tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5239135904265078442024-03-12T17:48:43.908-07:00Home BiologyFor homeschoolers -- or anyone -- who wants to learn more about life science at home!Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-73651291449576260592012-09-02T07:54:00.000-07:002012-09-02T15:41:59.462-07:00Bill Nye Explains Why Kids Need to Know About Evolution <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gHbYJfwFgOU?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
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One common theme in the never-ending discussion of Creationism versus
evolution is "Why not teach both and let kids make up their own minds?"<br />
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The problem with that line of thinking -- leaving aside the fact that Creationism is usually understood to mean the creation story of one particular culture, rather than a comparison of the many, many traditions of how the world began -- is that when it comes to evolution, both sides are just not equal. In order to believe in Creationism in a literal sense, you have to unbelieve practically every big idea to be embraced by science in the last century.
This is the argument <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/bigthink">Bill Nye makes in the video</a> above:
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<blockquote>
Your world just becomes fantastically complicated when you don't believe in evolution. I mean, here are these ancient dinosaur bones or fossils, here is radioactivity, here are distant stars that are just like our star but they're at a different point in their lifecycle. The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your world view just becomes crazy, just untenable, itself inconsistent.</blockquote>
The Science Guy <a href="http://bigthink.com/ideas/42742">goes on to plead</a> with parents not to make their children deny evolution "because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can ... build stuff, solve problems."<br />
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The video comes from a website called <a href="http://bigthink.com/">Big Think</a>. Thanks to its sensationalist title -- Bill Nye himself talks only about "denying evolution" and makes no comment on people's personal beliefs -- the video has gotten over <b>3.5 million</b> hits since it was posted on August 23, a little over a week ago. It has been mentioned on news sites around the internet, and <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7419594n">Nye went on CBS</a> and <a href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/bill-nye-on-creationism-its-like-teaching-the-earth-is-flat/">CNN</a> to clarify his views.<br />
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As he says, "Learning the story is great, but it's not science."<br />
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Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-37407683081512615622012-06-16T07:35:00.000-07:002012-06-16T07:35:01.872-07:00Geneticist Barbara McClintock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e9yCxOiw8ik/T9yZVfmTfKI/AAAAAAAACLI/texkrKtcYrA/s1600/Mcclintock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e9yCxOiw8ik/T9yZVfmTfKI/AAAAAAAACLI/texkrKtcYrA/s1600/Mcclintock.jpg" /></a></div>
If you're wondering why this blog looks a little neglected, the reason is that <a href="http://www.geekmom.com/" target="_blank">GeekMom</a>
has been keeping me busy. I hope to post some more about recent
chemistry projects we've done, but in the meantime I'd like to highlight
a wonderful post by GeekMom writer Melissa Wiley about Barbara
McClintock. As Melissa writes:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Attention science buffs: <a href="http://www.edithfine.com/bmc.html">Edith Hope Fine</a>’s biography of
groundbreaking geneticist Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) is available
free on Kindle this weekend, June 16-17, 2012! As we mentioned <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/04/bio-of-nobel-prize-winner-barbara-mcclintock-free-on-kindle-this-weekend/">back in April</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TRDLJY/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=homebiology-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B007TRDLJY&adid=0HS4VJY9CD4GC52DT063"><cite>Barbara McClintock: Nobel Prize Geneticist</cite></a>
is a lively biography for readers nine and up, illuminating the life
and work of this remarkable scientist. Dr. McClintock won the Nobel
Prize in 1983 for her discovery of “jumping genes,” small pieces of DNA
can move from one place to another in a genome. She conducted most of
her research on maize, working with crops she raised herself.</blockquote>
You can read <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/06/happy-birthday-barbara-mcclintock/" target="_blank">Melissa's interview with the author</a>, Edith Hope Fine, on GeekMom. Her post includes links to other posts about science and some science activities, including one that originally appeared on my other blog <a href="http://www.homechemistry.blogspot.com/">Home Chemistry</a>!Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-16443979629832619722010-12-23T22:11:00.000-08:002010-12-23T22:18:34.606-08:00More Home Biology Sightings in the News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/TRQ5ATGPpYI/AAAAAAAACBg/y_afWdPuiNo/s1600/NYT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/TRQ5ATGPpYI/AAAAAAAACBg/y_afWdPuiNo/s1600/NYT.jpg" /></a></div><br />
If you didn't get to see the nice picture of the kids and me playing with our computer microscope for the New York Times (the photos are not on the NYT website), here's <a href="http://www.startribune.com/business/112201329.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU">a reprint of the article</a> in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-61501227510209093182010-12-15T18:30:00.000-08:002010-12-16T05:14:31.181-08:00Welcome New York Times Readers!<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002HLKI2?ie=UTF8&tag=craftsforlearning-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0002HLKI2"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/TQoP9WwUPxI/AAAAAAAACBc/QAS1TI6sDS8/s1600/QX5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/TQoP9WwUPxI/AAAAAAAACBc/QAS1TI6sDS8/s320/QX5.JPG" width="218" /></a></div><br />
It was a thrill to be <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/technology/personaltech/16basics.html?_r=1&ref=business">featured in the article</a> about our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002HLKI2?ie=UTF8&tag=craftsforlearning-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0002HLKI2">computer microscope</a> in the New York Times Business section. Home Biology is where my two teens and I kept records of all the activities we did and resources we found in the course of a year of homeschooling biology. In the sidebar on the right you'll find lots, conveniently arranged by topic.<br />
