#4. The one with a lot of work, 66 million year old vomit and owls that are not what they seem
Unexpectedly in march i found myself writing 6 articles at once. Half of them have already been given to editors (and one of them has been published), but god, i'm so tired!
The hardest thing about anything is not starting it, but continuing it when the initial motivation is gone. So I celebrate myself and my decision to continue today!
Oh, almost forgot - happy π day!
What happened
66-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Vomit
I had no time to write about it in February, so in case you didn’t see - welcome the fossil vomit! Yeah, it sounds like it sounds. Researchers in Denmark have discovered the vomit of a shark (or something like a shark). The poor thing threw up 66 million years ago, and now its vomit is a valuable fossil.
Also love an article in NYT by Victor Mather because of the beginning:
Let’s be candid here. Vomit is something you want to get rid of. You don’t want it hanging around for a day, or an hour, or even a few minutes.
And certainly not for 66 million years.
Hydrophobic cellulose instead of disposable plates
Scientists from Milan and Finland have developed a unique way to create eco-friendly and waterproof paper. All in order to replace disposable plastic (and we, humanity, produce and throw away plastic in incredible quantities...)
The basis of the new material was cellulose fibers with artificially included peptides. Even a small amount of peptides (less than 0.1%) significantly increased the material's resistance to stress and moisture. Are we waiting for natural disposable things? Yes!
Naked Antarctica
The British Antarctic Survey has released the most detailed ice-free map of Antarctica. And it's amazing - Antarctica is the most difficult continent to map. Did you know that if all the ice on Antarctica suddenly melted, the land would rise because the ice is heavy and presses the continent into the plate? (Besides the fact that the melted ice would drown us all...)
Wonderfull creature
Just. Look. At. Him.
This is a thorny devil (Moloch horridus) - and who's to say it's not magical, with all its protrusions and horns? It lives in Australia, eats ants, and belongs to the Agamidae family (which also includes the rather famous frilled lizards, inflating their collars, as if they came from a portrait of Elizabeth I).
AN OWL
And I can't help but mention this. On my last birdwatching trip I saw an owl! An owl!!!!! And not just one, but three of two species - the Ural Owl and the Pygmy Owl. I'm so happy! Just look how cute she is! It was a really good trip, with 8 new specie in my Lifelist.
What to read
I decided to take a break from "heavy" literature and read something cute and charming. The choice fell on Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm, and I was right. A great parody novel, filled with distinctive characters and British humor. The book is very short, literally for a couple of evenings, but I laughed and my soul relaxed, and that’s the main thing. There is also a film, I plan to watch it.
What to see
First things first - I wrote pretty useful article about AI tools for science journalist and communicators for ABSW. But even if you do not work with science - check it, some tools can be wonderful for you :)
In early February, I woke up at 5am to take part in a podcast hosted by Women in Science Portland. It was my first time as a podcast guest, and I loved it! We discussed cruelty in science, and also how routine and curiosity drive researchers.
If you are into anything like journalism, you definitely know about Snowfall. It's just a classic. Recently I found a good article about how Snowfall was created.
An interesting way to make science communication... with music. Welcome They Might Be Giants - Science is Real. Nice video and song! *Singing Science is reeeeeal*
I literaly don’t know why I didn’t see it before - but look at this gorgeous RNA puzzle game Eterna! Do something fun and help science - how lovely! Eterna is so-colled citizen science, there are others project, like Foldit or Zooniverse.
Do you know about agar art? Gosh, it’s so gorgeous!!! How cool that there are such talented people! Also found this Trash into art ptoject.
30 Charts That Show How Covid Changed Everything by New York Times.
SciFiQ: A Program Which Was Used To Write Science Fiction Stories
Gorgeous maps by Prettymaps. Love it!
An article from Nautilus Can We Prove the World Isn’t a Simulation?
Amazing guide by FlowingData - Defense Against Dishonest Charts
The definitive map of the world’s extraordinary sights.
Gorgeous infographics inspired by FRIENDS
Webinars from BioRender on biological drawing. Convenient!
Wise picture
I'd love to read your comments on what you did in the first half of March. Please, share!
See you!