Riled Up Journal

Gardening Ideas for a New Climate

Gardening is considered the number one American past-time with garden center revenues exceeding $25 billion annually. This passion for plants and gardens is likely true in England, Japan, Australia, and elsewhere in the world. However, when you see trees starting to bloom and bees trying to pollinate in February in northern states something is happening in the backyard and the impacts could become wide spread. It is being called the “climate change garden” by horticulturalists at the New ...

4372

Gardening Ideas for a New Climate

Gardening is considered the number one American past-time with garden center revenues exceeding $25 billion annually. This passion for plants and gardens is likely true in England, Japan, Australia, and elsewhere in the world. However, when you see trees starting to bloom and bees trying to pollinate in February in northern states something is happening in the backyard and the impacts could become wide spread. It is being called the “climate change garden” by horticulturalists at the New ...

4481

Composite Sun

If you’ve been wondering about all those auroras being observed lately, this NASA and ESA photograph shows their power source. A massive solar prominence was captured in mid-eruption blasting off a cloud of charged particles into space. The orange sun is viewed in extreme UV light and shows a filament of the solar flare that broke away from the sun. The composite image consists of two captures superimposed with a green infrared filtered image offering almost an artist’s view of the ...

4144

Composite Sun

If you’ve been wondering about all those auroras being observed lately, this NASA and ESA photograph shows their power source. A massive solar prominence was captured in mid-eruption blasting off a cloud of charged particles into space. The orange sun is viewed in extreme UV light and shows a filament of the solar flare that broke away from the sun. The composite image consists of two captures superimposed with a green infrared filtered image offering almost an artist’s view of the ...

3226

Beach Time and a Beer

Auroras have been particularly impressive lately due to an increase in charged particles generated by solar storms hitting the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This beautiful image of auroras captured from the shores of Lake Superior is particularly striking. The northern lights shimmer beyond the frozen shoreline of the lake in a 17-minute long exposure that captured star trails revolving around the north star. The photographer said it “was 9° F, no wind, and made for a perfect night of star ...

3527

Beach Time and a Beer

Auroras have been particularly impressive lately due to an increase in charged particles generated by solar storms hitting the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This beautiful image of auroras captured from the shores of Lake Superior is particularly striking. The northern lights shimmer beyond the frozen shoreline of the lake in a 17-minute long exposure that captured star trails revolving around the north star. The photographer said it “was 9° F, no wind, and made for a perfect night of star ...

4689

Down Deep Bugs

Microbes, insects, and bugs are everywhere. They are found at the top of Mount Everest, attached to marine corals in the oceans, even in hotel beds around the world annoyingly. Now new critters have been identified underground in two highly unlikely places---an insect discovered deep in a cave over a mile deep near the Black Sea and an ancient bacterial colony buried six feet beneath a hyper-arid desert in South America. These bugs definitely deserve the designation of an extremophile. ...

2596

Down Deep Bugs

Microbes, insects, and bugs are everywhere. They are found at the top of Mount Everest, attached to marine corals in the oceans, even in hotel beds around the world annoyingly. Now new critters have been identified underground in two highly unlikely places---an insect discovered deep in a cave over a mile deep near the Black Sea and an ancient bacterial colony buried six feet beneath a hyper-arid desert in South America. These bugs definitely deserve the designation of an extremophile. ...

2463

Solar Storms in IR

Here is a short video of recent solar eruptions captured by NASA’s Solar and Heliosheric Observatory ( SOHO ). Captured in infrared by the orbiter, it demonstrates the power of solar flares. Storms on the Sun’s surface are directly responsible for the increase in spectacular auroras that have been experienced lately in the night sky from the northern to the southern hemispheres on Earth. Sun’s Explosive Whiplash in Infrared (credit: NASA) WHB

2556

Solar Storms in IR

Here is a short video of recent solar eruptions captured by NASA’s Solar and Heliosheric Observatory ( SOHO ). Captured in infrared by the orbiter, it demonstrates the power of solar flares. Storms on the Sun’s surface are directly responsible for the increase in spectacular auroras that have been experienced lately in the night sky from the northern to the southern hemispheres on Earth. Sun’s Explosive Whiplash in Infrared (credit: NASA) WHB

2297

Launching in Space Weather

This month, NASA researchers launched a rocket into an aurora in northern Alaska in an attempt to understand these amazing atmospheric displays better. According to the lead scientist from Cornell: "We're investigating ‘space weather’ that is caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.” Whatever it is called, a fish-eye image taken during the launch is certainly impressive. Aurora Launch (credit: NASA) WHB

2420

Launching in Space Weather

This month, NASA researchers launched a rocket into an aurora in northern Alaska in an attempt to understand these amazing atmospheric displays better. According to the lead scientist from Cornell: "We're investigating ‘space weather’ that is caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.” Whatever it is called, a fish-eye image taken during the launch is certainly impressive. Aurora Launch (credit: NASA) WHB

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Pleistocene Pinks

Silene is a genus of wildflowers typical of cold regions of Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Silene species are common high Arctic and Alpine mountain environments. They hybridize easily to produce plants with pale pink flowers, thus are often called pinks. Hybrid Silenes are grown as favorite garden plants. Russian scientists have now announced the propagation of a Silene species kept dormant for more than 30,000 years in Siberian permafrost. Their horticultural feat was just ...

2524

Pleistocene Pinks

Silene is a genus of wildflowers typical of cold regions of Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Silene species are common high Arctic and Alpine mountain environments. They hybridize easily to produce plants with pale pink flowers, thus are often called pinks. Hybrid Silenes are grown as favorite garden plants. Russian scientists have now announced the propagation of a Silene species kept dormant for more than 30,000 years in Siberian permafrost. Their horticultural feat was just ...

