Strange Science

Human beings have been taking from nature for many years.
This April, Disney made a landmark decision.

Isn’t it about time we started giving back?
 

A whopping 2.7 million trees will be planted in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest in honor of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ release of Disneynature EARTH, a movie which grossed $16.1 million in just one week during its time in theaters. This particular rainforest has suffered much deforestation and this massive replanting effort will be a massive boost for the area’s ecosystem - plant and animal alike.

A huge hit with moviegoers and critics alike, the movie gives a colorful and touching look into the world of different animal families sharing the world we call home - a poignant and powerful message for all humanity to realize and understand - we aren’t the only ones on this big blue planet, and we have to do our part to keep it alive and healthy.

If you’d like to know more about the movie, and the directors’ take on its production, check out this informative Q&A post, and you’ll be glad you did.

PS. Don’t forget - do your part whenever you can! Recycle water bottles, keep trash off the ground, and treat the environment well so it can treat you well, too.

[/cheesy ending statement]

– Silver Gummi Shark.

Hey, all. Silver Gummi Shark here, with a fun break from the solid articles I’ve been submitting.

I recently email-interviewed a very nice groundskeeper named Dana Borglum at Southeastern University in Florida, and asked him a few questions about his job there.

Time for some question and answer goodness!

1. What is your job title?
My job title is “Groundskeeper”. 

2. Why did you go into this line of work?
I have always been interested in the care and maintenance of nature, but I work at this specific job because I was attending classes here.  Although my first interest/calling is ministry (I am currently a youth pastor), I very much enjoy what I do and hope to continue this type of work in some capacity for a long time.

3.  How does nature inspire/affect you?
In the book of Romans, Paul says that man is without excuse regarding their belief in God because He has revealed Himself in nature.  When I am working closely with God’s creation I feel closer to Him.  I feel like I am doing what God originally called man to do in Eden by being a steward of His creation, and I do believe it is important for everybody to have a desire for that stewardship.

4.  Do you feel it is important to take care of nature? What advice do you have for students/anyone concerning nature?
Obviously not everybody is going have the type of job I have - somebody has to make money :).  However, everyone can participate in the care of God’s creation by simply being responsible with the resources that they have available to them.  I believe that by getting out and enjoying nature regularly, you can foster a deeper desire for its care.

Thanks again, Mr. Borglum!

An elegant web dappled with dew.

 Spider silk.

A natural substance produced from the spinnerets on a spider’s abdomen to weave its complex webs and precariously dangle from trees, ceilings, and the occasional arachnophobe (who shortly after probably runs away screaming - I would know, I am one.)

So, why would the stringy, sticky silk of such a small and creepy creature have so much importance in the scientific community?

Well, why not take this fact into consideration? Spider silk is not only as strong as, but is even stronger than steel – several times over, in fact! If you’ve ever had the grave misfortune of accidentally walking into a giant spiderweb, you’ll know what I mean.

Even as thin as thread, the fibers of a spider web are extraordinarily strong. This molecular ideal has not escaped  the attention of scientific groups and corporations alike – for instance, the Nokia cellular phone company.

 Nokia is currently working on a new prototype of handheld device that, thanks to advanced nanotechnology, will have a molecular structure very much like the flexible silk of a spiderweb - not only elastic, but extremely strong and difficult to damage. 

Different concepts for the Nokia Morph.

I’d highly recommend checking out the concepts for the elegant and high-tech Nokia Morph, which you can see in video format here.

Feels like walking into a science fiction movie, doesn’t it? We’ve come a long way since the computer was first invented – now we’ve got plans to create mini-computers essentially made out of spider silk! 

Nature is truly an inspiration for every aspect of life and learning.

Looming as sheer cliffsides, or marking a unique natural pattern as a rocky path beneath your feet along volcanic island shores, hexagonal basalt formations can be found all across the world, in all of their geometric glory. These shapely beams of rock are formed when basalt (a type of volcanic rock) cools down, contracts and then splits into familiar jagged shapes. There are examples of this slendid phenomenon that can be found in such places as Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Devils Postpile in eastern California, Fingal’s Cave on an island off the coast of Scotland, and many more.