Photo/LLNL The National Ignition Facility was the scene of a breakthrough in fusion power research
Fusion power takes a giant leap forward
Dec. 13, 2022
Research into clean fusion-based energy passed a significant milestone this month as scientists were able to output fusion power in a laboratory.
For the first time ever, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were able to create more fusion energy than it takes to start the reaction. The experiment took place on Dec.5 but, officials of the lab and the federal Department of Energy announced the results Tuesday.
The announcement has sparked new interest in fusion as a clean alternative to the carbon-based energy that has caused global warming. Energy officials and the administration of President Joe Biden were effusive in their praise.
“Simply put, this is the most impressive scientific feat of the 21st century,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm.
Within the sun and other stars, fusion reactions create enormous light and heat by continually combining hydrogen atoms into helium.
Researchers worldwide have attempted to recreate this process which could be used in power plants. But the results were disappointing, because the experiments consumed more energy than the fusion reactions generated, according to the New York Times.
All that changed when scientists at the National Ignition Facility aimed 192 giant lasers onto a minute hydrogen pellet and pressed the button. The ensuing blast-equal to a pound of TNT-lasted only 100 trillionths of a second, but produced 3 megajoules of energy; 1.5 more than the 2.05 megajoules used to start the ignition. The experiment was a success.
“You see one diagnostic and you think maybe that’s not real and then you start to see more and more diagnostics rolling in,” said Livermore researcher Annie Kritcher, “It’s a great feeling.”
The ignition facility is the size of a small sports stadium. In addition to energy research, the NIF’s powerful lasers are used to recreate the explosive power of America’s nuclear weapons. This allows the energy department to measure the nation’s nuclear deterrent without resorting to underground tests.
Despite the breakthrough, it will take much more research to produce enough fusion energy to replace current global power sources.
“Probably decades,” said Lawrence Livermore Director Kimberly S Budil. “Not six decades, I don’t think. I think not five decades which is what we used to say. I think it’s moving into the foreground and probably with concerted effort and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us into position to build a power plant.”
Research into clean fusion-based energy passed a significant milestone this month as scientists were able to output fusion power in a laboratory.
For the first time ever, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were able to create more fusion energy than it takes to start the reaction. The experiment took place on Dec.5 but, officials of the lab and the federal Department of Energy announced the results Tuesday.
The announcement has sparked new interest in fusion as a clean alternative to the carbon-based energy that has caused global warming. Energy officials and the administration of President Joe Biden were effusive in their praise.
“Simply put, this is the most impressive scientific feat of the 21st century,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm.
Within the sun and other stars, fusion reactions create enormous light and heat by continually combining hydrogen atoms into helium.
Researchers worldwide have attempted to recreate this process which could be used in power plants. But the results were disappointing, because the experiments consumed more energy than the fusion reactions generated, according to the New York Times.
All that changed when scientists at the National Ignition Facility aimed 192 giant lasers onto a minute hydrogen pellet and pressed the button. The ensuing blast-equal to a pound of TNT-lasted only 100 trillionths of a second, but produced 3 megajoules of energy; 1.5 more than the 2.05 megajoules used to start the ignition. The experiment was a success.
“You see one diagnostic and you think maybe that’s not real and then you start to see more and more diagnostics rolling in,” said Livermore researcher Annie Kritcher, “It’s a great feeling.”
The ignition facility is the size of a small sports stadium. In addition to energy research, the NIF’s powerful lasers are used to recreate the explosive power of America’s nuclear weapons. This allows the energy department to measure the nation’s nuclear deterrent without resorting to underground tests.
Despite the breakthrough, it will take much more research to produce enough fusion energy to replace current global power sources.
“Probably decades,” said Lawrence Livermore Director Kimberly S Budil. “Not six decades, I don’t think. I think not five decades which is what we used to say. I think it’s moving into the foreground and probably with concerted effort and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us into position to build a power plant.”
Nov. 4, 2022
Voters should back Oakland Zoo tax proposal
Oakland voters on Tuesday will decide just how much they value the city’s zoo. And whether they would be willing to pay a small annual tax to ensure a bright future for the institution and its animal inhabitants.