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Despite the description in the Times, we <b>don't</b> really have a lab in our dining room. And the computer microscope described in the article is about the most sophisticated piece of science equipment we use. But we can tell you a lot about studying living things with kids at home using low-tech and inexpensive equipment. If you look at the Topic Labels in the sidebar, you can find posts about our forays into <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/search/label/Microscopes%20and%20Microphotography">microphotography</a> using a standard student microscope (which has a higher magnification than the computer model) and my digital point-and-shoot camera. There are also lots of posts about our <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/search/label/Labs%20and%20Activities">"labs"</a> (perhaps not what a traditional high school biology lab would look like, but a hands-on activity that got my kids thinking and doing science). I also labeled some activities <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/search/label/Kitchen%20Biology"> kitchen biology</a> because they involve food. Those were my favorites!<br />
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I'd love to hear what you think about our activities and our blog. And if you're interested to see what we've done in other science areas, be sure to visit our other blogs: <a href="http://homechemistry.blogspot.com/">Home Chemistry</a>, <a href="http://homephysics.blogspot.com/">Home Physics</a>, and this year's project, <a href="http://integratedscienceathome.blogspot.com/">Integrated Science at Home</a>. And anyone who's interested in ways to bring science and technology (as well as scifi, games, and all kinds of fun stuff) to kids should check out the other blogs I'm a member of, GeekMom and GeekDad.<br />
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You can also find information about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FKathryn-Ceceri%2FB002MO1BRI%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1&tag=worldhistor04-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">activity books for kids</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=worldhistor04-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and my school and library programs at my website <a href="http://www.craftsforlearning.com/">Crafts for Learning</a>. You'll find contact info there as well. Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-14734477622630104342010-05-18T20:17:00.000-07:002010-05-18T20:17:43.799-07:00Saratoga Woods and Waterways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NUEZmBcMFtc/S_C3dk7nliI/AAAAAAAAELs/GhEQ3Mjg3i4/s1600/bluetcloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NUEZmBcMFtc/S_C3dk7nliI/AAAAAAAAELs/GhEQ3Mjg3i4/s400/bluetcloud.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Image: Jackie Donnelly</div><br />
Back when we started this blog our first project was a nature survey. Although we managed to identify many species that were new to us, we were only scratching the surface.<br />
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I just discovered a blog by a local amateur naturalist Jackie Donnelly of Saratoga Springs, NY called <a href="http://www.saratogawoodswaters.blogspot.com/">Saratoga Woods and Waterways</a>. It has wonderful photos and descriptions. Since the trails she mentions are all within a short drive, we'll have to check some out and see if we can find any of the plants and animals she identifies.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-7385133683591334672010-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:002010-05-08T12:54:11.261-07:00More Triops -- and a Fairy Shrimp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S-W_qj17n6I/AAAAAAAAB8k/tMuMf2kkdNI/s1600/Three+Shrimp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S-W_qj17n6I/AAAAAAAAB8k/tMuMf2kkdNI/s320/Three+Shrimp.JPG" /></a></div>We hatched some more triops recently and got a bonus -- a fairy shrimp. We brought our shrimp to the Schuylerville Library for a presentation on the activities from my new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934670464?tag=homebiology-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1934670464&adid=0NXX1F8C05B9DY8XSVEA&">Discover the Desert</a>, which was just won an Honor Award from Skipping Stones Magazine. Unfortunately, the two triops passed on after only a few weeks, but the fairy shrimp (the kind that are sold as Sea Monkeys) is still going strong.You can see the fairy shrimp on the left in this photo.<br />
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I have had a very hard time getting nice photos of our shrimp. But if you want to see some crisp, clear excellent images of triops, the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0982441207?tag=homebiology-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0982441207&adid=1XWDTZBK4DD76W5GXPCX&">Triops: A Very Unusual Creature</a> is now available on Amazon.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-82105251281340331282010-04-27T05:14:00.000-07:002010-04-27T05:14:13.493-07:00Food, Inc.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S9bUgXEd3BI/AAAAAAAAB8M/4wB-1mYnMcY/s1600/foodinc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S9bUgXEd3BI/AAAAAAAAB8M/4wB-1mYnMcY/s640/foodinc.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>I just discovered that the documentary <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027BOL4G?tag=homebiology-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B0027BOL4G&adid=1HM5HVFT3AB8GFDGTDFH&"><i>Food, Inc</i></a>. can now be watched online at the <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/1472879887/#">PBS website</a>. From the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/">PBS companion website</a>:<br />
<blockquote>In <b>Food, Inc.</b>, filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli — the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.</blockquote>Among the experts interviewed is Michael Pollan. Last year we listened to the audio version of his excellent, accessible book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143114964?tag=homebiology-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0143114964&adid=0RRTCG6HWFV6N59XRK6B&"><i>In Defense of Food</i></a>.<br />
