Flamboyant Harlequin Shrimp

Harlequin Shrimp are tiny colorful crustaceans. 

There are two variations of harlequin shrimp. Hymenocera picta, which is naturally found in the Pacific ocean, has a white body with purplish spots (shown above). And its cousin Hymenocera elegans from the Indian ocean features more reddish body spots. Both harlequin shrimp varieties feature an unusual body shape that’s almost reminiscent of a praying mantis. Scientists once thought they were two independent species, but now know they are the same with the only their color differing.

Hawaiian harlequin shrimp

Harlequin shrimp can be identified by some distinctive features. Their claws are large and flat, different from all other types of shrimp. Their tails are trapezoidal and they use two fancy flat antennae on their heads with sophisticated scent receptors tuned to detect prey. Harlequin shrimp grow to a maximum size of around 2”. As tropical reef dwellers, they prefer to live in waters ranging from 71 to 77 F. 

Like many shrimp, their eyes are fixed on stalks. They use two enormous, flat claws a bit like scissors while hunting for and harvesting their prey. The most notable feature of harlequin shrimp, though, is obviously their magnificent coloring. They range from white to light pink with touches of red, orange, blue, or purple.

The body pattern does more for the shrimp than simple vanity, however — it’s an evolutionary adaptation that helps protect them from predators. Traditionally in the world of marine creatures, a bright color means ‘danger,’ and the harlequin shrimp is no exception. Their vibrant patches help warn predators to stay away and the shrimp can also camouflage very quickly to appear as corals or sea plants. 

Harlequin shrimp are notoriously picky eaters as they prefer starfish alone.

Harlequin shrimp in Indonesia feeding on starfish. Credit: diveivanov/Adobe Stock

Pair of harlequin shrimp feeding on a starfish. Photo by Franck Fogarolo

They pick up the scent of a starfish using their antennae. Once it has detected a delicious morsel, a mated pair proceeds to catch up with their prey. Using their pincers, one shrimp will snip off the soft, tube-like foot attachment of the starfish, and the other will pull the starfish until it’s turned on its back. Fortunately the starfish has the ability to grow new arms.

If a pair of harlequin shrimp mates find a comfortable place to live, they will stay for months or even their entire lives. As mentioned, a mating pair will stay together for life and share tasks equally to fiercely protect their family. The female is the larger of the two.

Pair of harlequin shrimp Photo by Jenna Szerlag

Mating occurs after the female molts. In one breeding season, a female can produce between 100 to 5,000 eggs. And although this number seems high, harlequin shrimp are still endangered as their tiny babies are very vulnerable and human interference further aggravates their reproductive success.

Here’s an interesting video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdpd82M22UY

Puffer Fish Love

A tiny male Japanese puffer fish creates a grand sand sculpture on the featureless seabeds to attract the attention of passing females.  The nest size measures about seven feet in diameter and may take about seven to nine days to construct.

Puffer fish couple courtship

The nest is created for courtship and rearing young. Attracted by the grooves and ridges, a female puffer fish would find their way along the dark seabed to the male puffer fish where they would mate and lay eggs in the center of the circle. In fact, the scientists observed that the more ridges the circle contained, the more likely it was that the female would mate with the male.

 Once the female splits, though, it’s the male who does the parental chores: He fertilizes the eggs and remains in the nest until the eggs hatch six days later. It turns out the tiny seashells he has added to the nest help nourish the next generation.

Strangely enough, the males never reuse the nest, always constructing a new circular structure at the huge cost of construction. This is because the valleys may not contain sufficient fine sand particles for multiple reproductive cycles.

Here’s a link to a BBC video showing the tiny male puffer fish in action:

The Resilience of Fig Trees

Figs are one of the most prominent fruits in the Bible, popping up repeatedly and inviting us to consider what they represent.