Measure Y on the city’s ballot would levy a $68 annual fee on all Oakland taxable parcels, including residential and commercial buildings. The 20-year tax would raise $12 million a year which would finance a long-term plan to keep the zoo in top shape and admit more low-income visitors.
Now in its 100th year, the zoo has seen plenty of changes. Once decried as substandard, the buildings and exhibits underwent a rebirth over the last two decades, as part of an overall drive to improve conditions in the facility located in Oakland’s Knowland Park. The improvements were the legacy of now retired zoo director Dr. Joel Parrott.
Today the zoo is home to 850 animals, including bison, wolves and California condors. These new additions are displayed in an impressive California Trail section that opened in 2018.
Injured wild animals are cared for in a state-of-the-art veterinary center. The vet staff has treated mountain lions burned in the state’s fires, rescued tigers held in backyard zoos and even helped herons found in the city’s downtown.
But running a modern zoo can be expensive and Oakland’s operating costs exceed $2 million per month. Income from admissions disappeared during the early days of the pandemic, when potential visitors stayed at home under orders from health officials.
Now that restrictions have been lifted, attendance is rebounding, said Zoo Chief Executive Officer Nik Dehejia. Measure Y funds will partly insure that the zoo can have adequate income to weather another unexpected financial emergency, he added.
“This is about building resiliency for the future,” he said. “We can no longer sit by with three months of cash on hand because we never want to be in a position like the pandemic created for us.”
But the tax is more than just a ready source of cash. Dehejia sees it as the financial engine that will power the zoo’s future plans for programs, capital improvements and accessibility for low-income residents.
“There are people in Oakland who have never been to the zoo, “Dehejia said. “They deserve the right to come to the zoo. If they can’t afford it, this measure will give them the opportunity to do that.”
Admission is now $20 for kids and seniors up to age 75 and $24 per person for visitors 15 to 64 years of age. Those over 75 are admitted free.
Under Measure Y, more than 100,000 free admissions will be distributed. Other Oakland residents will get 25 percent off the regular ticket price.
Funds will also be used for needed capital projects including replacing aged water and sewage systems, remodeling facilities for handicapped accessibility and fire prevention on a portion of the property that lies within the Oakland hills fire zone.
Most of the nation’s better known zoos are built on a public-private partnership. Oakland gets only $171,000 from the city’s general fund. By comparison, the Fresno Zoo receives $15 million from the community, the San Francisco Zoo gets $4 million in public funds and the renowned San Diego Zoo can count on $20 million in annual municipal revenue.
Critics insist that private sources should be used to pay for zoo operations. After all, they say, big projects like the California Trail prove that the money is out there.
But while funds for special projects can be raised, it’s tougher to develop a source of ongoing operational funds.
“We can try to receive one time funding to build a facility, but to run an institution that cost more than $2 million a month to run, we need reliable long-term funding to build these programs, not just facilities,” Dehejia said.
Let’s face it. Sixty-eight dollars annually is a small price to pay for a zoo that is so well regarded it’s approved by the animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And they don’t give that kind of endorsement easily.
The zoo is a source of pride for this community that has lost two of its three professional sports teams and gets regularly denounced in the media for its variety of big-city ills.
Oaklanders, Vote Yes on Measure Y. It’s worth it in so many ways.
Measure Y on the city’s ballot would levy a $68 annual fee on all Oakland taxable parcels, including residential and commercial buildings. The 20-year tax would raise $12 million a year which would finance a long-term plan to keep the zoo in top shape and admit more low-income visitors.
Now in its 100th year, the zoo has seen plenty of changes. Once decried as substandard, the buildings and exhibits underwent a rebirth over the last two decades, as part of an overall drive to improve conditions in the facility located in Oakland’s Knowland Park. The improvements were the legacy of now retired zoo director Dr. Joel Parrott.
Today the zoo is home to 850 animals, including bison, wolves and California condors. These new additions are displayed in an impressive California Trail section that opened in 2018.
Injured wild animals are cared for in a state-of-the-art veterinary center. The vet staff has treated mountain lions burned in the state’s fires, rescued tigers held in backyard zoos and even helped herons found in the city’s downtown.
