Quick

Well I thought it was spring; but I continually keep getting proved wrong. I want summer, no more cold wind and 20 degree mornings. I want surfing and wakeboarding. And snorkeling. The ocean has the most beautiful and colorful life anywhere and I wish there was more being done to protect it. If we're not careful it will vanish; and we know less about the ocean that we do outer space. 

Flower Craze

My newest pastime has been my orchid. I'm in love with this flower. I want more but I don't have a place to put it. So far it's doing really well (although I think it's time to fertilize it), and I love seeing how many flowers it has. I started with two blooms and it's well over 9 at least. I need a greenhouse! Maybe that will be my second summer project. It would be amazing to see how many flowers I can actually get!

Spring! And trees

It is finally starting to become warm and wonderful. New growth and rebirth is happening at last, and the cold of winter can fade into a distant memory for a few months. Spring means renewal and things coming "back to life" so to speak. Bringing things back to life can have different meanings, so what about bringing back something from extinction. 

Not necessarily animals this time; but an entire forest. Chestnut trees once numbered by the billions across the US. They were shelter, food, used for logs and just beautiful. Around 1904, it was noticed that the Bronx Zoo's chestnut tree was dying. It was discovered that the tree was infected by a fungus, and it spread throughout the US to almost all of the chestnut trees, decimating the once full forests. The Asian tree species seemed immune to the fungus that destroyed the chestnuts so quickly. Even today a cure for this fungus has not been found and continues to kill the new shoots of young chestnut trees. 

Scientists have started to "borrow" genes from the Asian version of the chestnut tree and insert them into the American chestnut. After much trial and error it seemed as though the fungus was being fought off. Even if the tree became infected, it seemed as though they could heal what the fungus had done to them. If this continues to be successful, it is hoped that chestnut trees could again be planted in the wild and survive. 

The article link below is worth reading and is extremely informative. There's a great diagram documenting the backcrossing experiments of the tree. It's amazing what science can do nowadays; it would be wonderful to have these trees come back

Resurrecting a Forest:
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/11/resurrecting-a-forest/

Wish I was here.....

*Shiver*

It's safe to say I'm not a fan of spiders. At All. Yes they are bug control, but I wish they weren't so creepy about it. I think it's the legs...they're too long and propel way too fast. I'm getting creeped out just thinking about it. 

Even though I think spiders are terrifying (mostly when they're in my house with me), they are completely fascinating. They are intricately put together and knowing they're silk is stronger than steel is mind blowing. Interestingly tarantulas don't scare me (maybe because they have hair) as much, even though they are the biggest ones. When they move fast though, I guarantee I will shriek and run. So I feel the need to post this video I found on National Geographic about the Goliath tarantula, the largest spider in the world. 

A spider the size of a dinner plate...no thank you. That's bigger than my face and that's terrifying enough to imagine. *Shiver again* 

Well enjoy (:

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/bugs-animals/spiders-and-scorpions/tarantula_goliath/ 

More Proof!

Not that you needed it...but here's more proof that dogs are so awesome and smart. 

http://now.msn.com/abandoned-newborn-baby-found-in-wal-mart-bag

Smart Pup

I ran across this article in National Geographic, but I think that long-time dog owners have known this with no proof needed. According to the new study dogs are smarter than we may have thought, and can potentially see things in a humans viewpoint. Like a naughty child, dogs will do things that they know they're not supposed to when we owners aren't looking. 

Like sneaking food. Apparently in a darker room dogs will steal food when the owners don't know or just aren't paying attention. My dog has done bad things when I'm pretending not to look for the whole 7 years I've had him. As soon as we make eye contact, he stops and is perfect puppy again. Don't let anyone tell you different: dogs are scary smart. They know when you're sick or sad and act accordingly. Only people that don't own dogs have no knowledge of these things (which I'm sure is who these studies are really for). 

Dogs are pretty amazing. They can detect cancer and seizures, save people from bombed buildings, detect danger during war and are the world's best therapy. In all honesty did this study really need to take place? (: 


Smart Dog:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130218-dogs-animals-science-mind-smart/?source=hp_dl4_news_dogs_know_when_looking_20130220#