NatureVolve Issue 7 by NatureVolve Magazine

Issue 7

Adapting to coronavirus Featuring.. Solo survival during Covid-19 Secrets of the nautilus Improved online learning approach Covid ‘survivor’ jewelry plus..

Dinosaurcomics

Conservation

Scicomm

Art

Written Word

NatureVolve.com Communicating science Combining art

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Thank you to the following contributors to this issue: Andy Cruz Chris Styles, Krysten Newby and SciCulture.eu Dayle Daines David Newman Gene Levinson and EurekAlert! Gordon Meade Gregory Barord PhD Hannah Carmichael and The Living Well Alone Project Isha Parlikar Jazmin “Sunny” Murphy Julie Rauer and ART SCIENCE COMPLEX Laura Bundesen Prabhuraj PhD Pratik Khanal Sophie Bee Art Tiffany Marcum Will Conway Thanks also to STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi).

Editor’s note Welcome to NatureVolve issue 7

We are pleased to share issue 7 with you; sharing the ideas of both scientists and creatives, to achieve our common goal in bridging science and art.

We will aim the lense on the coronavirus pandemic, science inspired crafts and marine conservation. Exploring how education and research adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers and creatives share their own stories from this year. As instutions have been forced to change in the face of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, our education mediums have changed. Online learning is becoming the new normal, so here, we share an improved virtual learning concept. Outside of work, households have faced their own unique challenges during lockdowns. Those living alone face a different set of obstacles, but there can be positives, as beautifully explained by The Living Well Alone project. The pandemic has sped up the peer-review process for numerous medical journals, as coronavirus studies are going through a newly introduced process called ‘rapid peer-review’. We take a look at one of these rapidly published studies that highlights the personal challenges faced by Covid-19 health workers. With a special marine conservation theme, we also have fascinating facts about the nautilus and narwhals as they face a threat to their conservation. Researchers and artists alike have dived deep into their craft this year, to share their perspectives - from ‘brainy’ fiber art, stunning science illustrations to a dynamic dinosuar comic, where you can follow an enclosed worksheet to try your hand at paleoart!

Enjoy issue 7!

Contents Art

SCIENCE Unravelling the origin of Covid-19

Nepal health workers during COVID-19 battle more than just the virus 8 - 10

SciArt jewelry honors Covid-19 survivors

Brainy fiber art by Laura Bundesen

Painting a portrait of parasitism

Snaps show wildlife in action

Graphene-based fuel cells for an environmentally friendly future

Groundbreaking approach for improved online college classes

Constructing a coronavirus crossword 50

Written Word

conservation Saving the nautilus - endangered beauty of the deep.

Solo Survival: How people who live 52 alone have adapted during Covid-19

eNarwhals The new “canary” of the sea?

What Cubehead Thinks

54 57

The art of ethical taxidermy: A More Modern Prometheus

Marine inspired poems by Gordon Meade 57

extra

scicomm Biology illustration with Sophie Bee Art

Prehistoric story-telling with Dinosaurcomics

58 NatureVolve announcement - Final notes - Mission statement & open call

How to paleo art with Dinosaurcomics 37 Comparing the birth of a star to a human zygote

Science

SCIENCE

discussion

Unravelling the origin of Covid-19 By Clarissa Wright

As the globe fights against the Covid-19 pandemic, which has sadly taken over a million lives, our news feeds are flooded with coronavirus news endlessly updating across the world.

Overwhelming as many find it, what adds to the news of surging case numbers are the theories of the virus and conspiracies – from the idea the virus is not even real, to its suspected origin in a Wuhan laboratory. Speculations and ‘fake news’ circulate the internet, successfully convincing huge numbers of people. Is there validity to the idea Covid-19 originated in a lab or should this be labelled ‘misinformation’? In response, there have been scientific studies to get to the bottom of this question. In March 2020, a genomic study pointed to the natural origin of the virus. Published in Nature Medicine, Kristian Andersen and colleagues used bioinformatics techniques to compare the genomic data of coronaviruses including the one responsible for Covid-19..