2566

Pop-up Bugs

Mobee, or Monolithic Bees, is a tiny drone crafted by engineers at Harvard's Microrobotics Laboratory. Like an origami folded puzzle, the micro-device uses intricate layering and uses a folding process that allows fabrication of multiple pop-up robots. It can fly. The first prototypes consist of layers consisting of carbon fibers, brass, plastic, sturdy titanium, light weight ceramics, and adhesives laminated in a complex, laser-cut, design. The structure incorporates flexible hinges ...

2447

Pop-up Bugs

Mobee, or Monolithic Bees, is a tiny drone crafted by engineers at Harvard's Microrobotics Laboratory. Like an origami folded puzzle, the micro-device uses intricate layering and uses a folding process that allows fabrication of multiple pop-up robots. It can fly. The first prototypes consist of layers consisting of carbon fibers, brass, plastic, sturdy titanium, light weight ceramics, and adhesives laminated in a complex, laser-cut, design. The structure incorporates flexible hinges ...

2607

Three Strikes And You're.....?

Climate Deniers are having a hard time. First, information was leaked to the magnifying glass of the media, including the Los Angeles Times, that efforts to create dis-information and confusion about the science of climate change was actually supported by large supporters of a climate denial think tank and now two scientific reports actually bring clear focus to the actual facts of the situation facing everyone: Researchers find unprecedented, man-made trends in oceans acidity and NASA ...

2262

Three Strikes And You're.....?

Climate Deniers are having a hard time. First, information was leaked to the magnifying glass of the media, including the Los Angeles Times, that efforts to create dis-information and confusion about the science of climate change was actually supported by large supporters of a climate denial think tank and now two scientific reports actually bring clear focus to the actual facts of the situation facing everyone: Researchers find unprecedented, man-made trends in oceans acidity and NASA ...

2265

Restore Hetch Hetchy

John Muir once called the glacial carved Hetch Hetchy Valley next to Yosemite “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples”. In the early 1920’s, that wild temple was flooded and turned into a placid reservoir. The City of San Francisco succeeded in its campaign to dam the valley. However, a desire to reverse the 19th-20th Century decisions, breach the dam, and restore the valley has never died. This recovery effort has now received the endorsement in a strong opinion ...

2352

Restore Hetch Hetchy

John Muir once called the glacial carved Hetch Hetchy Valley next to Yosemite “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples”. In the early 1920’s, that wild temple was flooded and turned into a placid reservoir. The City of San Francisco succeeded in its campaign to dam the valley. However, a desire to reverse the 19th-20th Century decisions, breach the dam, and restore the valley has never died. This recovery effort has now received the endorsement in a strong opinion ...

2538

Green Is The Sun

You probably never thought the sun could look green but in this new extreme image taken by NASA’s STEREO spacecraft it does. Photographs captured using ultra-violet and infrared filters, provide additional details to the Sun’s surface and corona that advance understanding of solar processes. Green is also the color of chlorophyll in plants that sustains terrestrial life on Earth. Green Ultra-violet Sun (credit: NASA/STEREO Mission) WHB

3214

Green Is The Sun

You probably never thought the sun could look green but in this new extreme image taken by NASA’s STEREO spacecraft it does. Photographs captured using ultra-violet and infrared filters, provide additional details to the Sun’s surface and corona that advance understanding of solar processes. Green is also the color of chlorophyll in plants that sustains terrestrial life on Earth. Green Ultra-violet Sun (credit: NASA/STEREO Mission) WHB

5525

Restoring a Delta

When John Steinbeck and his friend the wildlife biologist, Ed Ricketts, travelled through Baja California in the early 1940’s, the Colorado River still flowed to Sea of Cortez. For millennia, the waters of the river had fed a vast marshy ecosystem of over 2 million acres that spread from the river’s mouth in Mexico back into the United States. Thousands of species of birds, small mammals, and other wildlife flourished in this estuary as an exquisite example of the life-sustaining capacity ...

2137

Restoring a Delta

When John Steinbeck and his friend the wildlife biologist, Ed Ricketts, travelled through Baja California in the early 1940’s, the Colorado River still flowed to Sea of Cortez. For millennia, the waters of the river had fed a vast marshy ecosystem of over 2 million acres that spread from the river’s mouth in Mexico back into the United States. Thousands of species of birds, small mammals, and other wildlife flourished in this estuary as an exquisite example of the life-sustaining capacity ...

2373

Worth Its Weight In Rock?

If you were told that something was worth $1000 per gram--$28000 per ounce or $450000 per pound--you would be right to assume that is was an illicit substance likely bad to consume. If you heard that was the value placed on a rock consisting of basic metals and trace elements, you would again be right in thinking someone was crazy to spend the money. However, that is the market price if you wanted to purchase a gram of space rock that was blasted off the surface of Mars several million years ...

1999

Worth Its Weight In Rock?

If you were told that something was worth $1000 per gram--$28000 per ounce or $450000 per pound--you would be right to assume that is was an illicit substance likely bad to consume. If you heard that was the value placed on a rock consisting of basic metals and trace elements, you would again be right in thinking someone was crazy to spend the money. However, that is the market price if you wanted to purchase a gram of space rock that was blasted off the surface of Mars several million years ...

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Marketplace Now Open

Perfect Gifts

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Where Do Good Ideas Come From?

My Life As A Turkey

Krakatoa Awakens, an update

Rewilding

Conserving, the Mother Load

Environmental Art

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