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I've had the DVD on reserve at the library forever (my request has already expired once), so I'm very glad to see that we can now watch it on demand. Now if we can only figure out how to stream video from the computer to our ancient TV...<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/94d43e89-ec0a-44a0-9847-8bc308c1a8a1/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=94d43e89-ec0a-44a0-9847-8bc308c1a8a1" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-69029024517578426892010-04-21T11:13:00.000-07:002010-05-08T12:44:42.163-07:00Stuffed Triops and other Fun Critters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S88_1Z30PnI/AAAAAAAAB70/DEdz4-lLVX4/s1600/StuffedTriops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S88_1Z30PnI/AAAAAAAAB70/DEdz4-lLVX4/s640/StuffedTriops.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Check out my <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/04/weird-bug-ladys-plushies-are-entomologically-correct/">GeekDad post</a> about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/weirdbuglady">Weird Bug Lady</a>, who makes adorable stuffed versions of triops, bugs, and other critters.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-64783372220204576882010-02-18T20:41:00.000-08:002010-05-08T12:44:42.163-07:00A Cool Article on Aquaponics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S34Vs3yOX6I/AAAAAAAAB5I/rW5crJzX7-o/s1600-h/NYTAquaponics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/S34Vs3yOX6I/AAAAAAAAB5I/rW5crJzX7-o/s320/NYTAquaponics.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18aqua.html">NYT </a></div>When we brought the goldfish in from the plastic pond in the backyard last fall, they had doubled in size. So we picked up a second tank to keep them in. Our tanks are self-contained: rocks, plants and fish in their own ecosystem, without filters. (We change half of the water and wipe the tank down every week.)<br />
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At one point we gave a thought to putting at least one of the 10-gallon tanks on the shelf by the back sliding door, where we had our <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/search/label/Hydroponics">hydroponic set-up</a> last year, and trying to grow veggies on the top of it. We never followed through. (As a side note, for the first time in my experience the boxes of dirt-planted herbs I brought in last fall are still doing going strong indoors this winter.)<br />
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However, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18aqua.html">this New York Times story</a> describes an aquaponic experiment very similar to what we were thinking about. Given how wet our property is, we don't need to grow in tanks year-round, but maybe we'll give it a try next winter.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-31149820446060882292009-12-04T18:59:00.000-08:002009-12-04T19:18:59.033-08:00Brain Slices<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SxnRAFqbMLI/AAAAAAAABvQ/z2QdQDI2xys/s1600-h/BrainSlice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SxnRAFqbMLI/AAAAAAAABvQ/z2QdQDI2xys/s400/BrainSlice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411586226712686770" border="0" /></a><br />As I write this, you can watch<a href="http://thebrainobservatory.ucsd.edu/hm_live.php"> live streaming video of a frozen brain being sliced </a>into sections for study at the Brain Observatory at the University of California, San Diego. The brain belongs to a man who lost his short-term memory after an operation to help his seizures.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><p></p> <p>From <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/03/brain.observatory.h.m.amnesia/index.html">CNN</a>:<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>A camera is taking a picture of each individual slice, and these pictures will also be made available on the Web. The goals are to map the human brain in new ways and correlate individual structures with specific functions such as memory. </blockquote><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-7067199875638428082009-12-01T12:59:00.000-08:002009-12-01T13:11:35.204-08:00Nature Art -- Big and Small<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://shop.thetroybookmakers.com/backyardnaturalistvolumei-p-24.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SxWGI_5PGkI/AAAAAAAABu4/lFCbm1wRnRg/s400/Carol+CooganOwl+.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410378016504093250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I finally got the chance to interview (via email) local nature writer/illustrator <a href="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/ArtistPortfolioThumbs.aspx?AID=3569">Carol Coogan</a>. Read "<a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/12/how-to-get-your-kids-out-drawing-from-nature/">How to Get Your Kids Out Drawing Nature</a>" on GeekDad.<br /><br />And <a href="http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/micropolitan/">The Micropolitan Museum of Microscopic Art Forms</a> is a website featuring images of teeny tiny organisms. Here's their description:<br /><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SxWF2frHmPI/AAAAAAAABuw/GQfiWLYp_ys/s1600/Pennate-Micropolitan+Museum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SxWF2frHmPI/AAAAAAAABuw/GQfiWLYp_ys/s320/Pennate-Micropolitan+Museum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410377698617301234" border="0" /></a>For several centuries artists have depicted the human figure, still-lives, landscapes or non-figurative motifs. One subject has been widely neglected all those years: Micro-organisms!<br /><br />The Micropolitan Museum finally exhibits these often overlooked works of art which are only visible with the aid of the microscope. Curator Wim van Egmond has collected the finest microscopic masterpieces nature has ever produced during eons of natural selection.</blockquote> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/fd91f0c4-6ff9-4f2d-a655-28fc2cebc1c8/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=fd91f0c4-6ff9-4f2d-a655-28fc2cebc1c8" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/devel/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-22205708649466318152009-11-08T07:55:00.001-08:002009-11-08T08:06:37.548-08:00Great Kids Book about Triops<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.littlesciencebooks.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Svbq7kXgREI/AAAAAAAABtw/z4r8BuOXDVI/s400/TriopsBook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401763112172930114" border="0" /></a><br />Photographer Lori Adams sent me<br />a review copy of the new book she produced with author Helen Pashley about triops. This book is the reference you'll need when you try raising these frisky little critters for yourself. It has all the information you'll need, plus lots of clear, well-marked photos so you can identify what you're seeing. I recommend it highly. Order it through <a href="http://www.littlesciencebooks.com/">Little Science books</a>.