Category Archives: Nature

Grow Your Tree *HOUSE*

grow your tree houseTalk about staying “green”, this is one of the coolest things I have come across.

I found this titled as “the ultimate tree house” on TechEBlog and this is a quick summation of this brilliant idea:

 Mitchell Joachim, Javier Arbona, and environmental engineer Lara Greden have designed the ultimate treehouse, which “will grow from a few seedlings into a two-story, water-recycling, energy-efficient abode.” Video overview after the jump.

More info and a video: Continue reading Grow Your Tree *HOUSE*

Animal Brawl in Africa – “Battle at Kruger”

This is an all out wild beast BRAWL. A group of lions single out a small water cape buffalo from his herd and attack him. During the attack the little and 1 or 2 of the lions end up falling into the river. Out of No where a alligator crocodile pops up and tries the snatch the baby water cape buffalo from the lions!

They FINALLY get the baby water buffalo away from the alligator crocodile and it gets even MORE crazy…

Continue reading Animal Brawl in Africa – “Battle at Kruger”

Dark Sky over Death Valley, CA

I found this picture on NASA’s website. This is a picture over Death Valley in California. Warning, the image is GIGANTIC.

Explanation: This eerie glow over Death Valley is in danger. Scrolling right will show a spectacular view from one of the darkest places left in the continental USA: Death Valley, California. The above 360-degree full-sky panorama is a composite of 30 images taken two years ago in Racetrack Playa. The image has been digitally processed and increasingly stretched at high altitudes to make it rectangular.

In the foreground on the image right is an unusually placed rock that was pushed by high winds onto Racetrack Playa after a slick rain. In the background is a majestic night sky, featuring thousands of stars and many constellations.

The arch across the middle is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Light pollution is threatening dark skies like this all across the US, and therefore the International Dark-Sky Association and the US National Parks Service are suggesting methods that can protect them.

Cordyceps Fungus Attacks a Bullet Ant’s Brain

Well, this ranks up in the top 10 Craziest things i have Ever seen. The video in this post was taken from a BBC documentary and explains how the Cordyceps Fungus attacks a Bullet Ant’s brain, causes it to climb to a high point, then finally kills the ant.

Now for the crazy part; “the fruiting body of the Cordyceps” starts to grow OUT OF THE DEAD ANT’s BRAIN and eventually pops open, only to rain down spores (from a high point) and start the cycle over again. Totally Nuts, make sure you watch this.

Continue reading Cordyceps Fungus Attacks a Bullet Ant’s Brain

440 Carat Ruby

A gigantic 440 carat ruby that was discovered in Greenland.  This thing is about the size of a large Kiwi fruit and was carved down to about 302 carats.

Vancouver, September 26th, 2006. Canadian exploration company by the name of True North Gems announces the completion of the carving of what the company believes to be the largest recorded ruby in the northwestern hemisphere. Found in 2005 on the company’s property in the Fiskenaesset district of Greenland, the 440 carat rough ruby has been meticulously worked to produce a 302-carat jewel of intricate oceanic legends.

Here is a video of it, of course. 🙂

Continue reading 440 Carat Ruby

Tiny Architects, The Termite

I came across this video via Liz Waldner’s blog and i have to say its pretty incredible. The video basically takes you inside a termite colony and shows the inner workings. Yes, it’s disgusting as they are termites, but the wow factor dampens the filth factor.

Here is a little blurb from the write up on youtube:

This termite colony’s complex and unlikely construction is truly a testament to the incredible power of natural selection. The structure has air conditioning, a sewage system, food storage, fungus cultivation, and would be over a mile high if built to human scale. Truly astounding.

Continue reading Tiny Architects, The Termite