Farming figs requires care, patience and maintenance, fertilizing and pruning. The shoots that pop up like periscopes must be trimmed, and many varieties won’t bear fruit until the fourth year.  New shoots can be propagated to grow a new fig tree.

New fig tree growing from a shoot

Fig trees can live for centuries and grow to enormous heights.

Cathedral Pine in Danbulla National Park Credit:  Mike Prociv @ Queensland Government

With a crown as big as 2 Olympic swimming pools towering nearly 50m over you, this mighty 500-year-old fig tree will take your breath away.

As you stroll along the boardwalk, gaze into the roots and canopy of this rainforest giant. See if you can spot some of the plentiful wildlife.

Fig trees are often regarded as keystone resources in tropical landscapes. For they bear fruit year-round and are one of the few reliable sources available for resident as well as migrant birds and other animals.

Ripe figs smell lovely and attract a host of animals to feed on them.

The common fig contains only female flowers and propagates without pollination, but within the family, there are hundreds of varieties. The fruit may be oval or pear-shaped and may be white, green, red or purplish-black.

Parrots eating figs in a fig tree

Squirrel eating figs Credit: Dreamtime

Fig trees may be even more essential in urban landscapes with rapidly diminishing green cover and related reduction of fruiting trees.

Fig tree in Nairobi Credit: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Four stores-high fig tree centuries old was saved by environmental activists after being threatened by Kenya’s roads agency to make way for an expressway.  The environmentalists explained that this tree was a beacon of Kenya’s cultural and ecological heritage. 

A lesson for us all.

Winged Microchip

Scientists at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed the smallest human made flying structure. It’s about the size of a grain of sand.

Microflier next to a lady bug Credit: Northwestern Universiy

The microflier consists of two components. At the center is a miniaturized electronic system with a coil antenna and UV sensors. The exterior wings mimic seeds from nature so they fly and rotate in the wind.

Simulated 3D model of microflier Credit: Northwestern University

The research team at Northwestern University envisions dropped these microfliers by plane or drone by the tens of thousands. The hope is that they will be used to monitor air pollution or airborne diseases. Dropping them in water, for example, could test for heavy metal contamination.

Group of microfliers on a maple tree seed Credit: Northwestern University

The best part is the microfliers are bioresorbable – they dissolve in water and are expected to cost about a penny a piece.

Exciting Discoveries in Egypt

Saqqara Necropolis Photo credit: Dreamstime.com

Archaeologists have unearthed at least 59 sealed sarcophagi, with mummies inside most of them, at a vast necropolis south of Cairo.  Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister, Khaled el-Anany,  said Saturday that they had been buried in three wells more than 2,600 years ago.

The Saqqara plateau hosts at least 11 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, along with hundreds of tombs of ancient officials and other sites that range from the 1st Dynasty (2920 BCE-2770 BCE) to the Coptic period (395-642).

Khaled el-Anany spoke at a news conference at the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara where the coffins were found. The sarcophagi have been displayed and one of them was opened before reporters to show the mummy inside. Several foreign diplomats attended the announcement ceremony.

Several sarcophagi are displayed inside a tomb at the Saqqara archaeological site, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt Credi: APPhoto/Mahmoud Khaled

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities showing mummy inside sarcophagi Credit: AP Photo

Credit: AP Photo

Waziri explained the team had uncovered the three shafts where the coffins were laid in “perfect condition” due to a protective seal that preserved them from chemical reactions.

Viewers of sarcophai at Saqqara necropolis Credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo

Waziri said archaeologists also found a total of 28 statuettes of Ptah-Soker the main god of the Saqqara necropolis, and a beautifully carved 35 cm tall bronze statuette of God Nefertum inlaid with valuable precious stones: red agate, turquoise, and lapis lazuli. 

Statue of Nefertum Photo Courtesy, Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities

This new discovery is the latest in a series of archeological finds that Egypt has sought to publicize in an effort to boast tourism.