But running a modern zoo can be expensive and Oakland’s operating costs exceed $2 million per month. Income from admissions disappeared during the early days of the pandemic, when potential visitors stayed at home under orders from health officials.
Now that restrictions have been lifted, attendance is rebounding, said Zoo Chief Executive Officer Nik Dehejia. Measure Y funds will partly insure that the zoo can have adequate income to weather another unexpected financial emergency, he added.
“This is about building resiliency for the future,” he said. “We can no longer sit by with three months of cash on hand because we never want to be in a position like the pandemic created for us.”
But the tax is more than just a ready source of cash. Dehejia sees it as the financial engine that will power the zoo’s future plans for programs, capital improvements and accessibility for low-income residents.
“There are people in Oakland who have never been to the zoo, “Dehejia said. “They deserve the right to come to the zoo. If they can’t afford it, this measure will give them the opportunity to do that.”
Admission is now $20 for kids and seniors up to age 75 and $24 per person for visitors 15 to 64 years of age. Those over 75 are admitted free.
Under Measure Y, more than 100,000 free admissions will be distributed. Other Oakland residents will get 25 percent off the regular ticket price.
Funds will also be used for needed capital projects including replacing aged water and sewage systems, remodeling facilities for handicapped accessibility and fire prevention on a portion of the property that lies within the Oakland hills fire zone.
Most of the nation’s better known zoos are built on a public-private partnership. Oakland gets only $171,000 from the city’s general fund. By comparison, the Fresno Zoo receives $15 million from the community, the San Francisco Zoo gets $4 million in public funds and the renowned San Diego Zoo can count on $20 million in annual municipal revenue.
Critics insist that private sources should be used to pay for zoo operations. After all, they say, big projects like the California Trail prove that the money is out there.
But while funds for special projects can be raised, it’s tougher to develop a source of ongoing operational funds.
“We can try to receive one time funding to build a facility, but to run an institution that cost more than $2 million a month to run, we need reliable long-term funding to build these programs, not just facilities,” Dehejia said.
Let’s face it. Sixty-eight dollars annually is a small price to pay for a zoo that is so well regarded it’s approved by the animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And they don’t give that kind of endorsement easily.
The zoo is a source of pride for this community that has lost two of its three professional sports teams and gets regularly denounced in the media for its variety of big-city ills.
Oaklanders, Vote Yes on Measure Y. It’s worth it in so many ways.
Jane Goodall inspires environmentally-conscious students
Dave Boitano/photo Jane Goodall speaks to students at the Oakland Zoo
Oct.6, 2022
There was an atmosphere of anticipation at the Oakland Zoo as an invited crowd of students waited to see a living legend.
Moments later, the students and zoo staff, above the zoo’s large open meadow, burst into applause.
Shouts of “We love you Jane,” erupted as Jane Goodall arrived at the tented venue in a golf cart driven by zoo Chief Executive Officer Nik Dehejia.
In introducing Goodall, Dehejia lauded her legendary work and status as a “true global icon.”
Goodall accepted the praise with a sense of humility, telling the students “the one standing before you is just plain Jane.”
At almost 86 years old, Goodall is a seminal figure in the world of animal behavior, global conservation and environmental activism.
Her soft-spoken narration and familiar pony tail make her instantly recognizable to anyone who has watched National Geographic documentaries with titles like “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees.” Though she has since become famous, in many ways Goodall is still that young woman in khaki that went to Africa in 1960 to study animals.
She came to the zoo on behalf of “Roots and Shoots,” a global program designed to get youth involved in saving the planet through individual projects no matter how small. Oakland Zoo is part of the Root and Shoots program, and many of the assembled students, from a variety of Bay Area schools are taking part.
Goodall spent her childhood in England reading books about animals and enjoying the company of a neighboring dog, Rusty. Her mother encouraged Goodall’s interest in animals and later accompanied her to Africa.
Working as a waitress in Great Britain, Goodall saved up enough money for an African trip, arriving in Kenya in 1957. She only had enough money for six months but met the well-known anthropologist Louis Leakey who helped raise funds through National Geographic to extend Goodall’s work.
