figure such crazy things out is greatly reduced by actually looking at ferns.  Emily has many incredible pictures of ferns at her blog, No seeds, no fruits, no flowers: no problem, like this lovely fertile frond of Blechnum spicant.

blechnum-spicant

Blechnum spicant

Mary has another very informative post up, this time about the Verbena Family.  Since I have a special place in my heart for plants with angular stems, I particularly enjoyed this post.  Who needs a plant taxonomy class when you can just read A Neotropical Savanna?

At botanizing, we are treated to a beautiful post that may cause you to take a closer look at inconspicuous orchids.

Botany Photo of the Day recently profiled the somewhat mysterious Jovellana punctata, which I promptly fell in love with (don’t worry, there’s no bad poetry hiding behind that link).

Jovellana punctata

Matt Mattus at Growing with Plants shares several gorgeous fall blooming plants and his enviable tomato harvest.  If you aren’t jealous, don’t tell me.  I don’t want to hear about how easy it is to grow tomatoes when you don’t live in the desert.

Allium callimischon ssp. haemostictum

Allium callimischon ssp. haemostictum

Seeds Aside regales us with the history of tomatillos, which he refers to as miltomate.  In northern Arizona, we’ve already had a few close calls with frost this year.  I’m hoping the tomatillos from our garden fill out before the first hard freeze.  I’m pretty jealous of the bounty from verdure’s garden.

And speaking of gardens, GrrlScientist and the very respectable Professor Steve present their recent trip to Darwin’s garden.  There are some absolutely gorgeous flower photos, so make sure you go check it out.

Thanks to everyone who submitted to this edition!  I’m not sure where the next Berry Go Round will be hosted, so while I do some sleuthing, go check out last month’s edition over at Not Exactly Rocket Science and don’t forget to submit entries for October’s Berry Go Round, which will be hosted at Catalogue of Organisms.

July 02nd, 2008 | Author: sarcozona

The 6th edition of Berry Go Round is being hosted this month at Seeds Aside.  Check out these fantastic orchids featured in the carnival.