United Arab Emirates in Space

In September 2019 Emirati astronaut, Al Mansoon, made history by becoming the first Arab on the International Space Station.  The former military pilot was invite to register for the UAE Astronaut Program through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.  He went through training at Yuri Gagarian Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia in preparation for the 8 day ISS mission. 

ISS crew members Jessica Meir of the US, Oleg Skripochka of Russia and Hazza Al Mansouri of the UAE walk to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.  September 2019  Credit:  Shamil Zhumatov/Reurters

When Al Mansouri wasn’t conducting experiments, hosting live streams or praying in microgravity, he was teaching other astronauts the heritage and culture of the Emiratis. As part of a cultural exchange, Al Mansouri slipped out of his usual clothing and into something a bit more traditional.

Donning the kandura, Al Mansouri also sported a hamdaniya wrap. Back down on Earth, this is often seen as a more casual Emirati dress, worn outside of work and in more relaxed settings. It is thought Al Mansouri opted for this traditional garment over the more commonly seen ghutrah wrap with an agal as the microgravity environment would’ve had the wrap float around more.

Al Mansoori will offer his fellow astronauts three Emirati foods – madrooba, saloona, and balaleet, a statement said. The event will be the first of its kind, with Gulf inspired cuisine being tasted in a non-gravitational environment.”I’m honored to be the first astronaut to host an Emirati night on board the ISS to promote the Emirati culture, which I am proud to belong to, and share some delicious Emirati food.

So how did the UAE’s first Emirati astronaut, who is a Muslim, pray five times a day and figure out which way is Makkah? Astronauts at the International Space Station orbit the Earth every 90 minutes. This means they will witness a staggering 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. The answer can be found in a prayer booklet issued by Dubai’s Islamic Affairs Authority:  Al Mansouri should attempt to face Earth while praying but if it is too difficult, and he risks missing a prayer, he should pray in any direction.

July 20, 2020 launch of H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe known as “Al-Amal” in Arabic developed to explore Mars.  Funded by UAE the rocket blasted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.  
Credit:  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/AFP Photo

The Hope Probe is the UAE’s latest and most ambitious step in its burgeoning space sector. The UAE has launched satellites before but they were developed with South Korean partners. The country founded its space agency in 2014, and has set ambitious targets including a colony on the Martian surface by 2117.

Government officials have previously spoken of the space program as a catalyst for the country’s growing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) sector.

Simply making it this far was an impressive feat for the Gulf country. Most Mars missions take between 10 to 12 years to develop — but UAE scientists had just six years to carry out the project.

To build the spacecraft, they partnered with a team in the US, at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. And to find a novel science objective for Hope’s mission, they consulted the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), a forum created by NASA to plan explorations of Mars.

They decided to use Hope to build the first full picture of Mars’ climate throughout the Martian year, said Sarah Al Amiri, the mission’s science lead.

“The data gathered by the probe will add a new dimension to the human knowledge,” said Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Twitter. “This is our latest contribution to the world.”

The Invincible Tardigrade

What is a tardigrade? 

The tardigrade is water dwelling mico animal. They were first described in 1773 by German pastor J.A.E. Goeze, who called them “little water bear” in German. The Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani named them tardigrada, which means “slow steppers.

Tardigrades have been on earth about 600 million years, preceding the dinosaurs by about 400 million years.   They have survived all five mass extinctions. 

Measuring less than a millimeter long they are short and plump with eight little legs ending in claws.   Under the microscope you can view their digestive system. 

Fluorence image showing the inside of a  tardigrade   Photo by Dr. Tagide deCarvalho/University of Maryland at Baltimore County

Tardigrades are considered the hardiest animals on Earth. They have been found at the top of the tallest mountains in the Himalayas, inside hot springs in Japan, at the very bottom of the ocean and deep within the Antarctic wilderness.

