Dave here. Back for another round of weekly links. And now these links can travel. You can find them at the ScienceWednesdays page on Delicious and you can even add the links to your own blog by either grabbing the RSS feed or the Wednesdays on Science Cheerleader widget. The picks this week offer some nice variety, I think…
Pompeii official site. 1900 years ago this week a volcano named Vesuvius erupted, spewing tons of ash and completely burying the city Pompeii. The town was rediscovered quite by accident in the 1590’s, revealing a remarkably preserved ancient city that had essentially been “frozen” in ash. Millions of tourists visit Pompeii each year, where they get a chance to learn not only about the history of ancient Italy but also the science of volcanoes and of archeology. (The Google Street View of Pompeii is pretty cool too.)
Crowd Viewing the Moon. Over at the Science for Citizens blog, Michael Gold shares news of the “worldwide moon-up” – also known as International Observe The Moon Night. It’s a great opportunity to talk about astronomy with your kids or just learn more about what NASA is doing these days.
Mother Tigers Pass Down Territory to Their Daughters. Brian Switek discusses a study conducted by American and Russian researchers that suggests a reason why mom Tigers defend more territory than they really need to live – it seems they reserve some of that territory for their female cubs to have a space of their own. (No, the study wasn’t sponsored by the National Association of Realtors.) The study also shows how poachers who capture one female tiger have a negative impact on successive generations of tigers.
A new take on necking (in giraffes, that is). Delene Beeland examines the ever popular question,” why are giraffes’ necks so long?” A growing number of scientists are saying male giraffes have long necks to increase their chances at a little wow-chicka-WOW-WOW. C’mon, guys – size isn’t everything… 😉