By 1960, Goodall was a primatologist studying a troop of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. The animals were shy at first, but one chimp, whom she later named “David Graybeard,” approached her and the others soon followed suit. Her studies of the chimps would yield numerous insights about the animals, their behavior and survival.
By watching Greybeard one day use blades of grass to pick up termites to eat, Goodall made a major discovery: that animals were capable of using tools.
After receiving her doctorate, Goodall later returned to Gombe and opened up a research station.
She was clearly in her element.
“Those were the best days of my life,” she said. “I could spend hours in the rainforest. I got to know the plants and animals that make up the forest ecosystem.”
Her method of giving human names to the animals and focusing on their personalities did not sit well with the august male-dominated world of British primatology.
“I could not talk about their minds, I could not talk about their emotions. I was told that I could not show empathy to the chimpanzees I was studying. Scientists must be coldly objective.”
But Goodall persevered.
“I stood up for my beliefs,” she said. “I didn’t argue with the professors. I just kept on writing about things the way they were.”
While chimpanzees were capable of kindness, Goodall discovered that they had a dark side as well. Chimps can be aggressive at times and even go to war against other groups, like their human counterparts.
By 1986, as the population of chimpanzees was declining, Goodall widened her activities to focus on conservation and aiding humanity. Impoverished Africans were hunting animals for “bush meat, “while clearing rainforests to plant crops and make charcoal for cooking.
Losing rainforest land and the animals that inhabit it can have long-term consequences, Goodall said.
“To me it’s like a tapestry,” she said. “Every time a species disappears from the environment, it’s like pulling a thread from that tapestry. If enough threads are pulled from that ecosystem, it will collapse.”
She started a program to help alleviate poverty, while teaching locals that the environment was just as important to them as to outsiders. The emphasis was on letting people who live near the rainforests make decisions on land use without outside interference.
“The program is still led by local communities and they are not dictated to by a bunch of arrogant white people,” she said.
“Roots and Shoots” began in 1991 when Goodall became aware that young people were angry about the degrading of the environment, but felt helpless to improve the situation. The program is now in 63 countries and involves volunteers from preschoolers age to college students.
The name exemplifies the empowerment students can achieve by not giving up. It’s similar to the struggle a simple seed endures to overcome obstacles and eventually become a tall tree.
“There is a life force, a power in that seed,” she said. “Those little roots can work their way through rocks and gently push them aside and that little shoot on its way to the sun can work its way through a brick wall and eventually knock it down.”
Animal rights activists have criticized zoos for keeping animals locked up and away from their natural environments.
But Goodall disagrees.
“I have been to places where any animal living in the wild is living a life of fear and terror,” she said, “Where they are cutting down the trees and where there are hunters with their bullets. So a good zoo like this is a much better place for animals to live.”
“You are all very lucky to be within travelling distance of a zoo that is as good as this one,” she told the students.
There was an atmosphere of anticipation at the Oakland Zoo as an invited crowd of students waited to see a living legend.
Moments later, the students and zoo staff, above the zoo’s large open meadow, burst into applause.
Shouts of “We love you Jane,” erupted as Jane Goodall arrived at the tented venue in a golf cart driven by zoo Chief Executive Officer Nik Dehejia.
In introducing Goodall, Dehejia lauded her legendary work and status as a “true global icon.”
Goodall accepted the praise with a sense of humility, telling the students “the one standing before you is just plain Jane.”
At almost 86 years old, Goodall is a seminal figure in the world of animal behavior, global conservation and environmental activism.
Her soft-spoken narration and familiar pony tail make her instantly recognizable to anyone who has watched National Geographic documentaries with titles like “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees.” Though she has since become famous, in many ways Goodall is still that young woman in khaki that went to Africa in 1960 to study animals.
She came to the zoo on behalf of “Roots and Shoots,” a global program designed to get youth involved in saving the planet through individual projects no matter how small. Oakland Zoo is part of the Root and Shoots program, and many of the assembled students, from a variety of Bay Area schools are taking part.