SCIENCE

education

Investigating the ‘crown’ virus

If natural, where did it originate?

Coronaviruses are responsible for respiratory and enteric diseases at different levels of severity in humans and animals. The coronavirus genomes encode ‘spike’ proteins which give a crown-like appearance to the structure of coronaviruses. The corona part of the name derives from its Latin translation as “crown”. Yet, there is more to these spike proteins than their ‘corona’ resemblance. They are used to infect other cells effectively. The different ways these proteins are arranged account for the different types of coronaviruses.

As scientists looked at the overall molecular structure, it showed similarities to a bat coronavirus. However, zooming into the part binding ACE2, the structure resembled a novel virus found in pangolins.

It is the Covid-19 (or SARS-CoV-2) variety that has unique adaptions shown in the genetic code. One of these features allows it to bind to a protein found in human cells named angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2).

Even so, couldn’t the virus have been engineered in a lab to bind to human cells? Andersen and researchers investigated the spike protein of Covid-19 using computer models, having found that the spike protein of the virus bound much better than computer programs could predict. This suggested it had developed a unique, alternative way of binding to ACE2; to the researchers’ surprise - who said this is evidence that Covid-19 was not engineered in a lab, since a bioengineer would not have been likely to configure this structure of a spike protein. Also, if made in a lab, bioengineers most likely would have instead used a well-known coronavirus structure that harms humans, rather than the structure observed in Covid-19.

If the virus jumped from one animal host to the other, from which animal did it originate? While it cannot yet be certain if the virus originated in a bat of pangolin, this does add evidence to the origin of the virus in nature. In sum, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that Covid-19 evolved in bats or pangolins before spike proteins developed the ability to bind to human cells. Alternatively, it could have crossed from animals to humans before evolving further and causing illness, as Dr Francis Collins has explained on the NIH Director’s Blog.

Deeper into the discussion Virologists across the globe are debunking the idea that Covid-19 was man-made. One such scientists is Vincent Racaniello, Professor of virology at Columbia University, who declares that it is not possible that it was laboratory-made, since the components of the virus came from bat coronaviruses found in nature. Even so, a small group of scientists claimed sections of the virus appearing to be artificially inserted, and as discussed in a publication in Forbes, they also had financial interests in a potential vaccine they were developing. In response, virologists since pointed out that similar sections appear naturally in other viruses. This did not stop senior officials in the Trump administration taking the lab-theory further, saying the virus came from a lab in Wuhan, even though public health researchers traced the earliest cases of the virus to an animal wet market in the same city. This raises the question - If Covid-19 originated in a wet market, how did the virus spread between different animal species? p6

SCIENCE

education

Wet market or ‘infect’ market? In wet markets, zoonotic diseases are known to spread between wild species that are not used to being in such close proximity together while in poor living conditions. Over the past decade, many novel coronaviruses were found in bat species across Asia, Europe Africa and America. Bats have been known to have more coronaviruses than any other species. A Nature publication describes bats as “presumed reservoirs of diverse coronaviruses.” Looking back to previous outbreaks, bats were thought to be the source of SARS coronaviruses and MERS coronaviruses. SARS affected southern China in 2002, causing thousands of cases in over 20 countries and hundreds of fatalities. MERS appeared in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2012 in independent clusters, but when a traveller arrived in Republic of Korea from the Middle East, cases jumped. These events are important to look at because the research evidence suggests that SARS and MERS coronaviruses derived from bats, and so, it is likely Covid-19 did too. Experts also suggested other animal species were involved in the spread of the virus, with civets spreading SARS and camels spreading MERS before being transmitted to people, according to NIH. While all coronaviruses detected in humans are considered zoonotic, being traced back to an animal origin (often bats), other animals

can help to spread the viruses too. In 2015, A published paper in Virology Journal explains “Intermediate hosts are believed to play an important role in the transmission and emergence of these coronaviruses from bats to humans.” Exploring the origins of emerging coronaviruses from bats, the researchers say there are many bat coronaviruses that can jump species and potentially infect humans. While both theories of origin agree the pandemic start in Wuhan, China, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that there is no evidence the virus was artificially made.

