Life is Amazing

In the crazy science department this week, I learned that some sea slugs - nudibranchs - are stealing the means to photosynthesize from plants that they eat. That's right - they adopt the genes and the chloroplasts, and then they can convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into food. If you had one for a pet, you could forget to feed it for three months and it would be okay. I also learned that sphagnum moss launches it spores in a wee little mushroom cloud. If you need another reason why Earth's biology is as neat and exciting as anything they thought up for Avatar, then you need to watch the video from this week's Pier Peer again.

So many questions

• How well do you know you sea gulls? Here's a quick photo quiz for you!
• Who's your volunteering hero? The 2010 Washington State Jefferson Awards for Public Service is now accepting nominations.
• Is our orca baby boom a 'fluke'? I hope not! (and how much do you know about J-44, last year's baby?)
• And isn't it time to get control of the pills contaminating our water? Yes!

I do have an answer for the last one - check out this website for where to return your medicines in Washington state.

A few other questions & answers

The SeaDoc Society is looking for answers--to research questions--and is funding four new studies. This week the Department of Ecology's blog has been chronicling meetings on what to do about the Wyckoff Eagle Harbor site. One last answer, if your question is 'what was the most important name of 2009?' The Salish Sea, that's what.

Parting eye candy

If you've read a few of these Friday blogs, you know I am a sucker for Puget Sound photos, and you can imagine my joy at finding this gorgeous photo blog, Centuries Since the Day, with photos covering the Tacoma Narrows, Alki, tugboats, and old friends regarding the sea.

image 'The Two Towers' from flickr user optical reflex via creative commons.