Andrew Thaler

Weekly dose of TED – Jim Toomey: Learning from Sherman the shark

March 25, 2011March 25, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

All this month we’ve be showing talks about how nature and evolution have inspired technology and design. I’d like to end with this talk by Jim Toomey, about how the nature simply inspires us as human beings. What stories have the oceans shared with you?

A brief example of asymmetry in Sperm Whales

March 23, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Science

In the lecture we just posted, Keith Rittmaster mentioned that Sperm Whales are highly asymmetric. Below is just one examples of this dramatic asymmetry, the size difference between the left and right nostrils in the cranium.

Bonehenge: The afterlife of a Sperm Whale

March 23, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Science

Keith Rittmaster discusses Bonehenge. For more on Bonehenge, check out http://bonehenge.org/ Read our previous posts about the project: Visiting Bonehenge and Bonehenge – Community action in science outreach

Weekly dose of TED – Robert Full on engineering and evolution

March 18, 2011March 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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We see so many powerful designs in nature, yet when we design our own structure we tend to build rigid, fixed, industrial beasts. What designs in nature inspire you? How do we break away from a culture of hard edges and inflexible machines?

Tsunami severely damages Charles Darwin Research Station

March 16, 2011March 16, 2011 Andrew Thaler

The world’s attention is rightfully focus on the ongoing tragedy unfurling in Japan. Earthquake aftershocks continue to cause damage and the Fukushima nuclear power plant is not yet under control. But the tsunami the struck the Japanese coast continued across the Pacific, and while no place was as hard hit as Japan, there were other casualties, including the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz.

Grok my Flock

March 14, 2011March 13, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Conservation

The Nicholas School of the Environment is hosting the Flat Grok Video Contest. We are on an unsustainable course. While world populations and consumption grow, resources diminish and global warming threatens our way of life. In his blog The Green Grok, Dr. Bill Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, elucidates … Read More “Grok my Flock” »

Weekly dose of TED – Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action

March 11, 2011March 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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The theme this month is design in nature. Last week we posted a video that discusses how we can use nature to design our cities. This week, Janine Benyus talks about using nature to inspire technology. I don’t have a bigger point to make this week. Biology is cool and we can learn a lot … Read More “Weekly dose of TED – Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action” »

Biodiversity Wednesday: The Skeleton Coast

March 9, 2011November 7, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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Skeleton-Coast — Image from http://www.safari-namibia.co.uk/

A 900-mile coastline runs perpendicular to the border of Angola and Namibia. The cold water carried up from the antarctic by the Benguela Current meets the warm, dry air of the Namib Desert and the resulting depression forms a cold, dense fog that extends out into the sea. The currents and wind combine to produce a force pushing inexorably towards shore. These conditions led mariners to christen this seemingly desolate and inhospitable stretch of sand the Skeleton Coast.

Weekly dose of TED: Reviving New York’s rivers with oysters!

March 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

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Kate Orff, is not a biologist, she’s an architect. I love the idea of using natural systems to design human systems. The idea that construction should work with the landscape is not new, all you have to do is visit Falling Water to see that, but it’s an idea that hasn’t taken off like it … Read More “Weekly dose of TED: Reviving New York’s rivers with oysters!” »

Call for chapters – Environmental Leadership: A Reference Handbook

March 1, 2011March 1, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Conservation

The Nicholas School of the Environment is seeking scholarly editorial contributions to Environmental Leadership, a 2-volume, 100-chapter reference handbook that is part of the new SAGE Reference Series on Leadership. Chapters are anticipated to be 7000 words. This is a unique opportunity to help define environmental leadership. Academic and public libraries will be able to purchase the handbook as both a printed and a digital product.