Current Events

  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

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    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

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    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.

Animal Kingdom




Spiny Anteaters are one of the few animals that lay eggs. (Image courtesy of Corel Photography)


Watch out for the scorpion's tail! (Image courtesy of Corel Photography)


Roadrunners hide in the bushes to stay cool. (Image courtesy of Corel Photography)


Gila monster. (Image courtesy of Corel Photography)


Camel in the desert. (Image courtesy of Corel Photography)


Robberfly. (Courtesy Corel Photography)


Short-eared owl
Image courtesy of Corel Photography.


Bee on flower
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Autotroph
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Heterotroph
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Polar Bear
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Polar Bear
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Jaguar
Image courtesy of Perfect Vision Graphics


Loon
Image courtesy of Perfect Vision Graphics


Seagull
Image courtesy of Corel Photography

Kingdom Fungi



Lactarius deliciosus
Image courtesy of Corel Photography

Kingdom Plantae



Autumn Leaves
Image courtesy of Corel Photography


A rosebush called Heaven
Image courtesy of C. Alexander


A rosebush called Pristine
Image courtesy of C. Alexander

Kingdom Protista


School of Anthias over green algae
Image courtesy of Corel Photography

Monera Kingdom



Bacteria. (Courtesy NASA/JPL)


Bacteria. (Courtesy NASA/JPL)


Bacteria. (Courtesy NASA/JPL)


Bacteria. (Courtesy NASA/JPL)



Environments



Image courtesy of Corel Photography


Image courtesy of Corel Photography



Organic Molecules



Benzene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Naphthalene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Phenanthrene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Pyrene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Chrysene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Perylene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


Anthanthrene
Image courtesy of JPL/NASA


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Traveling Nitrogen is a fun group game appropriate for the classroom. Players follow nitrogen atoms through living and nonliving parts of the nitrogen cycle. For grades 5-9.

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Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Scorpio

To the ancient Greeks, the constellation Scorpius was the image of a scorpion. The constellation was related to the death of the giant hunter Orion by an enormous scorpion. There are several different...more

Can there be Life in the Environment of Jupiter?

Jupiter's atmospheric environment is one of strong gravity, high pressure, strong winds, from 225 miles per hour to 1000 miles per hour, and cold temperatures of -270 degrees to +32 degrees (freezing temperature)....more

The possible discovery of Life on Mars

In July, 1996, it was announced that Dr. David McKay, along with a team of scientists at Johnson Space Center (a division of NASA), had discovered possible fossils of bacteria in an ancient rock from Mars....more

The Environment of Saturn

Saturn's atmospheric environment is one of strong gravity, high pressure, strong winds, from 225 miles per hour to 1000 miles per hour, and cold temperatures of -270 degrees to +80 degrees. With winds...more

The Environment of Titan, can there be Life?

Titan's atmosphere is a lot like the Earth's, except that it is very cold, from -330 degrees to -290 degrees! Like the Earth, there is a lot of Nitrogen and other complex molecules. There also may be an...more

Autotrophs

Autotrophs are organisms that produce organic compounds from an inorganic source of carbon (carbon dioxide) given a source of energy. If the source of energy is the reactions of inorganic chemical compounds,...more

Coacervates

In the warm primordial ocean, aggregates of amino acids, proteins, and other hydrocarbons coalesced into a form called *coacervates*. Organic polymers such as amino acids will spontaneously form coacervates...more

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Become a nitrogen atom in the nitrogen cycle in our Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit/Game. See all our games, activity kits and classroom activities.

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