tagged: Science education biology evolution cooperation species bacteria microbiology nature
Symbiogenesis is the merging of two separate organisms to form a single new organism. The idea originated with Konstantin Mereschkowsky in his 1926 book Symbiogenesis and the Origin of Species, which proposed that chloroplasts originate from cyanobacteria captured by a protozoan.
Ivan Wallin also supported this concept in his book “Symbionticism and the Origins of Species”. He suggested that bacteria might be the cause of the origin of species, and that species creation may occur through endosymbiosis. Today both chloroplasts and mitochondria are believed, by those who ascribe to the endosymbiotic theory, to have such an origin.
Winter Hexagon and Hale Telescope
The Milky way and bright stars of Winter Hexagon (including Sirius, the brightest star in entire night sky) are photographed above Palomar Observatory in the Southern California.
The Observatory is located in north San Diego County, California (the light dome in the south is made by San Diego). Founded in 1930s, Palomar is still a world-class research center. The observatory is home to five telescopes including the 200-inch (5 meters) Hale telescope and its giant dome which is photographed here.
The telescope (completed in 1949) is named after astronomer George Ellery Hale who led the making of the world largest telescopes in the first half of 20th century. Hale telescope was the world largest for nearly 3 decades.— P.K. Chen
tagged: nature photography seeds Rob Kesseler Millennium Seed Bank
Amazing Close-Up Photos of Seeds
The Millennium Seed Bank, as it is called, was founded in 2000 as an effort to stock away viable seeds, now, should we need them to restore plant populations in the future. Nearly 100,000, or about one quarter, of the world’s plant species, are currently threatened. “We can’t afford to let these plants, and the potential they hold, die out,” says Kew, on its Web site.
The Millennium Seed Bank is a global seed garden of epic proportions. By 2010, the project had amassed about 10 percent of the world’s 400,000 plant species, and the trajectory is to reach 25 percent by 2020.
Wouldn’t you like to see it? The vault itself, of course, is hidden from the public eye. But, MSB’s seed morphologist Wolfgang Stuppy and visual artist Rob Kesseler have come up with a clever workaround. - Continue reading at Smithsonian.com.
Photos by: Rob Kesseler
Ed note: The Noah’s Ark of plants and flowers.
8 snakes with tiny tentacles born at National Zoo
According to researchers, tentacled snakes are not endangered, just ‘poorly understood.’
tagged: art photo photography landscapes nature earth geology science
Waylou has found 11 Places That Don’t Look Like They Belong on Planet Earth. Click on the images above to see where these unusual sites are located and visit the gallery for more information on these locations and more odd places.
tagged: Science landscape night sky photography astrophotography nature aurora exposure star trails stars astronomy geology
Aurora Australis Between the Ocean & Star trails
Southern lights or the Aurora Australis above the ocean and under the trails of stars, as photographed from Mornington Peninsula, not far from Melbourne, Australia. — Alex Cherney
Bambi by Sham Jolimie on 500px
Lake Tekapo village lights up the clouds. Mount John, above the clouds, is the site of the principal astronomical observatory of New Zealand. — Alex Cherney
Barred Spiral Andromeda Galaxy
The image above shows the splendid Andromeda Galaxy (M 31), about 2.5 million light years away. Approximately 1 trillion stars shine in this barred spiral galaxy — perhaps 2 1/2 times the number in the Milky Way.
Don’t expect it to look this brilliant through a small telescope or a good pair of binoculars. Color and detail such as this result from long exposure times. M31 is the largest galaxy in the “local group” of more than 50 galaxies — the Milky Way is the second largest member. Image acquired on August 17, 2012.
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