Goodall spent her childhood in England reading books about animals and enjoying the company of a neighboring dog, Rusty. Her mother encouraged Goodall’s interest in animals and later accompanied her to Africa.
Working as a waitress in Great Britain, Goodall saved up enough money for an African trip, arriving in Kenya in 1957. She only had enough money for six months but met the well-known anthropologist Louis Leakey who helped raise funds through National Geographic to extend Goodall’s work.
By 1960, Goodall was a primatologist studying a troop of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. The animals were shy at first, but one chimp, whom she later named “David Graybeard,” approached her and the others soon followed suit. Her studies of the chimps would yield numerous insights about the animals, their behavior and survival.
By watching Greybeard one day use blades of grass to pick up termites to eat, Goodall made a major discovery: that animals were capable of using tools.
After receiving her doctorate, Goodall later returned to Gombe and opened up a research station.
She was clearly in her element.
“Those were the best days of my life,” she said. “I could spend hours in the rainforest. I got to know the plants and animals that make up the forest ecosystem.”
Her method of giving human names to the animals and focusing on their personalities did not sit well with the august male-dominated world of British primatology.
“I could not talk about their minds, I could not talk about their emotions. I was told that I could not show empathy to the chimpanzees I was studying. Scientists must be coldly objective.”
But Goodall persevered.
“I stood up for my beliefs,” she said. “I didn’t argue with the professors. I just kept on writing about things the way they were.”
While chimpanzees were capable of kindness, Goodall discovered that they had a dark side as well. Chimps can be aggressive at times and even go to war against other groups, like their human counterparts.
By 1986, as the population of chimpanzees was declining, Goodall widened her activities to focus on conservation and aiding humanity. Impoverished Africans were hunting animals for “bush meat, “while clearing rainforests to plant crops and make charcoal for cooking.
Losing rainforest land and the animals that inhabit it can have long-term consequences, Goodall said.
“To me it’s like a tapestry,” she said. “Every time a species disappears from the environment, it’s like pulling a thread from that tapestry. If enough threads are pulled from that ecosystem, it will collapse.”
She started a program to help alleviate poverty, while teaching locals that the environment was just as important to them as to outsiders. The emphasis was on letting people who live near the rainforests make decisions on land use without outside interference.
“The program is still led by local communities and they are not dictated to by a bunch of arrogant white people,” she said.
“Roots and Shoots” began in 1991 when Goodall became aware that young people were angry about the degrading of the environment, but felt helpless to improve the situation. The program is now in 63 countries and involves volunteers from preschoolers age to college students.
The name exemplifies the empowerment students can achieve by not giving up. It’s similar to the struggle a simple seed endures to overcome obstacles and eventually become a tall tree.
“There is a life force, a power in that seed,” she said. “Those little roots can work their way through rocks and gently push them aside and that little shoot on its way to the sun can work its way through a brick wall and eventually knock it down.”
Animal rights activists have criticized zoos for keeping animals locked up and away from their natural environments.
But Goodall disagrees.
“I have been to places where any animal living in the wild is living a life of fear and terror,” she said, “Where they are cutting down the trees and where there are hunters with their bullets. So a good zoo like this is a much better place for animals to live.”
“You are all very lucky to be within travelling distance of a zoo that is as good as this one,” she told the students.
Dinosaurs live again in Attenborough production
David Attenborough is known for narrating documentaries featuring a wide variety of the earth’s animals. He is used to describing living creatures, but his latest natural history venture features beasts that died millions of years ago.
Not that it matters. Viewers of “Prehistoric Planet” will be just as moved by the plight of a baby T-Rex as that cute penguin that gets devoured by a leopard seal in one of Attenborough’s typical ventures.
Now being streamed on Apple+, “Prehistoric Planet’ is the latest offering by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Natural History Unit.
Known for other popular documentaries like The “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth,“ the division produces 100 hours of wildlife film and 50 hours of radio shows per year, for distribution on BBC’s domestic channels and private cable networks.
Breathtaking photography and film crews that are willing to spend time in often dangerous places, populated by wild animals, is a hallmark of the unit. Add Attenborough’s mixture of scientific narration mixed with enthusiastic anthropomorphism and you have a formula that has made BBC animal shows a worldwide runaway sensation.
