Top 10 New Species of 2012 - including the popular Walking Leg Sausage

Every year, Arizona State University's International Station for Species Exploration makes a list of the 10 most interesting new species found that year. This year, we've got some interesting ones:

1. A yellow poppy (Meconopsis autumnalis) that grows at elevations between 10,827ft and 13,780ft in the Himalayan mountains (photo above)
2. The first ever discovered Night-blooming Orchid (Bulbophyllum nocturnum) from Papua New Guinea
3. A mushroom which smells fruity and looks like a sponge which scientists aptly named Spongebob Squarepants Mushroom (Spongiforma squarepantsii). Haha, WHAT? The name which was originally rejected by taxonomists, but was reluctantly accepted because it attracted attention and awareness to this new species) from Malaysia
4. A snubnosed monkey from Myanmar called the Sneezing Monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) because it sneezes when it rains - how cute!
5. The Bonaire Banded Box Jelly (Tamoya ohboya) found in the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, was named this way because a high school biology teacher imagined that "Oh Boy!!" must be the first reaction to it and it's venomous sting. (read more to see the picture)

Stuffing Muffins

I made this recipe for Pancetta Sage Stuffing Muffins from A Cozy Kitchen last night with the leftovers in the fridge (celery, bread, and onions). I modified it a bit, because of course I didn't have sage or pancetta (which could easily be replaced with BACON!). Instead, I used some fresh thyme and rosemary from my surprisingly successful herb garden. Stuffing is one of my favorite comfort foods (it always reminds me of Thanksgiving with my adopted Grandma and Grandpa in the US), but in miniature form. They were a big hit!

7-Minute Workout (proven by SCIENCE) - A pipe dream come true!

An illustration from the New York Times based on the recommended exercises

Yup, that's it! A new study published in the Health and Fitness Journal of the American College of Sports says that this workout circuit is equivalent to going for a long run and going to the weight room all at once. Crazy!! I was always told that you must alternate days of aerobic training (e.g. running, biking, swimming) with days of resistance training (e.g. weight training, resistance bands). The above shown exercises have been chosen and must be completed in this order to maximize the results. They were chosen specifically to alternate between opposing muscle groups (upper body vs. lower body) in order to allow a brief resting period for the muscle groups. Each exercise should be repeated 15-20 times (or for approximately 30 seconds). Any more than that and you will probably be executing the exercise with less intensity and a lower heart rate and therefore reducing the effectiveness. Also, you should rest for no longer than 15 seconds between exercises to maintain that intensity and heart rate. The whole circuit can be completed in only 7 minutes!! Smart and great for lazy exercisers like me!

European Environmental Agency

Recently, I was searching for a comparison of the number of plant species in the UK vs. Switzerland vs. Florida. Yes, nerdy, I know. But as a botanist, this is important information. Not only is it important to understand the biodiversity of your region (these are the main regions where I have studied botany), but it helps to know just how many species you must learn to have a good grasp of the local vegetation.

While searching for this information I happened upon the EEA. Read more to find out what the EEA is.

Cut Off, Cold Turkey

I've been cut off. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about a steady stream of allowance from my parents or a trust fund. No, I'm talking about access to scientific journals. Students typically have access to peer-reviewed scientific journals through their universities (and great resources such as the Web of Knowledge and ScienceDirect). These are the basis of our academic lives. It is where we hope that one day our studies and hard work will be published. To show the world what we've been specializing in and also to have a record of our research to share with the global scientific community. Or at least theoretically. But scientific journal access is EXPENSIVE!!

Nature and Science are the two highest rated multidisciplinary scientific journals in the world by impact factor ratings (Thomson Reuters) and SJR ranking (SCImago Journal & Country Rank). If you want to get access to the full articles published in such journals, you need to buy individual articles for about $30 a pop OR be a student with access rights. Students receive access to scholarly journals because part of their tuition fees pay the very very costly price of institutional subscriptions. This article also moans about these high prices which can be over $20,000 per year PER journal. Can you imagine? Now that I have my masters degree, I am no longer paying tuition and I've been given a swift kick in the butt on the way out the door to the real world again. During my quick departure, they ripped off the band-aid of academia and left me without access to my coveted journals. As a certified scientist, I feel naked without my journals. How am I supposed to continue without them? Do they assume that since I am going into industry and not staying in academia that I am no longer an academic? How does scientific knowledge even reach the public if it is locked in the high towers of university access?

