I took this picture of a definitely dead Juniper in Arches National Park in Utah. Later I drove right past an area with one of the contestants for the title of the worlds oldest living thing, the bristilecone pine.
Continuing with the discussion an whether or not a tree could live for ever if it wasn't killed by an outside force, eg Climate Change, asteroid impact, or Western Businessman in need of a new desktop; I would guess that the real question is: does all life have an off switch?
I took this picture of a definitely dead Juniper in Arches National Park in Utah. Later I drove right past an area with one of the contestants for the title of the worlds oldest living thing, the bristilecone pine.
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I found this article on my old climbing buddy hilarious. Go Nath!
AstroGeologist Nathalie Cabrol. Why You Should Start Idolizing Her Immediately: Cabrol is an alien hunter who climbs desert mountains and SCUBA dives the world’s highest lakes for a living. And she plays with robots. She’s like a Michael Crichton book that met a Jerry Bruckheimer film and decided to guest star on an episode of The X-Files. Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20353#ixzz1XIWT9QVQ --brought to you by mental_floss! Next week Ill be returning to Egypt to continue excavations with Franck Goddio on the sunken cities he has discovered there. I would like to find a way to share the experience from the site with students or anyone interested in this subject. Any Ideas?
Here's a link to the interview we did last year, with Jonathan Padover interviewing me for his 5th grade class; http://www.aquasurvey.com//video/view/asi_webcast_from_egypt I got a chance to fulfill a life long dream in a visit to Mono Lake in California recently with my pals from Aqua Survey. On the long drive through the desert we were "discussing" the definition of the word life, and in an area so desolate that we went a full hour on the road without seeing another vehicle, and no cel signal, we had to rely on our own brains instead of accessing the internet. Fortunately for us the subject has gotten a new dash of spice in the discovery of a new breed of critters living in Mono Lake that are so different from anything else we have ever known that they have changed our definition of Life completely. Here is an article, photos by my old tent mate from The NASA High Lakes Expedition, Henry Bortman. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02dec_monolake/ On the way to Yosemite Bill, Mark, Kyle and I got into a heated debate on the above question, my opinion being 'No". I was out numbered in the vehicle, and had to conceed a defeat when the woman in the Kiosk at the entrance to the Park sided with them.
In the park we did find an example of what we thought at one time to be; The World's Most Massive Living Thing I got the below from a great website about botanical issues; http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0601.htm "Prior to the discovery of ancient bristlecone pines and creosote bush rings, the world's record for longevity went to the magnificent giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The greatest authenticated age of a giant sequoia, derived from counting annual rings on a cut stump, was nearly 3,200 years. Although it may fall short of the world's oldest, the giant sequoia has the undisputed record for the world's most massive living thing. The largest tree, named General Sherman, is 272 feet (83 m) tall with a massive trunk 35 feet (11 m) in diameter and 109 feet (33 m) in circumference at the base. Even more remarkable is the fact that at a point 120 feet (36 m) in the air the trunk of General Sherman is still 17 feet (5 m) in diameter. It has been estimated to contain over 600,000 board feet of timber, enough to build 120 average-sized houses. In fact, a single giant sequoia may contain more wood than is found on several acres of some of the finest virgin timberland in the Pacific Northwest. The trunk of General Sherman alone weighs nearly 1400 tons. By way of comparison, this is roughly equivalent to 15 adult blue whales, 10 diesel-electric train locomotives, or 25 average-sized military battle tanks." Run, Tube, Read has three rules: 1. One must run somewhere 2. One must float back to the original spot 3. One must have reading material for said floating experience |
My Name is Eric and My Job is Scientific Exploration.
That means I'm lucky enough to join expeditions to excavate sunken cities, climb volcanoes, find missing bombs, and Sail old research vessels, while searching for the mysteries of the natural world. Categories
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