Gemstones: Agate

Agate is a type of quartz from the chalcedony family.  It is created from seams of quartz that commonly consist of many colors.  It most often forms in veins or in rounded shapes.

Fire Agate - Public Domain

By Wraithwing

 A hard gem

Agate is a hard gem and is measured from 5 – 7 in the Mohs scale though it has a tendency to fracture.  It is not unusual for small crystals of quartz known as drusy to appear inside a stone enhancing its appearance and giving distinction to individual gemstones. These stones are often cut at an angle and used as a main feature for a jewelry design. Read more

Evidence that the global climate has changed

We know that the global climate has changed because of evidence from a number of factors that is taken and collated by scientists all around the world.  Today, with orbiting satellites and other modern technological instruments and techniques it is now possible measure and record with accuracy how and where changes in climate have taken place in many different parts of the world on a daily basis.   By various means this information is then put together to construct a meaningful insight into what is happening with the global climate. 

The Earth taken by the crew 

of  Apollo 17, NASA - Public Domain

NASA point out that while it is known that the global climate has changed a number of times in the past these were caused by natural changes in the way the planet orbits the Sun resulting in changes to the solar energy levels received on Earth.  With temperatures now rising at an exceptionally unparalleled rate over the last 1300 years they believe the present trend is caused by human activities.  Read more

Looking at the polar lights

In the skies over the polar regions of our planet an amazing natural phenomena  occurs that produces the most spectacular and amazing light shows known as the Aurora borealis (Northern lights) and the Aurora australis ( Southern lights).

AuroraAustralis by Mozasaur - Public Domain

Polar lights

The lights appear over the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. Those that appear over the magnetic pole of the northern hemisphere are known as the northern lights or Aurora borealis. Those that appear over the magnetic pole of the southern hemisphere are known as the southern lights or Aurora australis.  Read more

The Amazing Fungi Kingdom!

Fungi are a hugely diverse group of organisms that despite their importance to maintaining the environment on Earth are greatly understudied in comparison to plants and animals.  They are neither plants nor animals and belong to their own kingdom yet are of vital importance to the well-being of both groups.  
 

Red cracking bolete (Boletus chrysenteron) - By Przykuta - CC BY-SA 3.0

 It is uncertain how many species of fungi there are globally.  Estimates range from 700,000 to 5 million so clearly no one really knows. The most widely quoted estimate is 1.5 million which still makes it six times as diverse as flowering plants.  Only about 100,000 species of fungi have so far been described.  

Classifying fungi

Fungi are very important organisms that play a crucial part in the cycle of life on the planet.  They are neither plants, or animals and are given their own kingdom in how life on Earth is classified.  Read more

Looking into the blue sky

On a clear day you look up to the sky and high above and all around is a beautiful shade of light blue which ever way you look. The Sun is a pale yellow so bright that you cannot and should not look at it. As you look towards the horizon the blue gently pales to white. You may be over come with a feeling of wonderment and awe as you gaze around the seemingly limitless pale blue skies.
 

Arne in December - blue skies! - By Ian Kirk - CC BY 2.0

 
Why is the sky blue?

Why is it that the sky is blue and not green, or brown or yellow or any other color, or even one big rainbow? To answer that question you need to know a little bit about the atmosphere surrounding the Earth, a little bit about light and a little bit about something called Rayleigh scattering. To be satisfied with the answer you may to think a little about something else.  Read more

The sixth great mass extinction is already underway!

Over the last 450,000, 000 years the Earth has gone through periods when up to 90% of life on the planet has perished in mass extinctions.  Looking back over such great distances in time makes it difficult for humans to comprehend what happens with mass extinctions.  All we really have is the fossil record, geology, and other sciences to help us understand what happened, by looking at what remains today.  Now for the first time humans can experience at first hand what happens as a mass extinction event unfolds.

Does that sound interesting, fascinating and exciting? For the first time we can scientifically observe, record and chart the progress of this event as it happens, because it is happening in the here and now.

But wait a minute! if it is happening now doesn't that mean we are a part of it ?  Yes it does, and if we are lucky humans just might survive as one of the few remaining species, but do not count on it.

Six month old baby giant panda - by Sheila Lau - Public Domain

 Disappearing biodiversity

Humans do not know for sure how many species of fauna and flora we share the planet with but it is known to be millions.  Although there are about 2 million species known to science it is estimated that there could be 5 to 15 million but could be as much as 100 million species altogether. Clearly there is a huge gap in our knowledge.  Nevertheless it does show there is great biodiversity of life on the planet which biologists believe to be essential to maintain a healthy environment for all living organisms.

Some of these like bacteria and spores we can only see with a microscope. Many of the larger ones we see, we interact with them, we can count and study them and of course there are the ones we like, the cuddly, cute funny ones and the one that taste good.  We have learned how to breed and domesticate animals and plants and keep them in such numbers that they seem safe from any threat of extinction.  For example, cattle, sheep and chickens do not appear to be in danger of extinction as we breed them in their millions, but their existence depends on us. Nevertheless, the situation for many wild species of flora and fauna in the wild is becoming increasingly desperate.  Read more

The Wood-Wide Web: The natural living internet system

Next time you go out for a walk in the woods be careful where you tread because underneath your feet connecting tree to tree, plant to plant, lies a remarkable living network that allows the exchange of information between between individual plants.   This network allows the flora of the forest to send and receive information over distances from plant to plant, connecting a large and varied population of individuals together. In fact, this remarkable network is itself alive and is a web of fungi that grows on the roots of trees and plants connecting them together allowing them to communicate and to even send assistance to each other.  More sinisterly, it also gives some of  the plants and trees connected to the network the ability to commit types of "crime" against other members.  It sounds very similar to the modern global communications system of the internet.  In fact it is a living network of fungi and has been called the Earth's natural internet and many scientists refer to it as The Wood-Wide Web.

Porcini or cep (Boletus edulis) - by © Hans Hillewaer - CC BY-SA 4.0

Fungal connections

We usually think of fungi as mushrooms, toadstools and mould, but these are actually the visible parts called fruits that  are above ground that we see.   Below ground lies a web of fine threads called mycelium.   These threads run from root to root, and plant to plant, linking the roots of a multitude of different plants.  Sometimes plants several meters distant are linked creating a living mesh that can conduct information and nutrients to other members of the web.  It gives them the ability to help each other out, but it can also use it for darker purposes, such as sabotage, or "chemical warfare," and other types of "cyber-crime."   Read more