<br /><br />You can also order <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HKYUDG?tag=geekdadklc-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B000HKYUDG&adid=00ZW50155JV9AQ8DZNZH&">triops kits</a> through Amazon or directly from <a href="http://www.triops.com/">Triassic Triops</a> (but I get a small kickback from Amazon, and shipping is free)!<br /><br />See <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/11/cant-commit-to-a-family-pet-try-a-triops/#comments">my post about triops on GeekDad</a>. The comments are pretty funny, too.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-58651294809651121732009-11-05T06:57:00.000-08:002009-11-05T07:08:27.178-08:00Charlie's Playhouse - Toys that Teach Evolution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SvLpe8CE2sI/AAAAAAAABtI/z-Gq5Xq0Z0w/s1600-h/ancient-creature-cards.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 151px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SvLpe8CE2sI/AAAAAAAABtI/z-Gq5Xq0Z0w/s320/ancient-creature-cards.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400635620890827458" border="0" /></a>Thanks to my fellow GeekDad writer Jenny for pointing me towards <a href="http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/index.php">Charlie's Playhouse</a>, a toy company dedicated to games and learning tools about evolution. <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/11/origin-of-species/">As Jenny writes</a>:<br /><blockquote class="zemanta-reblog-quote" style="margin: 1em 3em;"><p>The 24th of November is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s work, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” To celebrate this important anniversary, <a href="http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/index.php">Charlie’s Playhouse</a>, maker of <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/09/charlies-playhouse/">evolution-inspired toys, play things and apparel</a>, is inviting us all to ask our kids (age 4 to 10), “What is evolution?” They are hoping this will spark family discussion about evolution.<span class="attribution zemanta-reblog-cite" style="padding: 1em 0pt; text-align: right; display: block; width: 100%;"></span></p><br /></blockquote>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-79249720961897890612009-10-30T19:13:00.000-07:002009-11-05T07:09:34.656-08:00How Did Our Garden Grow?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/homebiology/4059214933/" title="Corn and Beans by homebiology, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/4059214933_031669b2c3_b.jpg" alt="Corn and Beans" width="600" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This year's garden was eventful, and deserves a report:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. The Three Sisters Garden worked great! </span><br /><br />Following the directions from <a href="http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/threesisters.html">NativeTech</a>, I planted corn, stringbeans and various kinds of squash Native American-style. We had way more corn than the previous year (although several ears never developed), and the beans were plentiful up until the first frost. In fact, the beans grew so well that the corn stalks began bending under the weight and had to propped up with stakes taken from the tomato patch (more on which below). I also got a lot of acorn squash (reminder to self: make menus to use up acorn squash in downstairs fridge) and a few zucchinis. I even got two pickings of pickles from the one vine that grew over by the compost pile. But most of the squash didn't thrive. Possible reasons: planted seeds too deep, critters ate seeds, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/homebiology/2846208966/">powdery mildew</a>, <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/2846184594_6bafa3438d.jpg">squash bugs</a>. But all in all relatively easy and very rewarding. (Note for next year: deepen lower plot to move corn farther away from fence.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Those poor tomatoes.</span><br /><br />Tomatoes throughout the area had it rough this year. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html">Tomato blight</a> arrived early, thanks to plants shipped to the big-box stores. Although experts recommended pulling up all plants and discarding them, I kept a few which still had leaves and found that by the end of the season they each had produced several more small fruits (which I failed to harvest before the frost, sadly). The other weird thing was that somehow I ended up without a single regular round red tomato among all my varieties. And due to a mistake on the part of the farmer's market guy, the green zebra seedlings I bought turned out to be orange globes (which the husband pronounced unsuitable for sandwiches, for some reason). Not a total washout, not a great year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What happened to all the pumpkins?</span><br /><br />Last year we had pumpkins up the wazoo, just from throwing our old ones on the compost pile. This year, nada. Still had vines -- but they turned out to be plain little gourds, barely suitable for decorations. Went to our usual pumpkin place (across from the dairy farm we lived on years ago) to stock up, and the girl there said all the wet weather was not pumpkin-friendly. Well, there's always next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. The herbs, the strawberries, the grapes, the apples.</span><br /><br />The herb garden we created at our last house was so wonderful, I figured it would be easy to replicate. But so far, no luck. Even though herbs are billed as being suitable for shady spots, ours have not filled out. And with the non-stop rain, everything growing in the lower part of the backyard was pretty much drenched, if not underwater, throughout the entire season. I added some more ever-bearing strawberries, which turned out to have much larger fruit than the first batch (about half the size of a regular strawberry, as opposed to little wild-strawberry-sized fruit). They only produced a few, and sometimes the bunnies got to them before I did. I'd like to add more of those next spring. Of the two grape plants I put in by the pond, one died and the other survived but didn't fruit. The apple tree produced about a dozen apples, of which the squirrels got two. All were bumpy and funny-looking, but were OK when peeled and cooked.<br /><br />Winter gardening: I still need to pull out the old plants and cut what herbs remain for drying. The carrots I planted in September seem to be doing OK; I plan to cover them and see if they are pickable in the winter. I also planted some lettuce in flower boxes on the porch rail, but the squirrels decided they were the perfect place to bury nuts.