Teachers' Lounge 

PEAK Program for SFUSD Teachers

Thursday, 05/23/13

Exciting professional development opportunity and stipend!

• Get students excited about electricity and magnetism!
• Learn how to make the science of energy more engaging!
• Meet standards while teaching students how to save energy!

PEAK is an award-winning standards-based energy education program for 3rd-7th grade students. Through hands-on activities, students learn about the science of energy and are inspired to take action to create a more sustainable world.

Enroll to Receive the Following at NO COST:

• STEM – based teacher in-service training
• Curriculum correlated to 3rd-7th grade standards and Common Core
• A toolkit for hands-on science labs (Worth over $350!)
• Green Careers presentations
• Assemblies with our energy-saving superhero Bulbman
• Lesson planning and classroom assistance

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Click here to register on the PEAK website!

A $100 stipend is awarded to teachers completing the training.

Training from 9:00AM – 3:00PM, lunch provided.

Held at the SFPUC Headquarters Info:
2nd Floor, O’Shaughnessy Room C
525 Golden Gate Ave, SF, CA 94102

Please RSVP at least one week prior to the training date.

Questions? Email AKnox@energycoalition.org or Call (510) 444-5060 ext. 15

Birds and Mammals Research 

The Articulation of Orca O319: Working on the Backbone

Wednesday, 05/22/13

One of the first parts of the Orca that we’ve been working on is the backbone. In a previous post, I showed our volunteers putting all of the vertebrae in order and gluing the vertebral epiphyses on. Now, we’ve moved on to actually drilling holes in each vertebra so that they can fit over a rod that we bent to form the curve of the backbone.

All vertebrae have cartilage that forms between them to act as padding between the bones. To mimic this cartilage we will be using silicone, but first need to create spacers to place in between each vertebra. We are using blocks of polyethylene foam that our exhibits crew cut into specific thicknesses (thinner between the thoracic vertebrae and thicker between the lumbar). Once those were cut, we used a hole saw to drill a hole in the foam to match the size of hole in the vertebrae that the rod will go through.

The foam squares were then measured and cut to fit 2 centimeters away from the outer edge of each individual vertebra. This 2 centimeter buffer will allow us to layer the silicone “cartilage” over the foam out to the edge of the vertebra without the foam being visible.

When placed together, we now have custom-shaped spacers between each of the vertebrae.

The backbone is looking great! Come see it for yourself in the Piazza.

Laura Wilkinson
Curatorial Assistant and Specimen Preparator
Ornithology and Mammalogy

All marine mammal stranding activities were conducted under authorization by the National Marine Fisheries Service through a Stranding Agreement issued to the California Academy of Sciences and MMPA/ESA Permit No. 932-1905/MA-009526.

Project Lab 

Extinction is Forever (continued)- Are We Losing the Monarch Butterfly?

Wednesday, 05/22/13

In past blog posts I have talked about the extinction of several species of California butterflies, each of which had small, localized populations, which tend to be extremely vulnerable to even small changes in the quality or amount of available habitat.  Environmental scientists and conservation biologists generally agree that habitat destruction and degradation are at the top of the list when it comes to why we are losing so many species of animals and plants around the world today.  Unfortunately, it is the ever-expanding human population which is putting so much pressure on habitats, both directly, as we need to find places to create housing and work, and indirectly, as we need an ever-growing food supply to feed the burgeoning masses.  The use of modern technology has increased our output of food per acre, but at what cost?

For some time now, entomologists have noted a slow but steady decline in the populations of butterfly species overall, (as well as other insects), but in some cases they are seeing a rapid decline of certain species. The iconic Monarch butterfly, Daneus plexippus is one such example.  Perhaps the best known butterfly in the U.S., the Monarch has 2 large American populations famous for their long migration from as far north as Canada, down to their summer grounds in Mexico. Biologists estimate the populations by counting the overwintering butterflies, and this year’s count was the lowest ever recorded, leading to fears that the Monarch may be headed for extinction.

The host plants for the Monarch are all species of milkweed, which give both the larvae and adult butterflies protection from predators, because milkweed contains a poisonous cardiac glycoside that is distasteful and toxic. The adults also nectar mostly on milkweeds, along with several other species of flowers.

There appears to be 2 main reasons for the Monarch’s decline.  The first has to do with modern agricultural methods involving genetically modified corn and soybean crops designed to make them immune to the effects of the herbicide glyphosate, also known as Roundup.  These modifications allow farmers to plant their crops and then spray the entire field with herbicide, killing all the weeds including milkweed, leaving only the soy or corn.  Because of the vast areas planted in these crops, millions of acres of milkweed have been eliminated from Midwest farmland, leaving no host plants for the larvae to eat.

The second reason appears to be warming temperatures caused by climate change, brought about by our consumption of fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Temperatures above 95 degrees and hot, arid conditions can be lethal to larvae and eggs.

Will people care enough to bring about the changes needed to save these and other species, or will they be allowed to slide into extinction?

