Here's a look at some of what's been happening at The Naturalist's Notebookover the last few days, and other news and notes from the intersection of nature, science, art and curiosity:
Meanwhile, At The Notebook...
View From Europe Luka Negoita, the young naturalist and Notebook contributor, just returned from his Kickstarter-funded project in Romania, his family's homeland. Luka emailed us one of his beautiful charcoal drawings of the Romanian countryside:
Commencement Talk: Robert Krulwich Pamelia and I watched Julie and Virginia graduate at College of the Atlantic, a memorable event under any circumstances, but especially so because of the wonderful commencement address delivered by National Public Radio correspondent and Radiolab co-host Robert Krulwich. I wish I had it on video, because Krulwich delivered it with such geniality and humor. Into his own story of meanderings, missteps and a career-altering bathroom urinal conversation with playwright Arthur Miller, he wove insights into How Life Works (you might accidentally back into your greatest opportunities; avoid the Yes, But people and instead try to find Why Not? and Give It a Shot people; knowing how to learn and that you can learn, at any age, can be your most valuable assets).
Here's a link to the full text of the speech if you're interested: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/05/31/154105531/the-chumbawamba-principle-a-commencement-address
Strange, Funny, Out of This World It's no secret that we're big fans of astrophysicist, writer and TV science host Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York. Ralph Fahringer, another Notebook contributor, passed along the video below, in which—through the marvels of modern sound-bending science—deGrasse Tyson and renowned physicists Richard Feynman and Lawrence Krauss actually sing about the universe and how all the elements that make up our planet and ourselves were created in the heat of exploding stars long ago.
New Olympic Aquatics Center Since I'm so deep into my London Olympic preparations (I'll be heading to my Sports Illustrated office in New York soon to finish editing the magazine's preview issue, and will then fly to London), I probably should begin giving you a glimpse of what you'll see when the Games open on July 27. So here's a start: a look at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. It sits in Olympic Park, a new complex of venues built in a formerly blighted section of East London.
Answer to the Last Puzzler The bird in the photo is a magnolia warbler
Today's Puzzler Clouds are made of water. How long does any given water molecule stay in a cloud before it falls to earth? a) 12 hours b) 9 days c) 6 weeks