The tardigrade’s secret is the ability to shrivel into a seed-like pod, expelling nearly all of its water and slashing its metabolism. In this state, the animals can hunker down and survive conditions that would normally be swiftly fatal. Dehydrated tardigrades have been revived after years in an inactive state by plunging them into water. Once rehydrated, the animals become active again and feed and reproduce as normal.

Science Picture Company/Science Faction/Corbis

Tardigrades represent a useful animal for space research. They were subjected to microgravity and cosmic radiation in the International Space Station and these conditions did not significantly affect the survival of tardigrades in flight.

Scientists are now studying the microscopic tardigrades to try and unlock the secrets of its immortality Maybe we can steal a secret or two for ourselves. 

A Telescope of Her Own

Vera Rubin gave us the single most important piece of evidence for the discovery of the existence of dark matter. A new telescope is being built in her honor on a mountaintop in Chile.

Vera Rubin Photo by Mark Godfrey

Vera Rubin was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Washington, D.C. She earned her B.A. at Vassar College, her M.A. at Cornell University and her PH.D. at Georgetown University.  She was inspired by the example of Maria Mitchell, who is best known for being the first professional female astronomer in the United States.

Vera Rubin was doing research on rotational properties of galaxies when she discovered “non-luminous” matter that was not interacting with light. Unlike other things in the Universe this matter did not absorb, reflect or divert light.  It was incapable of casting a shadow.   We now call it dark matter.  It was the work of Rubin and her colleagues that demonstrated the existence of dark matter with their observational evidence. 

Vera C. Rubin Courtesy Carnegie Institute

Vera Rubin was also an outspoken advocate for women in the sciences; she was recognized for paving the way for other women in astronomy, and for achieving remarkable success while facing challenges that her male colleagues did not have to overcome. As an ardent feminist she advocated for women observers at the Palomar Observatory, women at the Cosmos Club, and at Princeton, and she even advised the Pope advocating for more women in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Vera Rubin was also the mother of four children – all of whom acquired Ph. Ds. in the sciences and mathematics fields. 

Construction Vera Rubin Telescope Facility Wil O’Mullane

Vera Rubin was an inspiration to many and naming the new observatory in her honor is a fitting tribute, an important statement about visibility and inclusivity in astronomy.

Superionic Ice

What’s an Earth-bound scientist to do when she wants to study superionic ice like the kind found on frozen planets?  Fire up the lasers and make the next best thing herself.

Dr. Federica Coppari, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and her co-lead author Marius Millot, used giant lasers to flash freeze water, creating replica superionic ice and snapping images for study..

Federica Coppari with an x-ray diffraction image plate that she and her colleagues used to discover ice XVIII, also known as superionic ice.
Credit:  Eugene Kowaluk/Laboratory for Laser Energetics

The team simply smashed water with laser blasts between diamond anvils.  Using the OMEGA Laser at the University of Rochester – one of the most powerful lasers in the world – they heated the water to around 4,700 degrees Celsius and compress it between 1 and 4 million times the Earth’s atmospheric pressure.  

The 60-beam Omega laser at UR’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Billionths of a second later, as shock waves rippled through and the water began crystallizing into nanometer-size ice cubes, the scientists used 16 more laser beams to vaporize a thin sliver of iron next to the sample. The resulting hot plasma flooded the crystallizing water with X-rays, which then diffracted from the ice crystals, allowing the team to discern their structure.

The atoms in the water had rearranged into the long-predicted but never-before-seen architecture, Ice XVIII: a cubic lattice with oxygen atoms at every corner and the center of each face.  The hydrogen ions float freely within the oxygen lattice. “It’s quite a breakthrough,” Coppari said.

Molecular model of superionic ice XVIII

Unlike the familiar ice found in your freezer or at the north pole, superionic ice is black and hot. A cube of it would weigh four times as much as a normal one. It was first theoretically predicted more than 30 years ago, and although it has never been seen until now, scientists think it might be among the most abundant forms of water in the universe.

