More geeky microscope fun

More geeky microscope fun

This is a hypotrich. It is a single-celled organism that looks for all the world like a little bug running back and forth on a dozen little legs. (As with most images at this site, you may click to enlarge.) It moves fast enough that it’s hard to get a...Read more

Bat Soup for the Soul

Some recommendations of books or media while waiting out the pandemic. Movies: The Andromeda Strain.. A satellite returns to Earth with an incredibly virulent and completely alien microorganism on board. The science has not held up well for me over the years, but it scared the scatological metaphor out of...Read more

Coronavirus

I generally try to stay away from anything political in this blog, particularly if it involves partisan politics. I am a definite non-subscriber to the notion that everything is political. I don’t pretend that I don’t have a worldview or even that I don’t have some strong political policy preferences,...Read more
Social distancing

Social distancing

It seems to me that hiking alone is very nearly the ultimate in social distancing. My friend, Gary Stradling, thinks so too, and has been having some very successful fossil hunts out in the San Juan Basin. This is the crisis we’ve been practicing for all our lives! A lot...Read more
Chloroplasts, coronavirus, and intracranial hypotension

Chloroplasts, coronavirus, and intracranial hypotension

Another post with possibly TMI. I’ll save that for the end to make it easier for you to skip it, if you prefer. Chloroplasts I have been continuing collecting photomicrographs for the aquarium page. The latest includes a nice sample of Vallisneria leaf with beautiful chloroplasts visible within individual leaf...Read more
Flows, fluorite, filaments, and faults

Flows, fluorite, filaments, and faults

This is another grab-bag of a post, with just a little bit of personal update. Flows Last Friday was my 9/80 Friday off. For those who may not be familiar with this practice, some employers give their workers the day off every other Friday in return for working slightly longer...Read more
Odds and ends

Odds and ends

Some geology, a little microscopy, and some personal (possibly TMI) stuff. You were warned. We’re having not too dry a winter, which is wonderful as far as it goes, but it continues to hinder geologic adventuring. I did find time over the Washington’s Birthday weekend to visit Cerro Seguro, not...Read more

When a root canal is good news

I’m afraid this may be a TMI post. Fear not; I’ll post science again Sometime Real Soon. I think I mentioned I’ve had mild but persistent headaches since before Christmas. They have actually gotten a bit worse, to the point where I had to go home early from work last...Read more

Cats like heights

That’s Spartacus, my daughter’s cat. He wears an emotional support animal tag (Kira has fibromyalgia that is quite disabling much of the time) and was her pet throughout college. He is the Jeeves of cats, and treats me with a studied superciliousness.Read more
Let me know when you’re tired of all the fun

Let me know when you’re tired of all the fun

I’m going to get a little more serious now, and try to really identify the critters in the scope and say something more about them. Today’s sample was a well decayed leaf from the aquarium. It had quite a few critters like this one. It’s a colony of ciliates joined...Read more
← Newer Posts
Older Posts →