How-To: Crochet a bacteriophage
From Instructables user skbmo.
Biology
Time capsule gallery
WebUrbanist has an interesting gallery of time capsules old and new. The prize for most ambitious “expiration date” goes to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway–WU claims barley seed samples interred there may remain viable for as long as 20,000 years. For time capsule enthusiasts, the germane Wikimedia Commons Category also makes for interesting browsing. [Thanks, Billy Baque!]
Insectoid robotagami!
I really wanted to call this post “scorpiod robotagami,” but after lambasting Wired the other day for failing to count legs, I have to watch my step pretty carefully. Handy tip for bloggers: DO NOT ANNOY WIRED.
Anyway, Dustin Wallace describes his you-fold-it metal Chimera sculpture as part human being, part armadillo, and part pill bug. But the one I just ordered is gonna be a scorpion, darn it, no matter what Dustin or Wired say.
Adorable wildlife photography bot
Is it me or are Evan Ackerman’s headlines getting funnier every day? This is the BeetleCam, by Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas. [via BotJunkie]
Simple and beautiful LED-lit sea urchins
The Evil Mad Scientists created these awesome, dead-simple accent lights by dropping an LED clipped across a battery into a sea urchin shell from a beach shop. Windell describes the guts as a “throwie sans magnet.” I love the way these look. But I hereby pledge to dig in, with both heels, and resist the term “urchie” with all my power, unto my dying day.
Owl nest web cam
I lived in a rental years ago that had a water tower on the property. Each year barn owls nested in the eaves of the water tower, and each year my husband and I spent many evenings sitting nearby watching them. We saw babies learn to fly, mother and father swoop in and out with […]
Petri dish monsters!
Los Angeles artist Shing Yin Khor was our Featured Maker about two weeks ago. She’s just added a few more of her trademark Petri dish monsters, which are selling fast. Shown at top is Maurice. Below that, in clockwise order, are Agatha, Lucy, Ed, and Buford. Oh, and Shing herself. She’s the one not in a Petri dish.