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

Happy Earth Day!! It's April 22, and since 1970, this has been celebrated as Earth Day across the US and now much of the globe. Look at these great pictures of the first Earth Day in 1970 from National Geographic.

What did you do to celebrate it? Oh, what the heck, let's just give up on Earth Day and try to do things year round. Add good, healthy habits to our daily lives. Make decisions consciously which may influence the environment around us. Take our surroundings into consideration.

First, let's look at what the environment provides us. In recent years there has been an expanding study and valuation of the environment. Imagine being able to quantify the beauty and utility of rain and put a dollar (or British pound) value onto it. These valuations are made on environmental goods and services which benefit humans which we now call "ecosystem services" (a phrase popularized by the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, a report released by the United Nations in 2005).

This graphic from the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment nicely sums up the idea of ecosystem services (on the left) and the benefits these services provide to humans (on the right) and the importance of the linkages between these (arrows).

This year am improving our currently bare backyard from a bit of decking and open space to a lush little backyard. I am planting herbs so far, and soon I will be adding some vegetables and native flowers to the terrace area. Not only is this providing food ecosystem services, but this small act also supports an astonishing variety of ecosystem services:

1. pollination service - I hope my flowers will attract bees, insects and perhaps some bat pollinators if I can find some good large white flowering plants
2. aesthetic services - yes, prettiness is an important cultural ecosystem service
3. stormwater regulation - rather than allowing rainwater to runoff the terrace, the rainwater will soak into my plant pots, be filtered by the plants and the soil, and will increase evaporation of rainwater from the surface

I'm dreaming of something like this:

Click on this picture for more ideas from Apartment Therapy

What will you do this day/year to improve or maintain ecosystem services provided by the environment around you?

Happy Earth Day to everyone!

Join the Fight Against the Keystone Pipeline

If you have a moment, come join me in signing a petition against the Keystone XL Pipeline. Friends of the Earth are asking people to sign this petition against a proposal by TransCanada Corp to create a 2,151 mile long pipeline from Canada to the southern United States (Texas and the Gulf Coast states). Although some portions of the pipeline are already under construction, the fourth phase, which is currently proposed would extend over 1,000 miles from Canada to Nebraska. This a major travesty against the environmental issues we are currently facing, including climate change, contamination of water aquifers and a major impact on Canadian tar sands. And even if we close our eyes to these environmental offenses, apparently, TransCanada Corp has been using eminent domain laws to seize US lands through which this pipeline will go. That's including a number of farmers and ranchers who have worked hard to grow food for our nation and their land is now being seized for the use of a private, foreign corporation, despite the fact that eminent domain is meant to be used only for public uses. If you want more information, come read this nicely composed synopsis of the process and issues.

So, please sign this online petition. It's very easy, just go to the Friends of the Earth website, enter your name and email address and this letter will be sent to President Obama and Secretary Kerry:

Dear President Obama and Secretary Kerry,

I am writing to urge you to reject the Keystone XL pipeline once and for all. This dirty, dangerous pipeline remains one of the largest threats to our climate. If it is completed, it will enable the oil industry to exploit the Alberta tar sands, which contain enough carbon to radically alter our climate. The pipeline would also threaten Midwestern communities' fragile aquifers and increase air pollution from refineries on the Gulf Coast. The fact that the State Department’s recent draft environmental review of the pipeline was based on work done by Big Oil’s contractors only confirms that this pipeline is being built to benefit the oil industry.

You have both spoken passionately about the need to reduce U.S. carbon emissions. If you approve Keystone, your eloquent words will ring hollow and only feed peoples’ cynicism about how Washington works. For the sake of generations to come, please reject the Keystone pipeline once and for all. Actions speak louder than words.

Sincerely,

Kristina

Unfurling

 

The buds are unfurling, Spring has arrived!! I took a nice long walk through Battersea Park along the Thames River in London yesterday and it was glorious to see all the signs of life amid the muddy puddles and brown leaves of winter.

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

A Judas Ear fungus (Auricularia Auricula-judae), which despite it's gelatinous texture is actually edible and quite popular in dishes in China. Boy do I like eating crazy things outdoors, and I wouldn't mind taking a nibble, but this is not a texture I want to eat regularly.