2020: A call for change? The World Health Organization is now calling for stricter safety and hygiene practices when wet markets reopen. These markets sell live animals, sometimes including wildlife, among mixed food products like fruits and vegetables. WHO works with members of the UN to create guidance on the safe operation of wet markets - which have often been maintained in poor conditions. Under new guidelines, governments will need to enforce a ban on wildlife trade for food. As researchers continue to discover more about Covid-19, the pandemic has kickstarted a cause for change in more ways than one. Yet, even in a world without wildlife at wet markets and improved hygiene, pandemics could still arise, but their chances of occurring may be significantly reduced.

References and reading Explaining how genomics reveals the natural origin of Covid-19 https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/26/genomic-research-points-tonatural-origin-of-covid-19 March 2020 study investigating the proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9 Investigation into bat origin of coronaviruses published in 2015 https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-015-0422-1 © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

August 2020 study discussing cross-species transmission of bat coronaviruses https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17687-3 Rumor advice during coronavirus https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/rumor-control Futher Covid-19 information https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/covid-19 https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases p7

SCIENCE

public health

Nepal health workers during COVID-19 battle more than just the virus Health workers across the globe have been under great

pressure during the global COVID-19 pandemic as countries dealt with equipment shortages and limited facilities. In many regions, medical staff have been praised for their heroic efforts in continuously taking care of overwhelming numbers of infected patients. Yet, in some regions, health workers face social challenges and stigma for their medical work during the pandemic. They do not only deal with hospital beds filling up with coronavirus cases and the fear of contracting the virus themselves, but risk the wellbeing of their own mental health. In countries where resources are especially stretched, such as in Nepal, pressure comes from many directions. Pratik Khanal is a public health professional who explains more, having recently co-authored a published study exploring the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on health workers in Nepal.

Above: The study on mental health impacts among health workers received the best research award at the national summit organized by Nepal Health Research Council. © Kiran Paudel (study team member). © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

SCIENCE

public health

Q & A - Pratik Khanal In Nepal, why has it been important to study the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare workers? Health workers are working at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work. The fear of being infected due to increased exposure, and the fear of spreading the virus to others make them prone to suffering from mental health symptoms. The health system in Nepal suffers from a chronic shortage of human resources, inadequate medical supplies as well as under-investment in health infrastructure and capacity enhancement. The feeling of being inadequately supported by the health facility management and the government; such as in the supply of personal protective equipment, training for infection prevention, and other incentives also puts health workers into despair. In this context, the study to explore the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on health workers of Nepal was necessary to not only unveil the burden of mental health problems, but also to suggest the government and concerned authorities to act on reducing the consequences of mental health problems.

Please tell us briefly about your survey and results. How did your study methods change due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic? Among 475 study participants, 41.9% of health workers had symptoms of anxiety; 37.5% had some form of depression and 33.9% had symptoms of insomnia. We used Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) to measure the anxiety and depression, and Insomnia Severity Index to measure the insomnia among health workers. In this study, 21.1% of health workers reported adequacy of precautionary measures in their workplace and 53.7% of health workers mentioned that they faced stigma due to COVID-19. Health workers facing stigma and those with history of medication for mental health problems had higher odds of developing symptoms of all mental © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

“It is basically the fear of getting infected from health workers that has propelled communities to be scared of and stigmatize health workers.” health outcomes, while those reporting inadequate precautionary measures in their workplace were more at risk of developing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Similarly, nurses were more likely than other health workers to develop symptoms of anxiety. Due to a nationwide lockdown, we could not conduct face to face interviews and observe the service sites. Instead, we developed an online questionnaire, interacted with health workers by telephone or email, and sent them a questionnaire to fill up.