<br /><br />Not sure about doing any <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/search/label/Hydroponics">hydroponics</a> other than sprouts this winter, but I may try to grow something in one of the fish tanks. Still looking into it! Also hope to try some of the projects in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/160358028X?tag=homebiology-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=160358028X&adid=13ZAJ1H6HCP6DCVHW3ZS&">Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting</a>.<br /></div></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-55625232453690287762009-10-04T11:04:00.000-07:002009-10-04T11:06:02.439-07:00New Blog - Home Physics!It'll be a few more weeks before it really gets up and going, but I'm starting to add helpful links and info about learning physics at home to this year's science blog, <a href="http://homephysics.blogspot.com">Home Physics</a>. Come visit! And feel free to comment with your favorite resources or suggestions.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-67973136399866467222009-09-29T10:13:00.000-07:002009-09-29T10:29:53.334-07:00Nature Drawing<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SsJC7NgxBvI/AAAAAAAABro/g5z1WMu0TJg/s1600-h/100_5520.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SsJC7NgxBvI/AAAAAAAABro/g5z1WMu0TJg/s320/100_5520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386941689295341298" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SsJC6zSCdwI/AAAAAAAABrg/6FlUPMYDMoo/s1600-h/100_5519.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SsJC6zSCdwI/AAAAAAAABrg/6FlUPMYDMoo/s320/100_5519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386941682254247682" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I don't think I ever posted these drawings of tomato plants by my kids last winter. We have been inspired by the lovely illustrations of naturalist <a href="http://shop.thetroybookmakers.com/backyard-naturalist-volume-ii-p-25.html?zenid=1461420f7e956893e96dac3097181101">Carol Coogan</a>, whose work is published weekly in our local newspaper.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/images/artistimages/images/3569_42843.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 184px;" src="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/images/artistimages/images/3569_42843.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/images/artistimages/images/3569_42843.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/images/artistimages/images/3569_42816.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 185px;" src="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/images/artistimages/images/3569_42816.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.directoryofillustration.com/ArtistPortfolioThumbs.aspx?AID=3569">Images Copyright by Carol Coogan</a><br /></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-22052055822883137922009-08-31T19:18:00.000-07:002009-08-31T19:21:49.639-07:00Dobsonflies<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3808235670_495a4529c8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 380px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3808235670_495a4529c8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>This week's <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/08/17257/">post at GeekDad</a> is about the wetlands that used to be our backyard...Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-59564200243989005932009-08-28T19:00:00.000-07:002009-08-28T19:05:34.225-07:00Zip Code Zoo<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://zipcodezoo.com/images/zipcodezoo300x110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 105px;" src="http://zipcodezoo.com/images/zipcodezoo300x110.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Here's a nature ID site that works by looking at the location of your internet service provider. (Didn't know websites could do that? I use a site called StatCounter to see who's visiting my various blogs. It gives a rough approximation of your city, among other info. And that's just the free, amateur version. Anyway...)<br /><br />Here's what <a href="http://zipcodezoo.com/default.asp">Zip Code Zoo</a> has to say about itself:<br /><br /><blockquote>Our natural world is rapidly losing its diversity and abundance. To slow this loss, and to better appreciate the natural world, we must begin with local nature. ZipcodeZoo<a href="http://zipcodezoo.com/default.asp"></a> works to bring the natural world to armchair, amateur, and professional naturalists. Our focus is Applied Biogeography: understanding plants and animals in their place, perhaps even your backyard.</blockquote>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-1792711236111943582009-08-25T09:21:00.000-07:002009-08-25T20:28:15.847-07:00Compost Tube - Final Report<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SncOxFiuZqI/AAAAAAAABqw/B2aBD0SKEGo/s1600-h/compost+fungi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 307px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SncOxFiuZqI/AAAAAAAABqw/B2aBD0SKEGo/s320/compost+fungi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365773717499438754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SncOxZkGfyI/AAAAAAAABq4/zVEj2Ug4tI4/s1600-h/Done+Composting.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 307px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SncOxZkGfyI/AAAAAAAABq4/zVEj2Ug4tI4/s320/Done+Composting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365773722873921314" border="0" /></a></div>This beautiful abstract from early July is the inside of the compost bottle. As you can see, some fungi took hold, along with the nematodes and bacteria that broke our vegetable scraps down into mush. A friend suggested using the liquid which collected in the bottom of the tube as "compost tea," so I poured it on my potted grape tomato plant. After photographing and disassembling the tube, I worked the contents into the tomato pot. (The tomato doesn't look great, but I don't know if that is the fault of the compost!)Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-76652440371800795362009-08-10T07:40:00.001-07:002009-08-10T07:46:03.372-07:00Howard Hughes Medical Institute<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SoAynZZEJVI/AAAAAAAABrA/setB1m8LqaY/s1600-h/Howard+Hughes+Medical+Institute.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 142px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SoAynZZEJVI/AAAAAAAABrA/setB1m8LqaY/s320/Howard+Hughes+Medical+Institute.