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.

Learning to Identify Fossil Species

I think the most intimidating thing that happened to me when I started my Ph.D. work was being presented with drawers of fossil teeth and being instructed to identify them to species.

How do you even begin?

I still struggle with this, twenty years on. But now I have tools to get past the initial steep, seemingly insurmountable, learning curve.Continue reading “Learning to Identify Fossil Species”

Who Owns the Fossils?

On Monday, I had the privilege of joining a classroom of 10-year-old-ish students and introducing them to the science of paleontology.

Like most classroom visits, the kids were excited and wanted to touch everything I brought. They were fairly disappointed when I wouldn’t pass around the rock hammers (but, yeah, we all know how that would end).

There was one question that arose for which I could not provide the students with a satisfactory answer, and it occurs to me that it’s an important question that even many adults struggle with.

Why don’t I just take the fossils home and keep them?Continue reading “Who Owns the Fossils?”

Thirsty Thursday: The Innkeeper Ale

I racked the Honey Weizen last week, which meant that over the weekend, I could start a new brew. This time it was a kit called the Innkeeper Ale, an English ale.

This brew, like the Honey Porter I did a while ago, also required specialty grains.

Boiling the specialty grains.
Steeping the specialty grains.

Continue reading “Thirsty Thursday: The Innkeeper Ale”

Origin and Extinction of the Megafauna

The Origin and Extinction of the Megafauna

The term megafauna refers to an array of animals whose ancestors and descendants had significantly smaller body masses. Widely accepted thresholds are animals weighing 40kg (88 pounds) 100kg (220 pounds) or more. Continue reading “Origin and Extinction of the Megafauna”

Special Olympics – Even Specialer Than Last Year

Today was the 2014 Special Olympic event for my son. Last year was his first experience. I could only hope that this year’s would be just as good.

Unlike last year, it was a dismal day. Raining (hard) and in the 50’s.

DSC_9183
For a moment, the rain stopped.

This didn’t curb anyone’s enthusiasm though.Continue reading “Special Olympics – Even Specialer Than Last Year”