Until next time,

Vic Smith

Curatorial Assistant and Imaging Specialist

Department of Entomology

Careers in Science 

My New Little Friends

Saturday, 05/18/13

My new little friends are crawling all over me. In Careers in Science, Level Three interns have the opportunity to work in a mentorship with Academy scientists. Cyrah and I have begun a mentorship with Kristen and Nicole of the Osher Rainforest. Kristen and Nicole are biologists who work to take care of the many exhibits in the rainforest. One of our duties includes caring for leafcutter ants by replacing their browse (plants). These leafcutter ants are naturally attracted to discovery. They want to find new habitat with new plants to bring back to their colony for cultivation. For a short while, the ants are not enclosed, leaving no barrier between them and the fresh world that intrigues their curious little minds. We become bridges and dozens of ants begin to explore the complexity of our arms. Kristen instructs us to pinch them off. Our hardy little friends are returned to their home and new browse as we move on to tend to other inhabitants of the Rainforest. Next up, the Madagascar day geckos…

By Timmy

Birds and Mammals Research 

The Articulation of Orca O319: Questions from our Visitors

Friday, 05/17/13

We’ve been getting some great questions from our visitors about Orca O319 and Orcas in general. Here is a sampling of the questions we’ve gotten, along with our answers:

What does “Orca” mean?

The scientific name of Orcas is Orcinus orca: “Orcinus” means “kingdom of the dead” or “belonging to Orcus” (a Roman god of the underworld), and “orca” was the name that ancient Romans gave these animals, possibly borrowing it from a similar greek word which referred to a whale species.

How big is the Orca’s brain?

Roughly four times larger than a human’s brain.

How much did the Orca weigh?

The skull alone (bones only, no flesh) weighs 72 lbs, closer to 85 lbs with the mandibles (lower jaws). We don’t have an exact weight for our Orca before we began the necropsy, but adult Orcas can weigh between 5,700 and 16,000 lbs. At birth, Orcas weigh 350-500 lbs. O319 was not a fully grown adult, so he probably weighed on the low end of average adult weights.

Have there been any bleaching agents applied to the bones?

The bones all soaked in dilute sodium perborate, which is a powder that release hydrogen peroxide when mixed with water. The skull was placed on the roof of the Academy for one month to allow the sun to naturally bleach it. Being in the Piazza will likely bleach the bones further, as they’re exposed to ultraviolet light. We don’t use actual bleach, as it degrades the bones.

How long will it take to put the skeleton together?

We will be articulating the skeleton from May 8^th through June 9^th (1 month). After that, staff members from Ornithology and Mammalogy will work on finishing touches. The entire skeleton should be done by the end of June.

Does the Orca have a name? Will we name it?

Our Orca is referenced as O319, its scientific identification number. We will not give it a personal name because it is a research specimen. It will always be O319.

Are Orcas seen specifically in this area?

There is currently a pod of transient Orcas in Monterey Bay, seen hunting different species of marine mammals (sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals, dolphins, porpoises, and gray whale calves). A pod of Orcas has also been seen in the Gulf of the Farallones in the past.

What will we be using as “cartilage” on the skeleton?

We will be using silicone.

How do we attach the bones together?

We will be using a variety of metal rods, glues, and wires to articulate the skeleton.

If you have a question about the articulation process or about Orca O319, leave a comment or come visit us at the Orca Lab Tuesdays through Sundays!

Laura Wilkinson
Curatorial Assistant and Specimen Preparator
Ornithology and Mammalogy

All marine mammal stranding activities were conducted under authorization by the National Marine Fisheries Service through a Stranding Agreement issued to the California Academy of Sciences and MMPA/ESA Permit No. 932-1905/MA-009526.

From the Stacks 

Oil in Ecuador: an update

Friday, 05/17/13

The Library’s Reading Room exhibit created by former, CIS intern Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski focuses on the Ecuadorian rainforest - the history of Western exploration of the region, and current issues facing the area’s immense biodiversity. She recently sent me an update to the continuing issues of oil exploitation. ” Thought I’d pass along this article I just read about Ecuador’s plans for the rainforest. It contains bad news, very bad news.”

Read the article(s) for yourself here:

Ecuador To Sell A Third Of Its Amazon Rainforest To Chinese Oil Companies

Ecuador auctions off Amazon to Chinese oil firms

Ecuador Extends to July 16 Deadline for Bids on 11th Oil-Licensing Round

To read more about what you can do to help preserve the Amazon Rainforest, click here.

From the Stacks 

A Remora-sful Smackdown

Friday, 05/17/13

The Remora remora, or common suckerfish, is an odd pelagic marine fish usually found in warmer parts of most oceans. They can be found offshore from San Francisco south to Chile. Their front dorsal fin has evolved into a giant sucker disc that they use to hitch rides on faster swimming sharks, rays, sea turtles, bony fishes and even marine mammals. Once thought to be purely parasitic, the relationship to their “host” is now considered to be symbiotic.

Not eaten themselves, they have been used by fishermen who attach a line to the Remora‘s tail, letting it free to swim. The tethered Remora then attaches it’s sucker disc to a larger fish as they are wont to do. At this point when it is noted that the Remora is accelerating,  the fisherman then reels it back in and captures the larger fish.

(c) Diane T Sands 2013.
carbon dust on illustration board.

(c) California Academy of Sciences.

In 1905, the California Academy of Sciences sent 11 men off for a year and a day on an eighty-five foot schooner destined for the Galapagos Islands. While the expedition was underway, the California Academy of Sciences would fall into ruin during the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The specimens gathered during that expedition would come to form the crux of the new California Academy of Sciences’ collections. Of the young men on that voyage, entomologist Francis Xavier Williams kept field books (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/123606) and made drawings of all of much of the wild life he encountered. This illustration of the Remora remora was one of many fish Williams ran across in his exploration of the islands.

Mora Remora!

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Remora_remora/

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Remora-remora.html

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