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368346408237933906" border="0" /></a><br />Another interesting-looking resource for learning about biology is the <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/">Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a> website. It has a section called <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/">Cool Science</a> for teachers, parents and kids, and you can access <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/index.html">free lecture</a>s via streaming video or by ordering the free DVDs.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-58278379045271097522009-08-10T05:02:00.000-07:002009-08-10T05:07:17.733-07:00Backyard Biology<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.backyardbiology.net/Backyard_Biology_files/fall%20colors_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 173px;" src="http://www.backyardbiology.net/Backyard_Biology_files/fall%20colors_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Here's a website recommended by Robert Krampf:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.backyardbiology.net/Backyard_Biology.html">Backyard Biology</a> is a nature website written by a marine biology who works as a science educator at the Museum of Science in Boston, and an outdoor educator-turned-artist. Here's an excerpt from their bios:<br /><br /><blockquote>When my good friend, Don asked if I would be interested in developing a web-site with him, the wheels started to turn. What fun it would be to combine art, natural history and writing as we share our mutual fascination with everything from aphids to zebras. We hope you will join us on frequent expeditions to our “backyards”.</blockquote>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-46066544104509058242009-07-16T05:51:00.000-07:002009-07-16T05:56:20.309-07:00Your Tax Dollars at Work!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Sl8jATlma7I/AAAAAAAABqo/3dyaPYqmI6c/s1600-h/Inside+the+Cell+booklet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 274px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Sl8jATlma7I/AAAAAAAABqo/3dyaPYqmI6c/s320/Inside+the+Cell+booklet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359040569759132594" border="0" /></a>Hi Kathy,<o:p></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thanks for <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-cell.html">listing our booklet</a> on your site:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><a href="http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidethecell/index.html"></a><blockquote><a href="http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidethecell/index.html">Inside the Cell</a>, an interactive online publication from National Institute of General Medical Sciences (also available as PDF)</blockquote><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><o:p></o:p>You might be interested to know that, in addition to its online and PDF format, Inside the Cell is available free-of-charge as a full-color printed booklet. You can order it, and our other free science ed materials, at <a href="http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/order/">http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/order/</a> .</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even more print and online resources are at <a href="http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/">http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/</a> . Everything is free-of-charge. (Your tax dollars at work.)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Best,<o:p></o:p></p> Alisa<br /><br />Alisa Zapp Machalek<br />Science Writer and Editor<br />National Institutes of Health/NIGMS<br />301-496-7301 phone<br />alisa.machalek@nih.gov<br /><a href="http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/order/"><span style="color:blue;">http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/order/</span></a>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-28743756560118959122009-06-29T06:31:00.000-07:002009-07-01T07:57:38.282-07:00Food Labs (Biochemistry)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktwihdFUEI/AAAAAAAABpE/cL7TXI3kBGQ/s1600-h/100_6616.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 227px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktwihdFUEI/AAAAAAAABpE/cL7TXI3kBGQ/s320/100_6616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353496320458182722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktwjLGMoFI/AAAAAAAABpM/-vERLATBcaE/s1600-h/100_6617.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktwjLGMoFI/AAAAAAAABpM/-vERLATBcaE/s1600-h/100_6617.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 228px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktwjLGMoFI/AAAAAAAABpM/-vERLATBcaE/s320/100_6617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353496331636482130" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Biological macromolecules like proteins, lipids (fats), and carbohydrates (sugars and starches)<br />are the building blocks of living cells. They also use them to store energy. This week, for biology, we made food samples, and tested them for fat and starch. Here is how we did it:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktxXQvSY3I/AAAAAAAABpU/NU1J405_ams/s1600-h/Fat+Test.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktxXQvSY3I/AAAAAAAABpU/NU1J405_ams/s320/Fat+Test.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353497226504201074" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fat Test</span><br />For the fat test, we tested samples of milk, butter, peanut butter, olive oil, <a href="http://www.nutellausa.com/">Nutella</a>, egg whites, an egg yolk, heavy cream, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and yogurt. We also used water for the control sample. We tested them by taking a big piece of brown paper-bag-type paper, drawing squares for the samples, and spreading a little of each food in its square. We than waited for around 15 minutes for the food samples to dry. Once dry, any sample containing fat left a dark grease stain on the paper.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktxqUZWu6I/AAAAAAAABpc/Y-MUMzHW6Uk/s1600-h/Starch+test.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktxqUZWu6I/AAAAAAAABpc/Y-MUMzHW6Uk/s320/Starch+test.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353497553903467426" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Starch Test<br /></span>The starch test was slightly more complicated. For the starch test, we made samples of cooked pasta, bread, crackers, a blue chip, flour, a potato, sugar, corn starch. Again, we used water as a control. For the set-up, we took a small sample of each food, and put it in a small plastic cup. For the testing, we put a few drops of iodine on the sample. If the sample contained starch, the drops turned blue. This is because (from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch_indicator">Wikipedia</a>) "Starch forms an unstable complex (blue colored) in low concentrations of Iodine."