Science Yourself

This little guy was one of the first ones to welcome me at . Always up for a belly or head scratch every time I walked by the farm, on my own or with my students, Don Juan has been Sterling’s barn cat for over 10 years. This week, we said goodbye to this good boy.
As kindly put in the goodbye letter, “Don was here longer than many of us, and he was loved by many, and through the years he has let himself love us. He was a master at tricking you into giving him good scratches and rubs, but always keeping his feet firmly planted on a solid surface. Don Juan has been a #1 Barn Cat, and a fabulous farm friend, teacher, and manager. We will miss him!”

Revisitar a vila Madalena é sempre uma nostalgia!
A despeito da notável gentrificação ainda mais avançada, são muitas memórias, das antigas e das novas!

New parece Sampa, até você tentar interagir com um local que te olha estranho… mesmo assim agarrei em conversas gostosas, que depois descobri serem de pessoas de fora de São Paulo 😂

Menção honrosa ao tão amado apê da Purpurina!!!

Test

More signs of early Spring in VT!

1&2. Spring Beauty wildflower
3. P***y willow
4. Wood frog egg masses

[UPDATE] Less than 12h after the photos were taken, we had some snow that’s been lasting alllllllll day… Welcome to VT I guess….

If you have been flooded by news and strong opinions about the ‘return of the Dire Wolf’ in your social media and feel that real science seems to have been lost in all the hype, you are not alone!

Colossal Biosciences, a TX–based biotechnology company, announced recently that it had brought the species back with the birth of two male pups (Romus & Remulus, in reference to the myth of the birth of the city of Rome – quite cool reference!) and one female pup (named Khaleesi, apparently in reference to some ‘Game of Thrones’ character). For those alive in the 90s, the news resembled the achievement of early cloning techniques that brough to life Dolly, the sheep. The resemblance, however, seems to be only superficial. A striking difference is that Dolly’s birth was publicly announced after the scientific endeavor of its creation had been peer-reviewed, analyzed, and published in a renowned scientific journal. Romus, Remulus, and Khaleesi, on the other hand, have been extensively publicized on social media and on Time magazine, but details of its scientific procedures have still not seen the light of the day or the eyes of the scientific community for its proper scrutiny. Besides that, several other concerns have been raised by paleontologists that have worked closely to the theme. Check it the article “Did Scientists Actually De-Extinct the Dire Wolf?” on Scientific American for a grounded perspective of this achievement (link on their BIO )

Cold, snowy, windy Winter is just beginning: -20C “feels like” this week (-4F). Here’s my Winter reading list, as I stay warm and cozy in the coldest days:

- The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Arik Kershenbaum (Science Communication)

- Rereading Darwin’s Original of Species - The Hesitations of an Evolutionist, by Richard Delisle and James Tierney (Science Philosophy and Science History)

- Cervantes, by Rudolph Schevill (Biography)

- Never Whistle at Night, edited by Shane Hawk .hawk and Theodore Van Alst (Indigenous Dark Fiction)

- The Last Ronin, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (Graphic Novel - TMNT)

Next step: experiment with recipes for hot cocoa to pair with my readings!

Warmer days like today can bring back to activity animals that were already ready for the winter. Like this little fella I crossed path with today on Craftsbury Trails.

During the cold winter months, frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, tortoises enter in a physiological state that involves reducing metabolic processes and slowing activity called BRUMATION. That’s different from hibernation, which is found in warm-blooded vertebrates and involves a deep, prolonged state of sleep

While brumating, cold-blooded vertebrates can tolerate extremely low levels of oxygen and experience waking and sleeping cycles, sustaining some level of activity during winter. Changes in temperature stimulate animals to enter into a brumation state, while also regulating the best moments to keep their activity. As cold-blooded animals rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature and metabolic processes, brumation helps these animals conserve energy, survive on limited food resources, and avoid the dangers of a cold environment.

Milkweed!

Lil Vermont critters

The Science Yourself initiative starts a new chapter in our history, now in Vermont.

We are proud of our work with many families, students, and schools in New Haven and across Connecticut, and grateful to all our funders, partners, and supporters along these last three years. Reconnecting young children with nature, instilling curiosity in kids and adults, supporting educators to bring joy and a sense of wonder to their STEAM lessons, these have been the highlights of the rewarding work we have just started.

Now located in Craftsbury (in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom - NEK), the initiative is finding its new way to advance critical thinking, science literacy, and place-based environmental education through community work.

Gustavo has been working as Ecology Faculty at Sterling College ( ) since August and we’re planning for a collaborative effort starting in the spring, working with Sterling students and the Craftsbury community to advance our vision.

Stay tuned for more updates and upcoming news!