Author: Lori Jia

The encyclopedia of Life, version one

Posted on by Lori Jia

The New York Times, December 6, 2008

Link

Imagine the Book of All Species: A single volume made up of one-page descriptions of every species known to science. On one page is the blue-footed booby. On another, the Douglas fir. Another, the oyster mushroom. If you owned the Book of All Species, you would need quite a bookshelf to hold it. Just to cover the 1.8 million known species, the book would have to be more than 300 feet or 92 meters long. And you’d have to be ready to expand the bookshelf strikingly, because scientists estimate there are 10 times more species waiting to be discovered.

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Critter

Posted on by Lori Jia

Jim writes, “This radiolarian (of the Polycyttaria) represents for me the staggering complexity, beauty and wonder of life. That such an amazing looking critter can evolve, and be so amazingly intricate and small blows my mind. I love talking science, and so far (have had it for less than 24 hours) heaps of people have asked, ‘That is great; what is it?’ And after the brief explanation, they are always amazed.”

Here are drawings of Polycyttaria by Haeckel. And here is an entire web site dedicated to radiolarians.

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium. 

Originally published December 6, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

The Search For the Great Science Fiction Movie (or, I Am Doooomed)

Posted on by Lori Jia

I was in New York yesterday to give a talk about evolution, which was simultaneously a Rockefeller University Science and Media Series Lecture, and a New York Skeptics Society Public Lecture. We had a great turn-out: as I told the crowd, there’s nothing a public speaker likes to see more than a serious fire hazard. The talk was recorded, and I’m hoping soon to be able to direct you to it.

One of the many reasons I enjoy giving these lectures is that I can meet people before and after my talk. Yesterday I met a number of interesting folks, including Alexis Gambis, who somehow manages, all at once, to pursue a Ph.D. by researching neurons, make science-themed movies, and even run a festival of science movies.

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