This is a holly (leaf on the left, bud on the right), but not the type of prickly common holly I usually imagine (Ilex aquifolium). This is a Highclere Holly (Ilex altaclerensis), which has either no spines on its leaves or just a few forward pointed spines. Like a common holly, the leaves are thick, but they are relatively flat and remind me a bit of waxy tropical leaves.

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum), smells amazing when it's growing in the forest! I remember the first time I smelled a field of wild garlic growing beneath the beech trees in a Swiss forest and was just carried away with the amazing smell that reminded me of dinner. It's edible too!!

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

The elderberry has sprouted too. My Mom and Dad used to make the most amazing elderflower champagne (lightly fermented) in the springtime. I will never forget the sweet flavors in those reused Grolsch swingtop bottles that we waited weeks to taste.

Blackthorn blossoms

And the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is in bloom. This gorgeous tree blooms beautiful cherry blossoms on a bare tree. Even before the leaves have sprouted, these flowers pop open and welcome springtime! It looks like snowflakes hanging on a tree, so wonderful! It's dark fruits can be harvested after the first frost and used to flavor liquors. These are most often called Sloe Gin (after the berries which are referred to as sloe). I would absolutely looove to make Sloe Gin someday, it sounds just lovely. Come see the recipe here.

Blackthorn blossoms and the first leaf buds popping

Blackthorn tree. See all the white snowflake-like blooms?

Oak buds (Quercus sp.)

And let's not forget, spring is also mating season. The birds are wide awake and beginning to pair, squawk, grow fancy plummage, and court their potential mates. This Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) was friskily checking out the dock.

While these Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) have already decided on each other and are happily waiting for bathing season.

This Magpie (whose scientific name is aptly Pica pica) picks and dances it's way along the puddles in the park looking for worms.

 And a few other flowers and sights along the way:

Gorse (Ulex europaeus)

Welcome Spring!!

Hail the Red London Buses

I hailed my first bus today! Yes, oddly, in London, the buses do not automatically stop for you, but rather, you must stick an arm out to let them know that you are at the bus stop for that specific bus. It's quite intimidating and certainly feels like an honor when this massive, double-decker red bus stops just for you! I thanked the driver, who nodded in approval of my matching long red coat and swiped my Oyster card. Triumphant!

Turns out, the iconic red 2-level London buses have recently received a green upgrade. The environmentally conscientious buses, introduced as early as 2006, operate on 38 routes across London. These are diesel-electric hybrid buses which utilize regenerative braking, like a Toyota Prius does. They use less fuel, produce less pollutants and greenhouse gases, and they are quieter than the older buses. The Mayor of London has promised to roll out 600 new buses for London (TBfL) by April 2013 (NOW!) which will be even more improved and will look a bit sleeker. I'm not sure if I have been on one yet. And to take it one step further, by 2015, buses will be retro-fitted with NOx (Nitric oxide and Nitric dioxide) reducing technology. They are really ontop of this!

And they should be. There are an astounding 19,500 bus stops and stations across London which have the capability of serving up to 90% of the city population. Impressive!

Recycling in a new town

So as some of you know, I have recently moved to London where I am slowly but surely settling in and making myself at home. It's fantastic so far! I am really enjoying it and I already feel like I fit in here better than I ever did in Zurich. I hope this feeling continues!

As always, along with the administration and paperwork and all the other little details of change that accompany a move, I am learning to navigate the London recycling system, called Recycle for London. Their website is impressive to say the least. They give you ideas for the original 3 Rs of recycling (which are so drilled into my head since grade school that I haven't consciously considered them in years):

1. Reduce

• reduce your food waste because it can be used for compost instead and creates methane gas in the landfill
• buy less! (wow, this is a novel idea for a market economy)

 2. Reuse

• reselling or gifting used furniture, clothes, and other goods
• selling things at a "car boot sale" (now, I had to google this because I didn't think it sounded legal...apparently it looks something like this and it's like a big flea market but with car trunks instead of stand. Erik, we're doing this when you come to visit! And here's a list of them in London)

3. Recycle

I am super excited about the London recycling system. Not only can I recycle all kinds of things including some I never could in other towns (MD, Tampa or Zurich) like detergent and shampoo bottles and drink cartons, BUT I can also just throw everything in the same bag and then into the big recycling container for the building! Once recycling becomes this easy to do, there's definitely no excuse to slack on it! I like it already!