Fish with Fanged Tongue – A Discovery in the Census of Marine Life

From National Geographic: “Australia’s ‘terrifying’ dragonfish uses its many fangs—which even stud its tongue—to hook hard-to-find prey in the cold, dark depths, scientists say. The banana-size fish is one of tens of thousands of both known and new species included in a new inventory released today by the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long ocean-exploration project.” What be in the sea?!

Norman Maclean discusses the potential looming Silent Summer

It has been called the “Domesday book of British wildlife” – Silent Summer, compiled by 40 of Britain’s leading scientists, provides a complete picture of the state of the Britain and Ireland’s wildlife. I asked editor Norman Maclean about his favorite animals and finds around the world.

Guest Post: Unearthing the Archaeology of Measurement

By Laura Evans, Marketing and Publicity

Once upon a time, I was an archaeologist. That’s right, I, Laura Evans, once dug up the pre-eruption layers of ancient Pompeii, sifted through soil and muck in coastal Connecticut, and removed cow patties from a site in the Alps where once a Roman legion camped. For someone who loves the outdoors, archaeology is a great career. But in actuality, most archaeologists spend the majority of their time measuring, analyzing, researching, and looking for funds.

Remembering Martin Gardner, Mathematical Magician

“I’m strictly a journalist.”

– Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner had no formal mathematical training. A newspaper reporter, publicist, freelancer for Esquire, caseworker, magician, skeptic, Navy sailor, and most famously, “Mathematical Games” columnist for Scientific American, Gardner displayed a boundless energy and enthusiasm for intellectual inquiry. A tireless advocate for science, his popular books and articles painstakingly argue against the dangers of pseudoscience in all forms.

On Saturday, Gardner passed away at the age of 95 in Norman, OK. TSoTP takes a look back.

Volcano expert Rosaly Lopes explains the Iceland eruption

Rosaly Lopes, an expert in volcanoes on Earth and the planets at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, talks about the eruption of the volcano in Iceland that has flights worldwide grounded.

So, you want to go see the Iceland volcano?

If planes were flying to Iceland right now, would you go and see the eruption up close? Is it dangerous? How close can you actually get to an erupting volcano?