Man Vs. Whale

If you compare the size and brute strength of a whale with a human, this match up should be a no brainer. The size of a blue whale is about 82 feet and up to 330,000 lbs while a human is roughly 6 feet and 200 lbs. The whale wins this battle right? Historically speaking, […]

A Bizarre Companionship

Some things naturally go together: peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, or chocolate and bacon (or is that just me?). In nature, there are other combinations that are very bizarre and unlikely. Different combinations of living things will join forces to help each other survive. We call this ‘mutualism,’ it is a type of […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Seahorse

Welcome back to Evolutionary Mash-up! Last week we learned about the fairy shrimp and its ability to produce eggs that can dry up and survive in harsh living conditions until suitable living conditions occur again. This week we take a look at the seahorse and discuss why it contains traits that would be helpful to […]

Science Snapshot: Desert Plants

The subtle beauty of desert plants is often masked by their rugged features. Sharp spikes, furry leaves, and woody branches are not going to win any plant beauty pageants any time soon. But these features are amazing adaptations to have if you live in the harsh desert 24/7. Desert plants use fur and spikes as […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Fairy Shrimp

It is finally October and you know what that means–watching scary movies about zombies or possessed dolls threatening to take over the world in post-apocalyptic fashion. After some people watch these horror films, they may start to wonder “how would I survive if a zombie/possessed doll apocalypse really did happen?” No need to fear, science […]

Science Word of the Week: Electroreception

A genie is willing to grant you one wish. Since your dream is to become the world’s best hide-and-seek player, your wish is to be given the unique animal adaptation of “electroreception.” Of course, the genie allowed you to go home and do your homework before demanding your one and only wish. You researched all […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Coconut Crab

Let’s play a game. You are stranded on an island. You have circled the perimeter of the island and have climbed to the highest point on the island. In your exploration, you find that there are no people on the island and not a single sign of animal life anywhere. Birds do not travel to […]

Evolutionary Mash-up: Electric Eel

There has been a number of occasions in my life where I wished I had the ability to shoot electricity from my fingers. Inspired by the Emperor (or Sheev Palpatine for you star wars fanatics out there) from the Star Wars movie series, shooting electricity from my hands would come in handy when I need […]

Evolutionary Mash-ups: The Northern Lampfish

The transcendent battle between predator and prey has shaped the evolution of animals both on the land and in the sea. An insect blending in with its leafy background to hide from a hungry chameleon. A hungry chameleon blending in with its leafy background to sneak up on an oblivious insect. But this tale as […]

Science Snapshot: Sea Star

The above image may look like a scaly white mouth opening up to reveal tons of tiny bubblegum pink tongues, but it is actually a starfish! More specifically, this is the ventral (stomach) side of the starfish arm. I took this picture at an aquarium here in Utah, the Loveland Living Planet aquarium. When I […]