Category Archives: Science

Field Gear – What I Need for Measuring Section

One of the myriad of things I wind up doing in the field is “measuring section.”

Measuring section is a means of determining the actual thickness of layered sedimentary rocks in an area. To do this, I need a couple of pieces of equipment:Continue reading “Field Gear – What I Need for Measuring Section”

Of Stress and Blogging

It’s July.

The summer has only just begun for my son (who starts 5th grade next fall), but I feel like my summer ‘vacation’ is already over.

Summers are hard when you’re an academic in a science that involves field work. Summer vacations – family time – are often lost to the necessity of travel to distant places that aren’t accessible at other times of the year. Then, as soon as you get back, it’s time to buckle down and prepare for the fall semester. No vacation for me.Continue reading “Of Stress and Blogging”

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?”

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”

Sewing Saturday – My New Lab Coat

Yeah, I know. I’m not publishing this on a Saturday. But I did the sewing on Saturday. Last Saturday, in fact.

But I was also slightly (ok, very) sick at the time, so I only took pictures and didn’t do much else (aside from the sewing, of course.)

Truth be told, I actually didn’t sew much that day either, except for four buttonholes and four buttons. What I did instead was paint.

But let’s go back to the title. What’s this about a new lab coat?

I work in a lab. I’m a geochemist. Lab coats are basically obligatory. The problem is, lab coats tend not to fit well. No matter what size you get, they’re ill fitting and you have to roll the sleeves – which can be a problem.

I’ve been known to do a little sewing, so I decided to make a lab coat that was fitted exactly to me. And since I would make my own lab coat, this one would be… special.Continue reading “Sewing Saturday – My New Lab Coat”

Transitional Forms – The Case of the Fish-ibian Part Two

Maybe it’s just that I’m paying more attention to it these days, but it sure feels like there’s a lot of talks, and legislation, and debates, regarding the concept of “Creationism” in contrast to “Science.” Creationism is this idea that the Earth and everything on it were created by some supernatural means. There are lots of religions what include some manner of creation story. After all, what is more human than wanting to know where you came from?Continue reading “Transitional Forms – The Case of the Fish-ibian Part Two”

Day 0 of #NAPC2014 – Travel Woes

The North American Paleontological Convention began today in Gainesville, Florida. Having a meeting in February in Florida seemed like a brilliant idea. I was excited about traveling south and being warm for a few days.

What the planners of the convention forgot about, especially in the light of a series of relatively mild winters, that anyone traveling to Florida in February would have to make connections at northern airports.

Winter Storm Pax hit the northeaster United States at the exact time when most NAPC participants were traveling, resulting in measurable snow as far south as Atlanta, Georgia, through which many flights to Gainesville must connect.Continue reading “Day 0 of #NAPC2014 – Travel Woes”