Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

This is Why You Should Never Marry a Finn

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:40:38 -0500

tags: Finland, Sonkajärvi, sports, wife-carrying world championships, entertainment, streaming video

I am Finnish by ancestry, and I am in love with Finland, having visited this beautiful country three times now. However, I must warn you all that women who marry Finnish men are asking for a fair bit of humiliation. Finnish men like to indulge in a very peculiar sport: wife carrying contests, which are a modern day carry-over from the ancient pass time of wife-stealing. This is video from the 2009 event, which took place yesterday (5 July) in Sonkajärvi, which is smack-dab in the middle of Finland (if it had been closer to Helsinki, I would have been there, live-blogging, photographing and videoing this event for you) [1:31]

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Helsinki Mystery Flower

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:59:36 -0500

tags: Black-eyed Susan vine, Gardening, Horticulture, Botany, nature, Helsinki, image of the day

~~Mystery flower, can you name the species?~~

Black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata.

Photographed on Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland.

Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)

The Black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata, is a perennial climbing plant in the Acanthaceae family. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world.

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Scientia Pro Publica Was just Published!

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:43:01 -0500

Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.

Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was published today at Greg Laden's Blog.

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Antarctica: Others Think I'd do a Helluva Job, Too

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:59:53 -0500

Since I have recently developed quite a history of visiting cold and snowy places, often during the winter, I wish to preserve that tradition. I am competing for the opportunity to go to Antarctica in February 2010 -- a dream adventure that I've always wanted to pursue (and almost did pursue when I was an undergraduate researching Fin Whales and Crabeater Seals at the University of Washington). To enter, we must write an essay explaining why we think we are the best choice, and solicit votes from the public. Whomever receives the most votes wins the job. But I am not the only one who thinks I will do a good job sharing this adventure with you. Here's a list of some of the people who are supporting my bid to become the official blogger on this Antarctic expedition;

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Today's Mystery Bird for you to Identify

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:59:37 -0500

tags: mystery bird, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird] photographed in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]

Image: Terry Sohl, 5 July 2009 [larger view]

Photo taken with a Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

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This Week in NYC: Dr. Jeff Schweitzer Speaks About Living a Moral Life in a Random World

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:59:07 -0500

Who: Dr. Jeff Schweitzer
What: free public presentation, "Moral Life in a Random World"
Where: SLC Conference Center, 352 7th avenue (between 29th and 30th streets), 16th floor.
When: 700pm, Thursday, 9 July

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Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:59:24 -0500

tags: Antarctica, music, Terra Nova, Sinfonia Antarctica, photography, streaming video

This video is the trailer for DJ Spooky/Paul D. Miller's next large scale multimedia performance work: an acoustic portrait of a rapidly changing continent. Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica is a seventy minute performance featuring music combined with visual material from Getty Images' vast collection, creating a unique and powerful moment around man's relationship with nature [5:36]

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Update: Antarctic Vote Count

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:28:08 -0500

The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 746 - 593 - 493 - 425 - 298 out of 235 candidates registered. I am in second place.

If you've already voted, then please encourage your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to vote for the person whom you think would be best for this unique job: traveling to Antarctica for the month of February 2010 and writing about it for the public on a blog. Here is my 300-word essay; hopefully, you will agree that I am a very well-qualified candidate for this job opportunity. Voting ends 30 September and there is one vote allowed per valid email address (registration required).

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Last Call: Scientia Pro Publica

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:59:33 -0500

Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.

Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days. To send your submissions to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (sometimes that widget doesn't upload when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "permalink", the essay title and, to make life easier for the host, please include a 2-3 sentence summary. If you wish to read the archived issues to see those contributions that were included previously, visit the Scientia website. All essays must be written for the purpose of communicating with the public and non-specialists, and all submissions that qualify as either advertising or pseudoscience will be rejected.

The host for the upcoming 6 July edition is Greg Laden's Blog. If you are interested in hosting this carnival on your blog, please contact me as soon as possible or notify the current host (please note that I prefer hosts who have had their writing included in one or more editions of this carnival). Scientia Pro Publica is published on the first and third Monday of each month, so feel free to choose a particular date, or I'll assign you the first available date.

Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is seeking hosts and your submissions for its upcoming edition

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Helsinki Petunias

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:59:58 -0500

tags: petunias, Gardening, Horticulture, Botany, nature, Helsinki, image of the day

White petunias, Petunia x hybrida.

Photographed on Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland.

Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)

Petunias are trumpet shaped flowering plants that are endemic to South America. Botanically speaking, tobacco, tomato, potato, and petunia are all in the family Solanaceae. These popular flowers got their name from the French, which took the word petun -- 'tobacco' -- from a Tupi-Guarani language.

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Birdbooker Report 73

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:59:45 -0500

tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books

"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid

The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.

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Today's Mystery Bird for you to Identify

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:59:50 -0500

tags: mystery bird, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird] Photographed near a small Olympic Peninsula lake in Shelton, Washington State. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]

Image: Lee Rentz, 19 February 2009.

As an added bonus, can you name the close relatives to today's mystery bird that are found in Finland?

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

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Was the Earth Designed for Life?

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:59:43 -0500

tags: science, god, religion, creationism, humor, funny, satire, Edward Current, streaming video

This video provides an unbiased look at whether Earth's favorable conditions for life prove that a loving God planned it that way all along. (Hint: There's no other explanation.) [3:45]

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What am I Doing Today?

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:36:13 -0500

tags: Seurasaarenselkä, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland

Looking out over Seurasaarenselkä on Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland.

Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)

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Update: Antarctic Vote Count

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:37:57 -0500

The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 728 - 582 - 455 - 368 - 292 out of 228 candidates registered. I am in second place.

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