Applying that method to beasts we mostly know only as browning skeletons in a natural history display is a major challenge.
But thanks to the latest computer-enhanced graphics, these Cretaceous Period animals move smoothly through their environment, mimicking the traits of today’s mammals and marine creatures.
The show’s producers claim the dino images and behavior are based on the latest paleontological evidence. In reality, some of the scenes must be conjecture given that none of today’s researchers were around eons ago to observe these creatures first hand.
But that doesn’t get in the way of a good story, whether it’s a male T-Rex swimming to a distant island along with his brood of baby tyrannosaurs or a pair of enormous sauropods locked in a fatal fight.
Spoiler alert: the older male gets knocked to the ground and killed, only to become a carcass capable of feeding other prehistoric predators. Life was tough 60 million years ago.
And then there’s Attenborough himself. His presence alone is enough to convince us that everything we are seeing is true; no mean accomplishment in an era when science itself is being doubted.
A British friend once described Attenborough as a national treasure and this latest production bears that out.
As with other history unit presentations, “Prehistoric Planet’s production values help sell the series. The show’s moody soundtrack was created by a team that included Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and the executive producers include Jon Favreau who created Disney’s popular sci-fi show, “The Mandalorian.”
Along with the five-episode series, viewers can learn more about the latest dinosaur research on the show’s website and even buy fossils on the site’s store.
Sure, there are plenty of show about the land before time, but “Prehistoric Planet” has enough going for it that it’s worth $4.99 for a subscription to Apple+ just to watch it.
For more on the show, visit the “Prehistoric Planet” website. Apple+ subscription terms and information on the site’s other streaming shows can be found here.
Not that it matters. Viewers of “Prehistoric Planet” will be just as moved by the plight of a baby T-Rex as that cute penguin that gets devoured by a leopard seal in one of Attenborough’s typical ventures.
Now being streamed on Apple+, “Prehistoric Planet’ is the latest offering by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Natural History Unit.
Known for other popular documentaries like The “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth,“ the division produces 100 hours of wildlife film and 50 hours of radio shows per year, for distribution on BBC’s domestic channels and private cable networks.
Breathtaking photography and film crews that are willing to spend time in often dangerous places, populated by wild animals, is a hallmark of the unit. Add Attenborough’s mixture of scientific narration mixed with enthusiastic anthropomorphism and you have a formula that has made BBC animal shows a worldwide runaway sensation.
Applying that method to beasts we mostly know only as browning skeletons in a natural history display is a major challenge.
But thanks to the latest computer-enhanced graphics, these Cretaceous Period animals move smoothly through their environment, mimicking the traits of today’s mammals and marine creatures.
The show’s producers claim the dino images and behavior are based on the latest paleontological evidence. In reality, some of the scenes must be conjecture given that none of today’s researchers were around eons ago to observe these creatures first hand.
But that doesn’t get in the way of a good story, whether it’s a male T-Rex swimming to a distant island along with his brood of baby tyrannosaurs or a pair of enormous sauropods locked in a fatal fight.
Spoiler alert: the older male gets knocked to the ground and killed, only to become a carcass capable of feeding other prehistoric predators. Life was tough 60 million years ago.
And then there’s Attenborough himself. His presence alone is enough to convince us that everything we are seeing is true; no mean accomplishment in an era when science itself is being doubted.
A British friend once described Attenborough as a national treasure and this latest production bears that out.
As with other history unit presentations, “Prehistoric Planet’s production values help sell the series. The show’s moody soundtrack was created by a team that included Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and the executive producers include Jon Favreau who created Disney’s popular sci-fi show, “The Mandalorian.”
Along with the five-episode series, viewers can learn more about the latest dinosaur research on the show’s website and even buy fossils on the site’s store.
Sure, there are plenty of show about the land before time, but “Prehistoric Planet” has enough going for it that it’s worth $4.99 for a subscription to Apple+ just to watch it.
For more on the show, visit the “Prehistoric Planet” website. Apple+ subscription terms and information on the site’s other streaming shows can be found here.