For what reasons are healthcare workers stigmatized by communities during COVID-19? While our research did not investigate the reasons behind stigmatizing health workers by communities during COVID-19, based on our opinion and context, it is basically the fear of getting infected from health workers that has propelled communities to be scared of, and stigmatize health workers. On one hand, proper risk communication has not been done involving communities, while on other hand, the civil societies including media have also not been strongly involved and mobilized to inform the communities about infection transmission and respecting the dignity of health workers. Our study has revealed that health workers faced stigma due to their profession, accused of being a carrier, threatened or asked to leave a rented place. As health workers are already vulnerable due to the nature of their work, health professionals may not battle the community stigma alone. This will require community engagement strategies along with proper risk communication and also enforcing law and order. p9

SCIENCE

public health

Why could have nurses been more at risk of anxiety and depression than other healthcare staff? As nurses work closely with patients and spend more time in taking care of patients at wards as well as intensive care units, they are more likely to experience symptoms of mental health problems. The work stress, social isolation, and COVID-19 induced fear might also fuel the developing mental health problems. Similarly, in Nepal, as nurses are mostly females, and because of their role to provide care to their children, this may also have played a role in increasing vulnerability to mental health problems compared to other health workers.

How could healthcare workers at risk be better supported to reduce negative mental health impacts? The psychological impacts of a disease outbreak are usually neglected during pandemics despite the high burden caused. The foremost priority for reducing negative mental health impacts among health workers should be in creating an enabling work environment with a good support system.

This might include adequate availability of personal protective equipment, proper training on infection prevention, work rotation, while providing incentives and support in case of being infected. It is also necessary to provide educational interventions such as learning from peers and coping with work stress. Similarly, interventions such as the mobilization of trained counselors for the psychological support of health workers should also be a part of health sector response. The reduction of stigma among health workers working in the COVID-19 response should be prioritized through the mobilization of mass media and community engagement strategies. Strict measures against stigmatization and activities, such as forcing health workers to leave their rented home, should be “Psychological taken to support health workers impacts of a to promote their disease outbreak dignity in the community where are usually they work.

Final thoughts

Bio

neglected during pandemics..”

Pratik Khanal shares multiple ways in which health workers in Nepal face pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a proportion facing social stigma and personal mental health problems. There is food for thought on how these workers could be better supported. Engagement and awareness initiatives in the media could help to tackle the social stigma that some staff experience when they leave the workplace.

Pratik Khanal is a public health professional and currently works in the development sector in Nepal. He is also affiliated with the Global Health Unit of Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University. He is also a research and publication committee member of Nepal Public Health Association. Regarding the other study team members, Navin Devkota is a MD Psychiatry resident, Minakshi Dahal is a public health professional, Kiran Paudel is a public health student, while Devavrat Joshi is an academic in the faculty of psychiatry. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links

Twitter: @khanalpratik Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/ profile/Pratik_Khanal2 Email: pratikkhanal@iom.edu.np

p10

SCIENCE

tech

Graphene-based fuel cells for an environmentally friendly future Graphene is made of carbon atoms only around one atom thick. Essentially, it is a single layer derived from graphite - a natural material many artists use for sketching with. To the right we can see the geometrically uniform, simple structure of graphene - in a hexagonal lattice. This material is not only aethetic to look at on the atomic scale, but a promising material for use in sustainable technologies. Dr Prabhuraj utilizes graphene to create increasingly sustainable fuel cells for a low carbon future, helping to reduce battery waste and support sustainability. Many of us have heard of hydrogen cars which derive energy from hydrogen fuel cells instead of fossil fuels, yet, for these sustainable technologies to become more common, enhanced performance is needed.

p11

SCIENCE

tech

Q & A - Prabhuraj PhD Please share some of the key environmental problems faced by using traditional energy devices, such as batteries. Technically, batteries and supercapacitors cannot provide uninterrupted power as they need charging. Regarding the environmental side, these pose serious disposal issues, where those toxic and corrosive materials (cadmium, lead, mercury and lithium) can be easily absorbed onto soil, water etc. and create health complications in the surrounding areas. These concerns demand an energy device with high running times and less environmental issues.

hence operate for a long period of time and do not require charging as in the case of batteries, therefore saving time.

