From Budding Scientist Blog at Scientific American:

Imagine walking through a science museum and, among the usual displays of dinosaur bones, butterflies, and amphibians you come upon a series of windows into state-of-the-art research labs. Inside, scientists from nearby universities and veterinary schools work on projects related to biodiversity, genetics, nanoparticles, and animal health and welfare. In front of each window is a touch screen. Tap it, and you can learn about each researcher’s specific project and the tools with which he or she is working. A few minutes later, one of the scientists emerges to discuss the research with visitors and answer questions. The exchange benefits the scientists as well: some are PhD candidates learning how to communicate what they do to a broader audience.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

It sounds like a horror movie – billions of miniature, bear-like creatures crawling through the lawns and shrubbery in Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Neither drought nor flood nor extreme temperature will kill them. During a heat wave, they curl into a ball and wait for better conditions to “come back to life.” They dominate their miniature kingdom of soil, leaf surfaces and water droplets. These invincible, microscopic beasts are… tardigrades.

Tardigrade means “slow walker.” They’re also called water bears, bears of the moss or moss piglets. They thrive in water, coral islands, moist tropical forests, and even the extremes from deserts to Antarctic slopes. Dispersed on all seven continents, tardigrades may be the most common organism of N.C.

Fortunately, they are quite harmless. But it’s good to know and appreciate who lives in your neighborhood.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

Christmas lists abound with “stuff” that is usually manufactured, bought, discarded, and ultimately piles up in landfills. With the current economic downturn, what about a gift list centered on special places in nature that inspire and nurture our souls?

Many special natural places are close to home and essentially free; others require a veritable expedition outfitted to reach remote destinations. But near or far, the natural world engages our five senses and restores our spirits in ways that are difficult to equal in dollars and cents. Here is a survey of some North Carolina residents and their favorite natural places – some local, some global. On behalf of Nature’s Secrets, please enjoy your favorite spots in nature with loved ones this holiday season.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

Cutting-edge technology helps save rhinos in India

The North Carolina Museum of Natural History’s new Nature Research Center, opening spring 2012 in Raleigh, will employ cutting-edge technologies to convey scientific discoveries to students, policy-makers and citizens.

Using remote cameras in distant field sites such as forest canopies, the NRC will share discoveries around the planet with audiences and classrooms throughout North Carolina and beyond. These technologies educate people via new programs about how science works. They are already providing solutions to conservation challenges.

In remote northeastern India, intel sleuths have been deployed to eradicate rhino poaching. Kaziranga National Park is in Assam province, not far from Bangladesh; it is home to more than two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos. During the past decade alone, 66 rhinos were killed by poachers. At that rate, the world’s remaining 2,850 one-horned rhinos (of which India is home to 2,390) will disappear by 2050.

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From The Wall Street Journal:

Tree climbing is no longer kids’ stuff. With the right equipment and training, a killer view (and workout) can be yours.

…

“Rec” tree climbing has its heroes, like Peter “Treeman” Jenkins and his wife, Patty, who established Tree Climbers International, the activity’s primary organization. It has its Boswells, like the author Richard Preston, whose book “The Wild Trees”—an ascent into the world’s tallest trees—was a result of Mr. Preston’s own interest in climbing. It has its Einsteins, like Margaret Lowman, who pioneered the science of canopy research, and calls the vast realm of tree tops the “eighth continent.”

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

Yttrium, promethium, europium and luterium may sound like mythological characters, but they’re rare-earth elements that comprise the backbone of new technologies for the 21st century.

Their discovery in recent years has advanced the electronics industry. Yttrium, when alloyed with other elements, forms part of aircraft engines; promethium is an essential component of long-lived nuclear batteries; europium powers images in flat-screen televisions; and luterium detects radiation in PET scanners used for medical research. Many new technologies owe their success to rare-earth elements.

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From the Earthwatch Institute:

A fierce supporter of ‘citizen science’, and the first scientist that Earthwatch supported in Australia, here Meg reflects on the rapidly accelerating rate of loss of species in the world, and the importance of enthusing and involving non-scientists in research and conservation efforts.

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From charlotteobserver.com:

RALEIGH Amid the straight edges and gridded streets of downtown Raleigh, a giant ball has appeared at Jones and Salisbury streets, like a colossal marble that has rolled into a corner.

This big yellow ball will become the SECU Daily Planet, a round theater of sorts in which groups of school children and other visitors will learn about the latest in scientific research. When it is completed next spring, the Daily Planet will be the centerpiece of the Nature Research Center, a $54 million addition to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

If the science museum presents what scientists know about the natural world, the new wing will focus on current research. “It is how we know what we know,” said Meg Lowman, director of the research center.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

The U.S. military is moving aggressively to reduce its energy “bootprint.”

The Department of Defense is our country’s largest single consumer of energy, using more than 300,000 barrels of oil per day. With an armored Humvee averaging only 4 miles per gallon, and with a gallon of fuel costing $400 to reach our troops in Afghanistan, the military budget is crippled by energy inefficiencies. But new initiatives for military installations include solar power units, purifying stagnant water, solar tents and LED lights. At Fort Drum, N.Y., one of the world’s largest solar installations currently heats the base. A fleet of new clean-energy naval vessels, dubbed “Prius of the oceans,” will save millions of taxpayer dollars. The military’s goal is to achieve 25 percent renewable energy by 2025.

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Lowman and Dunn’s team of biodiversity students shared between NC State University and the NC Museum report amazing new findings on our bodies! View the story on io9.com.