Corbicula fluminea

DESCRIPTION:  This freshwater bivalve mollusk with distinct concentric rows of 
elevated ridges on the shells.  The shell is rounded to slightly triangular.  The exterior is usually brown in color but can vary to a yellowish-gold.  The nacre, or interior of the shell, is usually white to light purple.  The average adult size is rarely larger than 1.5 inches.   

Reproduction! - Right after reaching maturity these clams produce eggs, followed by sperm. Even later, they produce eggs and sperm simultaneously. They can self-fertilize, and release up to 2,000 juveniles per day, and more than 100,000 in a lifetime. Juveniles are only 1 mm long when discharged, and take one to four years to reach maturity. At this time they are about one centimeter long. Adults can reach a length of about 5 cm.

La Grippe

• The Spanish Flu killed more people worldwide than WWI, with the death toll hitting between 20 and 40 million people.
• More deaths from the flu were recorded from 1918-1919 than there were in the four years that the Bubonic Plague struck Europe. 
• The Spanish Flu hit Macon on October 15, 1918, with 250 new cases reported in the previous 48 hours.  
• A new preventative measure also appeared on the streets of Macon -- "flu masks", which basically were cloth masks with small eye, nose, and mouth holes.
• Camp Gordon ended its military quarantine, which had been in place for several weeks due to the flu epidemic. But the scare was not over -- Maj. Joel B. Mallett, selective service officer for Georgia, instructed all local boards of health to cease physical exams for new military registrants until further notice - - effectively stemming the draft (albeit temporarily). While this was ordered as a preventative measure against the flu, it also was possible because Allied armies were on the brink of defeating Germany at the time.

All Things Are Connected

Ocmulgee National Monument

Macon, GA

Mercer utilizes this national monument for many things.  I have had classes meet here for lab, a group discussion, and have even volunteered at the annual Ocmulgee Indian Celebration for class credit.  The slogan of the monument goes well with Mercer ideals.  "All things are connected."  Mercer attempts to engulf itself in the surrounding communities and create ties through networking.  The symbol of the monument is a bird.  The bird and park slogan are there to remind us of our personal connections to the natural world, which is a very typical idea of an environmentalist.  

Campus Life

Trees

Plants

Animals

Burgess Shale

The Burgess Shale is found in an area of the Canadian Rocky Mountains creatively called the Burgess Pass.  This is in BC's Yoho National Park.  The Burgess shale represents one of the most diverse and well-preserved fossil specimens in the world.  These fossils have been dated back to the Cambrian Period, where life was restricted to the world oceans.  Charles D. Walcott discovered the Burgess Shale in 1909.  Since then, over 60,000 unique fossils have been found.  

Anomalocaris:

RAWRRR.

Wiwaxia:

Hallucigenia:

Opabinia:

Waptia:

Marella:

Hydrologic Cycle

Everything one could ever want to know about the water cycle:

Yeehaw!

Roscoe the Tomato

February 15, 2011
-Until today I was surrounded by others of my kind, but I was taken from them and now I am alone.  It's dark and damp...and it smells funny in here.

February 17, 2011
-Today my keeper tried to drown me.  If you don't hear from me again, she did so successfully.

February 22, 2011
-I am not dead.  Today I sprouted.  I can see light again!

February 25, 2011
-Today I am approximately 4 cms tall.

February 28, 2011
-My stem has fuzz, hello puberty.  My leaves are bigger too.  Here is what I look like today.

This is my friend.  It's keeper and my keeper are roommates.  I don't think my friend is going to be alive very long.

March 7-13

I spent this entire week with my Grandma.  You know how it goes at Grandma's house, we don't tell mom what goes on.  

March 14

My mom is a little concerned about my slow growth, so today she poked holes in my sides and set me in a dish of water so I can self regulate how much water I get!

March 16

I have about 6 leaves now, and I'm getting taller!  Here is what I look like nowwww.  :]

Soils

Twelve Soil Orders!

Native Georgia Soil:

This type of soil is found in Tifton, GA.  It consists of about 11 inches of top soil made of dark grayish brown loamy sand.  This top soil is home to 27% of Georgia's farmland.  

Soil Texture Dichotomous Key

Geology

Igneous Rocks

• crystalline solids which form directly from the cooling of magma
• given names based on composition and texture (how big the crystals are)

Diorite

Felsite

Sedimentary Rock-called secondary rocks because they are the result of the accumulation of small pieces of broken off pre-existing rocks

• clastic: accumulation of small pieces of broken rock
• chemical: result of standing water evaporating, leaving dissolved minerals behind
• organic: accumulation of debris of organic matter

Shale

Sandstone

Metamorphic Rock

• any rock can become a metamorphic rock
• occurs when a rock is moved into an environment (usually buried) with different temperatures and pressures than its previous environment

Slate

Gneiss

Extremophiles

Methanococcus jannaschii

 This microbe lives near hydrothermal vents 2,600 meters below sea level.  Here the water reaches a near-boiling temperature, and the pressures are enough to crush a standard submarine. It was first isolated in the East Pacific Rise, near the western coast of Mexico.  It is a methanogen (methane producer).  These are important to anaerobic environments because they convert organic compounds into methane, which then rises into the aerobic environment.  In doing so, these organisms provide a pathway for compounds that exist in anaerobic environments to be released into the atmosphere, where it acts as a natural gas resource. 

Geocaching

Our geocaching route!

Distance traveled: about 1,626 ft.

Geocaching is considered an outdoor sport, but it is kind of like hide and seek for grown ups.  Geocachers use a GPS to locate hidden containers called geocaches. The containers may have a symbol that the geocachers must reproduce, or a task they must complete and document.  For example, Macon's task is to take a picture with the Jesse Mercer statue here on campus.  

Geocaching is seen as "social walking" to many.  For researchers, this sport is supposedly a good way to have social interaction with other researchers.  

January 26, 2011

Paluma Field Station

The Paluma Field Station is located on the Paluma Ridge in Australia.  The field station accommodates about 20 students. Research focus areas include fresh water and terrestrial animals including birds, reptiles and insects.  Paluma hosts over 120 different species of birds, more than a dozen frog species, and about two dozen lizard species.  Three snake species can also be found here.  

Manu National Park 

Manu National Park is located in Manu, Peru.  The main reason I want to visit Manu National Park is because they have these: 

Cococay, Bahamas 

Cococay is easily my favorite place I have been to so far.  Beaches are great, but you can't see the variety of wildlife in Panama City that you can see here.  There are large fish that burrow in the sand and rock and quickly camouflage themselves as well as iguanas that like to hang around the island.  

Muntjac

Muntjacs, also known as barking deer, are indigenous to South Asia.  They live in rainforests, have no seasonal rut, and can mate at any time of the year.  

Mapping

This chloropleth map shows the best beers in America, according to the number of medals each state was awarded by the Brewer's Association.  The map is broken down by number of medals won, breweries receiving the most medals, and beers receiving the most medals (gold, silver, and bronze).  

A bit less entertaining that the previous map, this dot density map shows the population of the entire world.  Larger dots represent more populated areas than do smaller dots.  Using a true image of the planet creates a good contrast with the bright colored dots used, making this map easy to interpret.  

Luella High School, Locust Grove, GA. 

Waco, TX.  Waco is an interesting city.  I don't have an interest in visiting, but a lot of weird stuff happens here.  I laid a color-coded road map over the image because it is easier to follow than the road maps provided by the program.  Also, this is where David Crowder Band is from.  :]