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Skty5gzRCwI/AAAAAAAABp8/ct9DzkSjJys/s1600-h/Potato.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Skty5gzRCwI/AAAAAAAABp8/ct9DzkSjJys/s320/Potato.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353498914443037442" border="0" /></a><br />The potato after the Iodine was added.<br />As it's reacting with the starch,<br />the brown Iodine turns dark blue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktyXopP1_I/AAAAAAAABps/aOfWZjTZDm4/s1600-h/Sugar.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 283px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktyXopP1_I/AAAAAAAABps/aOfWZjTZDm4/s320/Sugar.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353498332432947186" border="0" /></a><br />The sugar after the Iodine was added.<br />As you can see, the Iodine did not change color,<br />meaning that the sugar contains no starch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktyXYLwVBI/AAAAAAAABpk/Dy8Pw1w1gow/s1600-h/Wet+Cracker.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 196px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SktyXYLwVBI/AAAAAAAABpk/Dy8Pw1w1gow/s320/Wet+Cracker.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353498328014279698" border="0" /></a><br />One of the cracker samples we made after the iodine was added.<br />This sample has water added because we were trying to contrast it<br />with a cracker sample that we chewed up. The starch in the chewed-up<br />sample was supposed to convert to sugar via the enzymes in our saliva.<br />Unfortunately, we were unable to detect any difference<br />between the chewed-up sample and the regular sample.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Skt3LRuXUcI/AAAAAAAABqE/3Ga-EIRgSvo/s1600-h/100_6615.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Skt3LRuXUcI/AAAAAAAABqE/3Ga-EIRgSvo/s320/100_6615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353503617680101826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">A couple of days earlier, we made butter from heavy cream. All we did was put about half a cup of cream and a pinch of salt in a glass jar and shake it for roughly 15 minutes. First the cream became thick like whipped cream, then it separated into "<a href="http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/BUTTERMILK.HTM#old_fashioned_buttermilk">buttermilk</a>" and butter.<br /><br />We followed <a href="http://www.raft.net/ideas/Shake%20Your%20Butter.pdf">these directions from Raft.net</a>, which contain a simple explanation of what's happening. A more detailed chemical explanation is available at <a href="http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/churning.html">Butter Through the Ages</a>.<br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resources:</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SEP: Testing for Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates<br /><a href="http://seplessons.ucsf.edu/node/362">http://seplessons.ucsf.edu/node/362</a> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br />Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid Power Point <a href="http://teacher.edmonds.wednet.edu/mths/awelman/index.php?section=documents">http://teacher.edmonds.wednet.edu/mths/awelman/index.php?section=documents</a> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br />Virtual Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid Lab Tests<br /><a href="http://faculty.kirkwood.edu/apeterk/learningobjects/biologylabs.htm">http://faculty.kirkwood.edu/apeterk/learningobjects/biologylabs.htm</a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br />Home Training Tools Food Lab<br /><a href="http://www.hometrainingtools.com/food-chemistry-projects/a/1591/">http://www.hometrainingtools.com/food-chemistry-projects/a/1591/</a> <o:p></o:p></p> <br /></div></div>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-34097830084328157632009-06-09T20:01:00.000-07:002009-06-10T08:58:58.208-07:00What's Living in Our Compost Tube?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Si8iqdGZaFI/AAAAAAAABo0/HgE4jkf7Imw/s1600-h/100_6551.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/Si8iqdGZaFI/AAAAAAAABo0/HgE4jkf7Imw/s320/100_6551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345529395473377362" border="0" /></a><br /></div>We haven't observed any change in temperature, but the food scraps in <a href="http://homebiology.blogspot.com/2009/06/soda-bottle-compost.html">our compost tube</a> are definitely starting to rot. And things are growing: above, looking down the neck of the soda bottle, you can see an onion sprouting up from the pile. We also took a sample of the water which collects in the bottom of the tube and took a look under the microscope. Check out the videos below:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t_spIms-Sl0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t_spIms-Sl0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Here you can see some of the microorganisms living in our compost pile at 40X magnification, shot with a small hand-held digital camera. The worm above is called a nematode. Cornell's Department of Crop and Soil Science has a page about <a href="http://www.css.cornell.edu/compost/invertebrates.html">compost inhabitants</a>. They also have an online guide called <a href="http://compost.css.cornell.edu/CIC.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Composting in the Classroom: Scientific Inquiry for High School Students</span></a> which we haven't checked out yet but will.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AiBFBbEMCqo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AiBFBbEMCqo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Above is a 400X magnification of the kidney-shaped organisms, which are probably protozoa. Here's a page about <a href="http://www.ci.euless.tx.us/composting/bc_microbial.htm">Microbial Decomposers</a>, with microphotos, from the city of Euless, Texas.Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523913590426507844.post-73702669149162886612009-06-02T08:11:00.000-07:002009-06-09T19:59:52.301-07:00Soda Bottle Compost<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFhht5uI/AAAAAAAABoM/w-jf_L49S4U/s1600-h/Finished+Bottle.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFhht5uI/AAAAAAAABoM/w-jf_L49S4U/s1600-h/Finished+Bottle.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFhht5uI/AAAAAAAABoM/w-jf_L49S4U/s320/Finished+Bottle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342756892192925410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFhht5uI/AAAAAAAABoM/w-jf_L49S4U/s1600-h/Finished+Bottle.