Insect adventures A couple of days ago, my son spotted an insect riding along on our car's windshield shortly after I had started driving. A very pretty green grasshopper had found its way aboard while I was parked near some grass and trees. I hoped it would be alarmed enough by the wind to jump … Continue reading Insects of summer
ecology
Tiny science update: Clouds and microbes
In one of my very first blog posts on this site ("Raindrops keep falling on our heads…and on the microbes") I shared some science news I had seen about microorganisms and clouds. Scientists across different disciplines are trying to learn about the relationship between the planet's water cycles and the growth of tiny organisms (such … Continue reading Tiny science update: Clouds and microbes
From canals to carp–a book about the Great Lakes
I wanted to share a quick post about a book I finished reading this week, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. In 2017, Milwaukee journalist Dan Egan wrote a compelling "un-natural history" of the Great Lakes, chronicling the shifting relationship modern human society has built with these giant inland seas. Balancing stories of … Continue reading From canals to carp–a book about the Great Lakes
Sparrows in the news (yes, really)
Sparrows in the news? The little brown birds that visit my yard, that I never can confidently conclude are sparrows and not perhaps wrens? Yep. These unassuming neighbors have been featured in a few science headlines over the past couple of weeks, which I thought was curious. So I thought I'd pop in this week … Continue reading Sparrows in the news (yes, really)
Mulled Science 