Fuel cells, which offer higher energy specific energy than batteries, are perceived as a promising source of the future as they convert the chemical energy of fuel directly into electrical energy by a simple oxidationreduction reaction.

The energy conversion process takes place in a single step (chemical to electrical by oxidation/ reduction); and therefore gives higher efficiency (40% to 60%) than any other device.

The electrochemical mechanism results in the release of heat, water, electricity and other side products. In addition, they can continuously supply electrical energy as long as the fuel and oxidant are supplied;

Whereas, in combustion engines, reactions takes place in two stages: combustion to mechanical, and then mechanical to electrical - resulting in lower efficiency (10% to 20%).

“Fuel cells are perceived as a promising source of the future.. they do not require charging as in the case of batteries.”

p12

SCIENCE

tech

Overall, from an environmentally friendly perspective, the ability to deliver energy with high efficiency while using easily accessible fuels, fuel cells stand as a promising candidate for future energy requirements.

In your 2017 TEDx Talk, graphene is described as “a wonder material for energy delivery and sustainability.”

This 4000-times increase is caused a loss of electron-mass by travelling through the structure and the connectivity of carbon to three other carbon atoms. Technically, this results in electron flow above and below the lattice. In addition, the high stability of 130 G Pa (higher than that of steel - 0.4 M Pa) is due to tight packing of carbon atoms.

Therefore, the 2D structure of graphene offers tremendous properties and gets a level of attention Why is the structure of graphene so effective that is not observed for other 3D materials.

compared to other materials, and what is its significance for sustainable energy?

Graphene is a newly discovered material (year 2004) in the family of carbon materials and is a single layer of graphite where carbon atoms are arranged in a hexagonal lattice, with carbon to carbon bond lengths of about 0.142 nm (nanometers) and thicknesses of around 0.3 nm (one atom thick). This is the first two dimensional material ever reported and henceforth considered as the basic structural element of all other carbon allotropes which include diamond, carbon nanotubes and more. Before this discovery, two dimensional crystals were theoretically predicted not to exist as they were thought to be unstable. However, after confirming graphene’s existence, this led to an explosion of interest mainly attributed to its properties. The conductivity of graphene is about 2000 S per cm, whereas that of copper is 0.5 S per cm.

How have you utilized graphene to produce an environmentally friendly fuel cell? In simple terms, the engine room of a fuel cell comprises of two main components: electrode and membrane. The electrode component aids the electron transfer process, whereas the membrane aids the transfer of protons, both contributing towards power output. For an enhanced power output, these electrode and membrane components should be comprised of materials possessing high electron and proton conducting features, in addition to high stability characteristics. Graphene is well known for these better physio-chemical properties than any other materials. The exceptional physio-chemical properties include: high thermal conductivity, mechanical stability,

“Aside from research.. I believe sports activity can boost creative thinking..” p13

SCIENCE

tech

carrier mobility, surface area and optical transparency. Therefore, the main aim of our project is to utilize the properties of this material, graphene, by incorporating it in the engine room of fuel cells to improve power performance.

Also, in the materials research sector, followed by graphene are other 2D materials; molybdenum di sulphide, transition metal carbides, nitrides and layered hydroxides which are also getting enhanced attention. So, I am utilizing those materials as well.

After having tested your concept in methanol fuel cells, increasing cell performance up to 80%, what lies ahead next for your research?

It is this combination of my research experience (PhD from the Univetsity of Manchester, UK, post doc in Lancaster University, and presently in Jiangsu University, China), publications on using these 2D structures for improving the power density of energy storage devices, grants and outreach that led me to achieve the Young Researcher finalist award from Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and I would like to thank the collaborators for supporting me in all my activities.