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJ8XKX9UI/AAAAAAAABok/A5CF1EYf5A4/s1600-h/One+Week+Later+.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJ8XKX9UI/AAAAAAAABok/A5CF1EYf5A4/s320/One+Week+Later+.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342757834303468866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFhht5uI/AAAAAAAABoM/w-jf_L49S4U/s1600-h/Finished+Bottle.JPG"> </a></div>This week, we did another experiment having to do with bacteria and other microbes: a compost column. The purpose being to show how microbes in the soil break down old plants and turn it into fertilizer. A regular compost pile, like the one by our backyard vegetable garden, is made up of old leaves and grass cuttings. The documentary "Unseen Life on Earth" mentioned a town that was using a compost pile as its trash pile by burying it in microbe-rich soil. It could decompose all the trash in a couple of years and got up to temperatures of about 140 degrees Fahrenheit.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFDwv1ZI/AAAAAAAABn8/w_P9go87SWA/s1600-h/Compost+Pile.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFDwv1ZI/AAAAAAAABn8/w_P9go87SWA/s320/Compost+Pile.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342756884202902930" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />For our compost tube, we took some old soda bottles, cut them up to make the column, put food scraps in it, and left it for a few days to decompose. We changed the directions a little, but <a href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/composting3.htm">here</a> is the link to the original instructions.<br /><o:p> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">2 clear, plastic, 2-liter soda bottles, one with a cap</span></strong> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nylon netting or pantyhose</span></strong><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Rubber band</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Push pin</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Metal skewer or nail</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wide packing or masking tape</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Coffee filter</span></strong> - basket type <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Scissors</span></strong> and/or box cutter<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Soil</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Vegetable and fruit scraps </span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Meat thermometer<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Waterproof marking pen<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">1.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Rinse the soda bottles. Cut the first bottle around the middle. Set the bottom half aside.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">2.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Take the top half of the bottle and cut again where it widens out. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY AROUND. Leave a flap that will act as a hinge, so you can open the top. Set aside.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">3.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Cut the bottom off the second bottle just above the curve. Discard the bottom.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJF3al5YI/AAAAAAAABoc/KxYNNl8SVog/s1600-h/Netting.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 201px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJF3al5YI/AAAAAAAABoc/KxYNNl8SVog/s320/Netting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342756898068620674" border="0" /></a></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="">4.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Wrap the netting over the mouth of the bottle and fasten it below the neck with the rubber band.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFuh6SNI/AAAAAAAABoU/OLblwixHC5g/s1600-h/Hole+in+Cap.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 244px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFuh6SNI/AAAAAAAABoU/OLblwixHC5g/s320/Hole+in+Cap.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342756895683397842" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="">5.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Poke a hole in the top of the cap with the skewer or nail. If you heat the skewer over the stove you can melt a hole through the cap. Make it big enough to slip in the meat thermometer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">6.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->With the push pin, poke holes in the second bottle all around the sides to allow air to flow into the column. Do the same with with the top of the first bottle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">7.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Take the second bottle with the netting and set it upside-down inside the bottom of the first bottle. Place a coffee filter inside the upside-down bottle so it covers the opening. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">8.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Fit the top of the first bottle inside the upside-down bottle so they form a long column. You may need to cut small V-shapes in the edge of the inner bottle so it lies flat. Use clear packing tape inside and out to fasten the two bottles together. You may need to re-open some of the holes with the push pin.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFd0VeSI/AAAAAAAABoE/Mlx-mqXEN5k/s1600-h/Filled+.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YuD30KrwFvA/SiVJFd0VeSI/AAAAAAAABoE/Mlx-mqXEN5k/s320/Filled+.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342756891197274402" border="0" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="">9.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Bend back the hinged top of the uppermost bottle. Fill the column with fruit and vegetable scraps. You can add any plant matter, including leaves from houseplants. Sprinkle some soil over the scraps, and shake or poke down so it’s evenly mixed. If it’s dry, add some water.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="">10.<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Close the hinged top and fasten with tape. Screw on the cap. Insert the meat thermometer. Mark the height of the material in the column with the pen, and write down the date.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;">11. Put the compost column in a place where it can be observed for several weeks without smelling up the house. Check it regularly to see if the height or temperature changes and to see what is happening to the plant material inside.</p>Kathy Cecerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188872992635537080noreply@blogger.com4