Monday Science Links

This week's heaping helping of science:

• Chris at Ediacaran posts on a fascinating new fossil: Firstly the head. This is by far the most bizarre Anomalocarid, by virtue of the head, which is the first Anomalocarid identified with a carapace. At almost 50% of the length of the animal, it's huge, and made of two different "elements", a single “H” element and a paired “P” element. There doesn’t appear to be anything below this carapace, so it’s function is something of a mystery.


• Kim at All of My Faults Are Stress-Related posts on learning styles and how they affect teaching: The assessment of learning styles isn't the same as an assessment of teaching styles, but I've got some idea of how my class activities fit into these scales. The things I do well - exercises in which students experiment with Silly Putty to help them understand the different changes in shape that rocks can undergo, for instance - work for a number of different types of learning styles. Students play with Silly Putty and discuss their results with members of their group - that's active. But they each have their own piece of Silly Putty, so they can handle it and think about it on their own - there's room for reflective learners there, as well. Both the Silly Putty and the sketches we make on the chalkboard are visual, but I also write a list of characteristics of the two end-member behaviors, so there's some verbal learning, as well. (And we're talking, too - that's also verbal.) I'm not as good at helping sequential learners, but I've learned to accommodate them.


• Judith at Zenobia: Empress of the East posts on the Nefertiti bust: The most beautiful woman in the world, Nefertiti, was made famous by her painted bust in the Berlin's Egyptian Museum. The bust was made with an inner core of carved limestone, which was first plastered and then richly painted. Flesh tones on the face give the piece amazing life. Yesterday, the journal Radiology revealed that a CT scan had uncovered a hidden face under the plaster. It was always thought that that the inner limestone was just a support. Not so.


• Phil at Bad Astronomy posts on beautiful but mysterious galaxies: How many galaxies can you handle today? I hope it’s a lot. Because I have three to show you, or maybe 5, depending on how you count them. First off, a gorgeous trio of interacting galaxies courtesy the Hubble Space Telescope. This group was the winner of the contest to have people vote on where to point Hubble...
  


• Erik at Eruptions posts on Redoubt and Llaima (and scroll on down for yet another big volcano going off now, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'aapi): At 11:30 AM yesterday, AVO put Redoubt back to Orange/Watch alert status after the volcano seem to settle down to small steam/ash plumes. Less than 12 hours later (at ~6:30 AM Alaska time), the volcano produced another large explosive eruption, sending an ash column up ~50,000 feet / 15 km and producing what seems to be a significant lahar that traveled down the Drift River valley. This new ash cloud headed to the SE of the volcano and apparently produced some lightning as well but no word on how it effected any air traffic... Down in southern Chile, Volcan Llaima has erupted a new >1,000 meter / 3,300 foot lava flow down its flanks. Chile's Natonal Emergency Office reported explosions that sent volcanic debris 600 meters / 200 feet from the main vent and this new flow.
  

Enjoy!