Following my work on methanol fuel cells during my PhD in the University of Manchester, here in Jiangsu University as a post doc, I am focusing on hydrogen fuel cells in addition to methanol systems. These hydrogen fuel cells produce ten times more power than methanol systems for the same catalyst loading, with no release of harmful side products. However, factors like increased complexities in hydrogen transport and infrastructure, and a need for humidifiers along with high system volumes, make research work interesting.

Final thoughts

Aside from my research I am also involved in teaching, conference organizations and outreach activities. I also believe that sports activity can boost creative thinking and my favourite way to exercise is horse riding across the countryside and to go golfing. I strongly recommend a recreational activity to improve our physical and mental strength!

Graphene offers superior conductive properties compared to copper and 3D materials, giving it many advantages when incorporated into fuel cells. Dr Prabhuraj is currently investigating the power offered by hydrogen fuel cells when utilizing graphene. If the sustainable energy from hydrogen fuel cells and similar technologies can be enhanced using materials scuh as graphene, this could contribute to a greener future, with reduced chemical waste and carbon emissions.

Bio

Links

Dr Prabhuraj is currently a postdoctoral fellow (project investigator) in Jiangsu University, China working on various 2D materials for improving power performance of fuel cells.

Web: www.prabhuraj.co.uk Twitter: @PrabhurajIChemE Linkedin: uk.linkedin.com/in/ prabhuraj-michemeuk-phdafhea-mcsj-74510a45 My TEDx talk on graphene for fuel cells (Youtube): Link 1 Link 2

The fruitful results of his PhD project in the University of Manchester, UK, led him to win prestigious ‘Outstanding doctoral researcher award’ (finalist) and ‘Young Chemical Engineer of the year 2017’ (by Institute of Engineering and Technology, UK).

p14

SCIENCE

education

Groundbreaking approach for improved online college classes As colleges and universities grapple with

reopening plans, they now have a third alternative to in-person classes or traditional online lectures. That’s why Dr. Gene Levinson has invented a groundbreaking solution that will lead to an entirely new approach to online and hybrid education, not only during the pandemic, but for years to come..

Press release re-printed from EurekAlert! July 27, 2020 See more at

Eurekalert.org

p15

SCIENCE

education

“With the very survival of colleges and universities in serious jeopardy, I asked my team to focus on a practical, scalable Convergent Learning solution that brings out the best in both college professors and students,” says Dr. Levinson, a scientist and educator-turned software inventor, now founder and CEO of SmartNoter Inc., a Northern Virginia startup. Instead of passive lectures or one-size-fits-all textbook assignments, the patented, 21st century approach leverages the power of the internet and multimedia, to create an interactive, personalized learning experience, by bringing multiple sources of information, and a variety of digital media formats, to a single, on-demand screen. “It’s important to realize that no technology can replace human creativity, or the mutual desire for professors and their students to assure each student’s success”, Levinson adds. “It’s still up to the professor to create the course, but instead of a 60 minute passive lecture and rote memorization, with the Convergent Media approach, the professor might streamline the lecture to just 15 minutes of narrative that’s segmented into focused topics.

Dr. Levinson says that his unusually broad and diverse career experience prepared him to reimagine how courses should be taught. Trained in biology, and specializing in molecular genetics at the University of California, as a graduate student he discovered the fundamental mechanism by which DNA sequences expand, a discovery that propelled him to do postdoctoral research as well as to tutor undergraduate students at Harvard University. Later, he logged thousands of hours as a one-on-one tutor, primarily for high school students in biology and chemistry. “Ask just about any student (or any parent or professor, for that matter) whether they are happy with passive lectures and rote memorization for exams. Given half a chance, students have innate curiosity, tremendous potential to discover something new, and a strong desire for mastery. They deserve better than we are offering them now, either in high school or in college.”