Coppari’s co-lead author explains, “This can dramatically affect our understanding of the internal structure and the evolution of the icy giant planets like Uranus and Jupiter, as well as all their numerous extra-solar cousins.”

Superionic ice XVIII is not quite a new phase of water. It’s really a new state of matter!

Feminist History of Illustrating Plants

Most people are unaware of several talented women who worked in the field of botany as early as the 18^thcentury. 

Consider Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) Maria was an extremely enterprising and independent German woman.  In 1699, along with her daughter, she travelled to Surinam to carry out research into the reproduction and development of insects. She is now regarded as both a highly gifted artist and an exceptional empirical scientist, one of the first to demolish the prevailing notion of the spontaneous generation of insects from mud.

Portrait of Maria Sibylla Merian

Since women were not allowed to sell paintings in oils in many German cities, Maria became skilled at watercolor and gouache. She was the first to portray caterpillars and butterflies with the plants that nourished them.  Maria’a book, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium,was published in 1705 in both Latin and Dutch with colored engravings.  Marian paid the production costs her self and acted as the publisher.  

Maria’a book, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium,was published in 1705 in both Latin and Dutch with colored engravings.  Marian paid the production costs her self and acted as the publisher.  Two folio editions of 254 aquarelles by Marian were taken to Saint Petersburg for Peter the Great’s personal physician.

Ananas mit Kakerlake (Pineapple with cockroach) by Merian (c. between 1701 and 1705) Hand coloured copper engraving

Anne Kingsbury Wollstonecraft (October 29, 1791 – May 16, 1828) was an American botanist who devoted herself to creating richly detailed illustrations and descriptions of the botanical specimens she found on Cuba. Her work culminating in a remarkable three-volume manuscript entitled, Specimens of the Plants & Fruit of the Island of Cuba. This book was never published and went missing for 190 years. It was recently discovered at Cornell Library’s division of rare manuscripts.  The book includes 121 watercolor plants with detailed notes.

Page from Specimens of the Plants & Fruits of the Island of Cuba by Anne Kingsbury Wollstonecraft.  Credit:  Cornell University.

Anne Kingsbury Wollstonecraft   Credit: Cornell Division of Rare Manuscripts

Just as remarkable was Mary Delany (May 14, 1700- April 15, 1788), an English woman whose collection of intricate paper collages of plant life are now in the British Museum.  Mary Delany created dramatic and precise collages, made from colored paper, much of which she had dyed herself. The works were then mounted on black backgrounds. Describing her method in a letter to her niece dated October 4th, 1772, she wrote: “I have invented a new way of imitating flowers”. She was then 72. In ten years times Mary Delaney completed nearly 1,000 cut-paper botanicals so accurate that botanists still refer to them – each one so energetically dramatic that it seems to leap out from the dark as on to a lit stage.

Portrait of Mary Delany by John Opie, 1782 

Asphodi Lilly paper collage by Mary Delany     Photo: © Trustees of the British Museum

Beatrix Potter (July 28, 1866 –December 22, 1943), famous for The Tale of Peter Rabbitand other children’s books, has been underappreciated for her contribution to science and natural history.  In her early twenties, Beatrix developed a keen interest in mycology and began producing incredibly beautiful drawings of fungi.  She taught herself the proper technique for accurate botanical illustration.  

When she wanted to present her scientific work to London’s Linnean Society she needed to have her uncle do the presentation because women were barred from membership.  The paper never got peer-review and was dismissed as not worthy of consideration. A century later the Linnean Society apologized for its historic sexism. 

Beatrix Potter’s drawing of Hygrophorus puniceus Credit:   Armitt Museum and Library

Beatrix Potter’s drawing of Lepiota friesii   Credit:  Armitt Museum and Library

The female amateur botanists and naturalists of earlier eras didn’t just reproduce knowledge. They took what they learned and used the traditionally feminine skills they already had—along with their keen powers of observation—to create something better, and new.