"Bugs" is a surreal trip into the insect world
Most of us think of insects as pests. They sting, crawl all over your picnic lunch and buzz around the room, generally irritating everyone until hunted down with a flyswatter.
But “Bugs” a new exhibit at the California Academy Sciences, may make visitors think of insects in a whole new way. And at the very least, they aren’t likely to forget the experience.
Unlike “Hidden Wonders,” which relies on static displays to inform viewers about the academy’s vast collection of scientific specimens, “Bugs” is anything but tame.
Created by the TE Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, the exhibit is a multi-media, eye popping journey though the arthropod kingdom that makes Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole look tame by comparison.
Multi-colored steampunk-style displays play videos of flying insects. Walk into an enclosed chamber and you are confronted by a larger-than-life orchid mantis perched menacingly before killing her hapless victim.
In another chamber, dreamy new age music plays as a giant egg-shaped sphere opens, revealing 3-D dragonfly models performing a flickering dance created by a Zoetrope machine.
And there’s plenty of hands on activities, like helping honeybees heat up to kill a marauding Japanese hornet invading a hive or testing your reflexes to see if you can match the speed at which a mantis strikes the death blow.
It’s an overwhelming and somewhat surreal experience. Along the way, visitors learn how silk is created, how insects swarm and the significance of a certain kind of moth to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
While the exhibit is unusual and engaging, the high level of showmanship may distract from the valuable insect information it tries to impart.
Etymologist Lauren Esposito studies scorpions and spiders. Insects have a complex world all their own in which they interact with each other and their prey.
While it is normal to be a bit irritated by insects, exhibits like “Bugs” help visitors develop an appreciation for the world of flying, buzzing, crawling and stinging creatures, she said.
“They are not scary anymore. They are not pests anymore. Instead they are something to be wondered at and appreciated because of the unique adaptations they have developed over the years and the challenges they have faced living on earth.”
“Bugs” runs from May 27 to Jan. 22, 2023 on the museum’s second floor.
The museum’s hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibits, programs and shows are free after general admission fee. For ticket prices and more information, visit calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000
But “Bugs” a new exhibit at the California Academy Sciences, may make visitors think of insects in a whole new way. And at the very least, they aren’t likely to forget the experience.
Unlike “Hidden Wonders,” which relies on static displays to inform viewers about the academy’s vast collection of scientific specimens, “Bugs” is anything but tame.
Created by the TE Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, the exhibit is a multi-media, eye popping journey though the arthropod kingdom that makes Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole look tame by comparison.
Multi-colored steampunk-style displays play videos of flying insects. Walk into an enclosed chamber and you are confronted by a larger-than-life orchid mantis perched menacingly before killing her hapless victim.
In another chamber, dreamy new age music plays as a giant egg-shaped sphere opens, revealing 3-D dragonfly models performing a flickering dance created by a Zoetrope machine.
And there’s plenty of hands on activities, like helping honeybees heat up to kill a marauding Japanese hornet invading a hive or testing your reflexes to see if you can match the speed at which a mantis strikes the death blow.
It’s an overwhelming and somewhat surreal experience. Along the way, visitors learn how silk is created, how insects swarm and the significance of a certain kind of moth to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
While the exhibit is unusual and engaging, the high level of showmanship may distract from the valuable insect information it tries to impart.
Etymologist Lauren Esposito studies scorpions and spiders. Insects have a complex world all their own in which they interact with each other and their prey.
While it is normal to be a bit irritated by insects, exhibits like “Bugs” help visitors develop an appreciation for the world of flying, buzzing, crawling and stinging creatures, she said.
“They are not scary anymore. They are not pests anymore. Instead they are something to be wondered at and appreciated because of the unique adaptations they have developed over the years and the challenges they have faced living on earth.”
“Bugs” runs from May 27 to Jan. 22, 2023 on the museum’s second floor.
The museum’s hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibits, programs and shows are free after general admission fee. For ticket prices and more information, visit calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000
Venom is scary but holds promise for medical treatment
An exhibit now showing at the California Academy of Sciences explores a substance most of us would rather avoid: venom.
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