“Each topic is identified by a thought question, and based on relevance of the ideas in each topic, each question is creatively linked to a broad range of curated, reliable sources of information which can be internal, or may come from a variety of multimedia sources on the Internet. Each professor chooses exercises and deliverables for the students that foster critical thinking, deep understanding and long-term retention.”

About SmartNoter is offering early access and a variety of discounts to help professors rapidly migrate their courses to the improved online versions, and to offer colleges a practical solution to reopening safely in the Fall. SmartNoter scheduled the release of this new paid, proprietary software-as-aservice (SaaS) platform in the first week of August, and relaunched a redesigned website at smartnoter.com at that time. SMARTNOTER INC. CREDIT: COPYRIGHT (C) 2020 BY SMARTNOTER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Conservation

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conservation

marine

Highlight

Saving the nautilus - endangered beauty of the deep.. Founded by two children passionate about protecting the

enigmatic nautilus, the project Save the Nautilus has evolved through a decade to raise awareness of this beautiful creature that we do not often see in its natural habitat, but on display. The nautilus has been under threat for a time now due to commercial demand for their ornamental shells. In 2010, a study in Fisheries Research revealed catch populations in the Philippines dropped by 80% since 1980, laying evidence for the chambered nautilus to be protected. Only two years ago, in 2018, the species was listed as endangered. Now, the nautilus needs our help more than ever in its conservation. This inspired the launch of the project Save the Nautilus a decade ago, to research and raise awareness of this beauty of the deep. Top right: Nautilus pompilius and Allonautilus scrobiculatus, fuzzy nautilus, feeding on tuna bait during deep-sea surveys in Papua New Guinea in 2015. Directly right: Nautilus pompilius being released after measurements in Panglao, Philippines in 2012. Credit for both photos: Save the Nautilus (Gregory J. Barord and Peter D. Ward). All rights reserved.

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conservation

marine

Q & A - Gregory Barord PhD (Save the Nautilus) Can you tell us a little about your project Save The Nautilus (Savethenautilus.com), and how it began? Save the Nautilus was started by two 11-year old kids, Josiah Utsch and Ridgely Kelly almost 10 years ago now. They started it because they wanted to do something to help protect a species disappearing before our eyes, the chambered nautilus. More significant, nautiluses were disappearing from this planet and even scientists did not know that much about them, let alone the world at large.

Since the nautilus has been on the planet for 500 million years, dating back earlier than the dinosaurs and fish, what do you think has been its secret to survival success? The secret to success is probably a lot of luck and the ability to adapt to changing environments (weather, climate, resources, predators, etc.). Even with all that adaptation, the vast majority of species eventually go extinct). Nautiluses have seemed to be perfectly suited to adapt over time to whatever they experienced. Nautiluses have a strong sense of smell (olfaction) and are able to find decaying food items in the deep sea relatively easily. Their eggs are laid in rock crevices and are nearly camouflaged with the background. They have a strong protective shell that helps to avoid being eaten. Nautiluses do have their limits though. They cannot go below 800 meters or their shell implodes and they cannot survive long periods in warm water above 25 degrees celsius. Although they have survived for so long, they are now isolated to the Indo-Pacific along coral reef slopes whereas they used to inhabit much larger areas of the ocean.”

Do you know any unusual facts about the Nautilus to share with us today? Where do I begin? Each nautilus shell is unique to that individual, like a fingerprint. Nautiluses live much longer than their cephalopod (octopus, squid, cuttlefish) cousins of at least 20 years. Nautiluses have a beak and a chainsawlike tongue called a radula to consume their food. The fuzzy nautilus, Allonautilus scrobiculatus, has a furry, mucus coat on its shell that might help reduce predation. Nautiluses can heal broken parts of their shell extremely well. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

“Although they have survived for so long (for 500 million years), they are now isolated to the Indo-Pacific along coral reef slopes.. they used to inhabit the entire planet.” p19

conservation

marine

Male nautiluses are attracted to all nautiluses whereas female nautiluses are repelled by other females. Nautilus populations are declining in nearly every area where they have been fished. I also think that nautiluses are the most well-known, mysterious animal on the planet because most people have never seen the living animal on video, let alone in person, but many have their shells on a shelf, or in their ear, or have artwork of the animal.

