Saturday+Scientist+Archive

November 7, 2008 - Share the Planet

 * Just a few weeks ago, several new North American animals were added to the Endangered Species list. For many more animal and plant species action will come too late. One species on our planet goes extinct every twenty minutes. || **//Visit [|my e-board] for research links on endangered animals, activities, advocacy projects and understandings about our impact on the Earth .// ** ||
 * The [|International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources] is the most complete listing of threatened and endangered species in the world. For over 40 years, the IUCN has been tracking the state of animals all over the world.

On October 10th, the IUCN issued this report: //The most comprehensive assessment of the world's mammals has confirmed an extinction crisis, with almost one in four at risk of disappearing forever.//

**"The new study to assess the world's mammals shows at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are known to be threatened with extinction."**
Compare that with the 76 mammals that became extinct between 1500 and today! The results also show that conservation efforts can help species recover from the brink of extinction. Increasing human activity, global climate change and other more complex threats to worldwide ecosystems may make it harder for species to recover. Current estimates are that five percent of currently threatened mammals are showing signs of recovery in the wild.

[|Visit the IUCN website] || //photo courtesy Conservation International photo gallery http://www.conservation.org/learn/Pages/default.aspx// || ===Does being a responsible and informed citizen include understanding your impact on the Earth? **Post a comment __under the discussion tab__ and let's see what each of us thinks!** === || simple steps any kids (or family) can take to live greener, upcoming community education events and more.
 * ===Now, here is a question for you:===
 * = == Be a Saturday Scientist - Question, Discover, Learn, Share == ||
 * [|Visit the][|CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL] website to discover more about endangered species - and see the real impact of the extinction clock[[image:Picture_7.png width="210" height="99" caption="Extinction Countdown Clock" link="http://www.conservation.org/discover/Pages/default.aspx"]] || Visit the e-board for listings of carbon footprint calculators,

What ideas do you have? Post them in the discussion section and we will highlight them here!
||

October 31, 2008 - Happy Halloween!

 * ||  || Please join in the Great World Wide Star Count this weekend. This is a great opportunity for family conversations about everything form folktales and mythology to light pollution and energy conservation. Need help getting started? Click on the resources links below for everything you need. For this project, try going outside about an hour after sunset -- that is about 7:30pm on Halloween or 6:30 Saturday or Sunday night.

[|UCAR Great Star Count Website]

[|The Story of Cygnus] || || Go outside at sunset and watch the new moon rise, and you will be able to see a real treat in the sky: Venus should be rising just above the Moon. It is a beautiful sight and a great chance to really see the difference between what a star and a planet look like in the sky. For a complete newscast (you can read or listen to) about the Halloween sky [|click here]. ||
 * ||  || [[image:http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0707/moonplanetsponyexpress_bush.jpg width="333" height="225"]] || If you are willing to go outside twice, you can get twice the sky show in return!
 * ||  || Where does "Halloween" come from anyway? Traditional stories, a short history of the holiday and more are available from the [|Library of Congress //American Memory//] website. || [[image:http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/images/2005/10/28/jackolantern_christopher_walters_470x353.jpg width="123" height="81"]] ||