No Laser Tag For Me, Thanks

Did you know that the word “laser” is actually an acronym?  It stands for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.”  Yeah, it’s a lot simpler to just say “laser.”

On July 5, 2012, the National Ignition Facility generated a laser zap that created 500 trillion watts of power.  According to their web site, the facility seeks to replicate conditions found in stars and planets so we can learn more about them. The NIF has a great web site where you can learn more about lasers.  Check it out and let us know what you think!

The Tide Is High

Hooray for Canada!  The Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, has tides that move 160 billion tons of seawater every day with tides that go from high to low about every twelve hours.

The Bay of Fundy is home to 8 species of whale, squid, pollock, mackerel, seals, sharks, and many kinds of crustaceans.  It’s a great place for whale-watching, and you can also canoe, search for fossils, raft, and do other outdoor activities.

No Peanut Butter With This Jelly

It’s true–the longest jellyfish on record had tentacles that were 120 feet long.  The arctic jellyfish uses its long tentacles to sting its prey, immobilizing it.  It’s sure a lot easier to eat when your dinner isn’t swimming away from you!

And yes, in case you were wondering–the arctic jellyfish can be deadly to humans.  Run-ins are rare, thought, because they like to live in cold water.

Better Than a Starry Sky

Starfish aren’t actually fish at all, so a better name for them is “sea star”.  These echinoderms are found in both deep and shallow ocean water all over the world, especially in rocky places and coral reefs.

They use the suction cups on their feet to eat clams and oysters, and their many arms can regenerate if a predator pulls them off.  What a useful adaptation!

Wake Up, Already!

Because this blog writer desperately needs a nap, here’s a post dedicated to the sleepiest animals on earth:

1. Sloth

With 23 hours of the day spent sleeping, a sloth makes your college roommate look positively energetic.

2. Koala

Koalas sleep for about 22 hours a day, and when they aren’t sleeping, you can usually find them munching eucalyptus leaves.

3. Armadillo

These nocturnal animals sleep upwards of 17 hours a day.

4. Opossum

Opossums and armadillos should hang out, since they spend about the same amount of time asleep every day.

Zzzzzzzz.

Stay Out of the Water!

What’s the size of your head and can see in the dark?  A giant squid eye!

The huge eye enables them to collect more light, giving them an advantage when looking for food and avoiding predators.  What else does the giant squid have that makes it deserving of its name?  How about a mantle that’s 6.5 feet long, and tentacles that have hundreds of suckers attached?  Although it’s hard to tell the exact total length of a giant squid–since tentacles can be broken off–the biggest one ever measured was 43 feet long.

Pterosaur, Not Dinosaur

The largest pterosaur had a wing span of 36-39 feet (11-11.9 meters) and weighed 190-250 pounds (86-113.5 kilograms).  In comparison, the wandering albatross (which has the largest wingspan of a bird alive today) has a wingspan of up to 11.5 feet.  Pterosaurs had light, hollow bones, wings formed by membranes, elongated jaws, and their bodies were covered in pycnofibers, which were similar to human hair.

The Brain Game

Most of our brain cells will last our entire lives.  A few areas of the brain will grow new cells until we are toddlers, but only the area responsible for memories and learning will keep adding cells.  The best way to preserve our brain cells seems to be by exercising them, just like we exercise other parts of the body.  Learning new languages or a musical instrument, solving puzzles, dancing, and socializing are all ways to give your brain a workout.   Here we have yet another reason to become life-long learners!

Hubble

When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better.  So what do you do if you want to be able to launch the telescope into space?  You make it as big as possible while still being able to send it on a space shuttle.

Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990.  It gets its power from the sun, just like solar panels on buildings.  This school-bus-sized telescope is about 14 feet in diameter, and its biggest mirror is 94.5 inches in diameter.  Its mirrors have allowed us to take pictures of space objects that can’t be seen at all from Earth, and it has been doing this since 1990.

Huge Telescope, Boring Name

Currently under construction in Chile, the E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) will help astronomers learn about protoplanetary discs, the discs of dust and debris that can form new planets.  Why is this telescope being built in Chile’s Atacama desert?  The desert has very low humidity, clear weather, and is remote enough to avoid light pollution.