One of the most exciting things in paleontology is being able to definitively establish the interaction of two species from the fossil record. It is thrilling to picture a moment in time, millions of years ago, when two animals were at the same place, at the same time, and be able from fossil evidence to […]
After all the careful preparation in the spring and months of tending to your young garden, the last thing you want is to be overrun by pests before you can enjoy the harvest from your efforts. Whether it is insects, rodents, small animals, deer, or birds, the chances are that you would prefer to keep […]
Jade, a name which is used for both the minerals nephrite and jadeite, is a stone which can be extremely valuable. This stone can vary in hardness from 6 to a 7 on the Mohs scale and can have a wide variety of colors depending on the type of stone and content of foreign minerals […]
This is the latest post in the Dangerous Animals series. Snakes cause some people to have a physical reaction of fear and revulsion, which is too bad as they are fascinating creatures. In many years as an educator about the natural world, I loved to use live snakes as examples. Many species can be safely […]
There is a great deal of confusion about the terms venom, poison, and toxicity, and they are often used in an imprecise manner. However, the subject is great fun, so let’s explore it a bit. First, we should clear up the difference between venom and poison. Venom is a substance that is generally injected, such […]