Microbes are extremely small organisms such as bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Even though we can’t easily see them, they are all around us. Like it or not, microbes live on us and inside us. When people talk about “germs,“ they’re generally talking about microbes. Many diseases are caused by microbes. Plague, tuberculosis and pneumonia are caused by bacteria. Malaria is caused by a protozoan (a single-celled organism) that is spread among animals by mosquitoes. Also, many diseases, including swine flu, hepatitis and rabies, are caused by viruses, another type of microbe.

The first electronic computer was tested in 1942. Since that time, computers have changed a great deal, but my own brain has not changed much. While computers have gotten faster and more powerful, I’m still using the first brain installed in my skull. Sometime soon, a computer will be able to simulate my brain. Later, there will be a computer that can literally read my mind.

If you come across a rock in its natural setting, you will likely find it covered by lichens, proof that nature is alive. What are lichens? Lichen is not a single organism, it is made up of two parts: a fungus (mushroom is a familiar example) and either green algae or blue-green algae. These two parts have a mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relationship. The fungus provides the housing. The algae provide the nutrients through photosynthesis. The threadlike chains of cells that form the body of the lichen can grow into rock crevices, leak organic acid that dissolves minerals, and provide additional nutrition.

Tree of Life Web Project: http://www.tolweb.org

ACarolina wren is nesting in the potted dwarf Alberta spruce tree on our front sidewalk The tiny nest, about 2 feet off the ground, has four bright-blue eggs with some speckling. This busy bird begs several questions. Why hasn’t the house cat noticed this tasty morsel? Why have the black rat snakes, now transiting the yard in search of mates, missed the nutritious eggs?

Hundreds of thousands of bats have mysteriously died in the northeastern United States in the past three years. This situation causes great concern for our planet. Bats are important for our environment and even our physical health. Most bats in North America eat insects. You could call them “flying bug zappers.“ Some of their insect prey, such as gnats, merely annoy us. However, others can transmit harmful diseases that infect animals. For instance, bats eat mosquitoes, which are capable of carrying the West Nile virus that is very harmful to people.

As redbud trees bloomed and faded this spring, it was apparent they live on the edge. Road edges are hugely popular habitats and give Virginia byways a well-deserved reputation for spring beauty. Here on the farm, redbuds are never in deeper woods but always along field edges. Scotch broom—a native of Europe—is now blooming along the road. In fact, plants and animals, birds and fishes, microbes and fungi often display a preference for an edgy habitat.

What are potholes? If asked, most of us probably think of those holes that appear in pavement after a winter of snow, ice and thaw. But to geologists, potholes also can mean the holes eroded into the solid bedrock of river channels. The location, shape and size of these potholes give us useful information on the channel-forming processes.

Wind power is coming to Virginia. We are not sure where, or when, but signs of arrival are here. Will we also get a “smart grid?“ Virginia has two regions of satisfactory wind for powering large turbine electric generators. One is along the ridges of the mountains of western Virginia; the other is in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Eastern Shore.

The Earth is round. Adults assure us from an early age that the Earth is shaped like a basketball. Globes marked with countries and mountains remind us. Even on Google Earth, the Earth is round. When we look outdoors, however, the Earth really looks flat and bumpy. Standing on the Virginia seashore, looking eastward over the Atlantic, the Earth looks flat as far as I can see.

http://web.wm.edu/geology/virginia/
  Modeling the Universe: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/seuforum/mtu/MTUhowold.pdf

If you go out and look at your natural surroundings, you will find that many objects are related in ways so ordinary that we often fail to observe them. Trees grow and send roots into the soil and the underlying rocks. Lichen cling to tree bark and to rocks. Rocks can be cracked and the bigger cracks have soil or loose rock pieces wedged in them. Rock have different shapes, textures and colors; some lie on top of other rocks, some cut across other rocks.

Spring has officially arrived, hooray! As of Friday night, the sun will be overhead in the Northern Hemisphere for six months, our seasons of spring and summer. How do you measure the ar rival of spring? There are many ways. Although astronomers forecast the “official” arrival of spring with great accuracy, we have many low-technology ways to remind us that spring is here.

The Children’s University of Manchester: http://www.childrensuniversity.man chester.ac.uk. This site provides interactive, kid-friendly activities involving many facets of science. Click on micro-organisms to learn about algae and photosynthesis.

Rocks, fossils offer clues to ancient environments Amajor part of studying fossils is not just identifying the fossil, but trying to understand the environment in which it lived. Did it live in water or on land? If it lived in water, was it salty or fresh, deep or shallow? Paleontologists use many clues from rocks and fossils to re-create ancient environments. Finding clues in the rocks at the Boxley Blue Ridge Quarry in Bedford County is a good example of using a variety of information to re-create an ancient environment.