Abstract: Learn to identify about 50 African mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. This is a simple picture-to-text mapping quiz. Very young learners can use it, but older children and grown-ups can also test or train their knowledge.
Abstract: Based on a performance by Beth Galston, Ellen Sebring, and Sarah Skaggs. 'Aviary' is a melancholic mood piece that deals with themes of constraint and freedom. In this short sequence, images of a bird flying are superimposed over the figure of a lone female floating in a swimming pool.
Abstract: An interactive guide to some common butterflies for children. Includes memory games, multiple choice games, mystery word games and more. The module contains the following levels: Memory games with 6 random pairs of matching butterfly images Memory games with 8 random pairs of matching butterfly images Find the image corresponding to a given name. Find the name corresponding to a given image. Anagram game to guess common butterfly names. Memory game with picture/name matching. Find correct image given specific common and scientific names. Select image to fit a given scientific name. Mystery word game: find the common name of the butterfly. Mystery word game: find the scientific name of the pictured butterfly. Multiple choice: choose the right butterfly image to match the scientific name. Anagram game using scientific names of butterflies. Pair matching: match pictures and common names Pair matching: match common and scientific names.
Abstract: The Cardiovascular Construction Kit (CVCK) allows students to design and construct a wide range of cardiovascular systems, testing each one to see how it behaves and whether it could actually exist and survive in a real organism. CVCK provides a set of basic components, e.g., pumps, vessels, capillaries and so on, which may be pieced together to construct a cardiovascular system. Gauges and measurement techniques are provided so you can draw conclusions from your experiments. Note: CVCK is a MAC Archive Module and requires System 6.05 to System 6.07.
To construct cardiovascular systems with CVCK, select components from the menu bars, drag them onto the main screen, and connect them together by making them touch.
CVCK makes it possible to construct experiments as well as systems. Such experiments allow comparisons of the performance of systems with different configurations or characteristics.
One constructs experiments by deciding what aspects of performance need to be measured and by hooking up gauges at appropriate places.
Gauges that can measure variables like pressure and blood flow can be connected to the components, and the values that are read from these gauges can be displayed in the form of a graph.
Abstract: 'The Dogs' is set on a bright, summer day at a seemingly benign seashore inhabited by a nervous, beer-drinking protagonist and a dark, panting dog. This is a narrative that has no dialogue but is structured in movement of the man, of the dog (who is both harmless and menacing by turns), as well as all the camera work moving to the right in a clockwise direction that captures images in vivid color, creating an unsettling spin. A psychological study of shifts in memory and the perception of reality, 'The Dogs' is both humorous and haunting; a portrait of a man moving through a mythical landscape of fear, longing, and Ballantine ale cans. The work alternately shows the man seated in a living room interior, drinking glasses of beer and swallowing pills, and walking down an overrun path to the ocean. Along the way, he is startled or distracted by the sound of a barking dog. Eventually, he reaches the ocean. During the piece, 'The Star Spangled Banner' is performed by Kate Smith.
Abstract: Using the Extend 'connect-the-components' visual programming, students can model and simulate ecosystems including social and economic forces as well as study parameter variations to develop an understanding of ecosystem function and productivity.
By making 'what if...' changes in the model, the effects of various proposed decisions about the environment can then be shown.
EDM includes three ecological systems: Ponds, Grasslands, and Logging. Students can predict results of changes in the models and explore relationships.
First, you diagram a model of the system showing parts and connections among them. For example, components of the model, such as the sun, are placed on the computer screen. Each component is linked to the others with a mathematical relationship, such as the transfer of the sun's energy to plants.
Values are entered into block dialog boxes to characterize the interactions of the components, such as the amount of sunlight at a particular location or the initial number of bluegill in a pond. When the simulation is run, you can see the growth curves of the various components of the system.
Abstract: This article is a compilation of information about free-living eukaryotes in extreme environments. Written in summary form, it includes anaerobes, thermophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles, alkalophiles, halophiles, barophiles, xerophiles, and organisms in other extreme environments. Including a lengthy list of peer-reviewed references, the author invites new information and is dedicated to routinely updating the site.
