Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Autism and the Night of the Living Stim

My son’s on the autism spectrum. He’s considered high functioning, but not quite Asperger’s. (Though I guess with the new DSM V, he might technically be removed from officially being ‘autistic,’ but who cares.)

One of the many things that people with autism do is self-stimulate, or stim,Continue reading “Autism and the Night of the Living Stim”

No Really, Not All Rivers Flow South – Niagara Falls

This is a little mini-rant. Remember this post from last week, in which I explain that rivers can, in fact, flow north? I was working on a little post for today describing the concept of knickpoints and rivers. It turns out Niagara Falls is a great example of this.

It turns out also that most likely all the satellite views of Niagara Falls you’ve seen on the Internet are oriented wrong.Continue reading “No Really, Not All Rivers Flow South – Niagara Falls”

Misconception – Waterfalls can get taller, but they don’t retreat

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to one of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Waterfalls can increase in height over time, but do not retreatContinue reading “Misconception – Waterfalls can get taller, but they don’t retreat”

Photos My Son Takes – Storming the Castles

I’ve posted a few times (like here, here, and here) about the photographs my son takes. They’re always amazing, to me at least. He takes photos of seemingly dull things and makes them exciting. We think of his photographs as a window into his perception of the world. No doubt he looks at things differently than we do, as he is on the autism spectrum.Continue reading “Photos My Son Takes – Storming the Castles”

Stink Bug – Chapter 28

The light was still blaring down above me when I woke. I strained to hear any sounds over the ambient buzzing that I assumed was from the light. I heard a sigh from the cage. The Vr’ak’l was still there. I rolled my head toward the sound and was surprised to find that I could move.Continue reading “Stink Bug – Chapter 28”

Misconceptions – Rivers Flow Passively over the Surface of the Earth

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk a few of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Streams are simply flowing water

Misconception: Rivers do not carve valleys, but only passively flow down them

Misconception: Although rivers can cut down over time, they do not cut to the sidesContinue reading “Misconceptions – Rivers Flow Passively over the Surface of the Earth”