Abstract: Did you ever wonder why a camel has a hump? If you can really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or why our joints make popping sounds? These questions deal with everyday phenomena that we often take for granted, but each can be explained scientifically. Everyday Mysteries will help you get the answers to these and many other of life's most interesting questions through scientific inquiry. In addition, we will introduce you to the Library of Congress' rich collections in science and technology.
Abstract: 'Ganapati' examines the issues of cruelty to animals, focusing on the treatment of elephants. Sections were filmed on location in Kenya, India, and Thailand. Much reference is made to the respect paid to elephants by some spiritual practices, where they are considered to be deities. Older moving image footage is incorporated, which shows a circus elephant being killed, and performing elephants in film, television advertisements, and nature shows. A variety of text sources are quoted in the form of voiceovers, including works by Rudyard Kipling, Rainer Maria Rilke, Chief Seattle, Federico Garcia Lorca, and original writings by Daniel Reeves. Music includes Sufi improvisations by Nezih Uzel and Kudsi Ergunner, works by the Burundi artists, and a xylophone solo by Htaw Pine. Daniel Reeves provides additional synthesizer music.
Abstract: The Zooarchaeology Laboratory of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, was established in 1981 in order to facilitate the analysis of faunal remains from archaeological sites (also called Archaeozoology). Presently covering more than 850 square feet (79 square meters) on the third floor of the museum, the laboratory provides working and storage space for students and researchers who carry out studies on animal bones and teeth from around the world. It is also a teaching facility that is used for an intensive course on osteoarchaeology that is taught every second year by the laboratory's director, Dr. Richard H. Meadow, who is also available to consult with students and researchers using the laboratory and to assist in designing appropriate research protocols, in identifying specimens, and in evaluating research results.
The most important resources of the laboratory are its archaeological and modern comparative collections. The ancient faunal materials are part of the vast archaeological collections of the Peabody Museum and come from sites excavated over the years by museum staff and affiliates. Remains from New England, the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia are particularly well represented. The Peabody Museum has a tradition reaching back into the 19th century of encouraging the recovery and ensuring the subsequent preservation and storage of archaeological faunal collections. The Zooarchaeology Laboratory provides the facilities necessary for the study of these collections.
Absolutely essential to the success of any zooarchaeological endeavor is the availability of a comparative collection. The bones and teeth of modern animals of known species, age, and sex are compared to the archaeological faunal remains in order to permit identification and characterization of those remains. Since 1981 the Zooarchaeology Laboratory, through the efforts of research and curatorial assistants such as Tonya Largy and Peter Burns, has been engaged in establishing a collection of mammals, birds, and fish. Now numbering more than 1221 specimens, this collection is particularly strong in domestic species (especially sheep, goat, cattle and water buffalo) and in the wild fauna of New England. These materials supplement those housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), a world-renowned collection that can also be used by students and researchers. The MCZ's collections from North America, Mesoamerica, and Asia are particularly noteworthy. The Zooarchaeology Laboratory also houses a working library of sourcebooks for comparative osteology as well as a large reprint file of articles dealing with faunal analysis.
Abstract: 'I Do Not Know What It Is that I Am Like' juxtaposes images of animals, both wild and domestic, and natural environments with human activity as it takes place in an apartment, and during a fire walking ceremony in Fiji. Documentary-style footage is combined with staged events. Despite the piece's lack of a traditional narrative, it bears some relationship to nature works. The segment features material from 'Il Corpo Scuro (The dark body)' animals and natural environments are seen up close and at a distance.
Abstract: Documentary told from the point of view of a middle-aged Dutch man who visits his older marine biologist brother who lives in the Galapagos Islands. He explores the nature, history, and inhabitants of the island while observing and commenting on his brother's ability to communicate with nature. Contains beautiful scenes of the islands and their wildlife, while subtly commenting on man's interference on the islands. Interesting in that approximately half of the work consists of still shots. In German, subtitled in English. Approximately 48 minutes in length. Produced by TAG/TRAUM. Directed by Stephan Koster.