In the modern day, in what ways is this creature under threat, and what is the importance of protecting it? Like many animals, there are limited resources and predators. For nautiluses, their biggest threat is humans, Specifically, humans wanting the nautilus shell to sit on a bookshelf or be made into an earring or furniture inlay. Nautiluses do not begin reproducing until they are at least 8-12 years old and when they do, they only lay about 10 eggs at a time. The eggs then take at least a year to hatch. At the rate humans fish nautiluses and sell them all over the world, the nautilus populations cannot survive. Further, the way that nautiluses are fished is similar to shark finning in a sense. Just as the fins are harvested from the live shark and the live shark is tossed back in the ocean. The living nautilus animal is ripped from its shell and tossed back in the ocean, alive. We are working with a large group of organizations to come up with a solution that benefits the nautiluses AND the communities that rely on them as income. If nautiluses disappear, we all lose.

What is Save The Nautilus doing to help conserve the Nautilus, and what can we do to support this effort? Save the Nautilus does it all! We work on awareness, education, communication, advocacy, and research. Our goal is to share the nautilus story with as many people as possible and so far, I think we’ve been pretty successful. The work of our team and collaborators has led to the first international and United States regulation of the shell trade Nautiluses are now regulated under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the species, Nautilus pompilius, is listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act. We try to be active on social media but I think we are more successful at just talking to people on our field expeditions across the world and back home locally. No matter the age, background, education, job, religion, etc., we have shared the nautilus story. The nautilus story is an incredible account of a species’ life on this planet and something that I think we can all gain inspiration and appreciation for.

Final thoughts We have learned that the nautilus is well adapted to its environment, having helped it to survive for over 500 million years, but it has a weakness - humans are its greatest threat, who fish the nautilus for the beauty of their shells. Through research and raising awarenss of the nautilus, Save the Nautilus makes the point that if it becomes extinct, everyone loses.

Bio

Links

Gregory Jeff Barord is a Conservation Biologist for Save the Nautilus and Marine Biology Instructor at Central Campus. Our Save the Nautilus team’s mission is to tell the world, no, universe, about the nautilus story by educating the public, creating awareness, raising funds, and through research expeditions. We have traveled throughout the world, in-person and virtually, to make this happen and just as nautiluses have done for millions of years, we keep on going to #SaveTheNautilus!

Web: www.savethenautilus.com

Facebook: The Nautilus Files Save the Nautilus Twitter: @gjbarord @SaveNautilus YouTube: The Secret Life of Nautiluses p20

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eNarwhals

The new “canary” of the sea? By Jazmin “Sunny” Murphy Affectionately known as the “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal, Monodon monoceros, has long enthralled ocean-lovers over the centuries. The stunning tusk – which is actually a modified tooth – that juts out of the center of their head is the key aesthetic feature that has grabbed the attention and stolen the hearts of wildlife observers the world ‘round.

Yet, this may not be the only unique trait of this marine mammal. Recent research has shown that the narwhal may be capable of indirectly alerting scientists to warming ocean temperatures. Their extreme sensitivity to pockets of cold and warm water, along with their highly specific habitat preferences, illustrates that this animal can reliably signal changes in the underwater environment.

Narwhal’s ecological sensitivity Although the narwhal is considered to be of “Least Concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is still endemic to Arctic habitats. With no other present habitats in the world, the decline of environmental stability in their current range could mean trouble. This, along with the traits listed below, makes it especially vulnerable to climatic changes: •

Lack of flexibility in migration patterns and related population movements

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Relatively low population numbers

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Poor genetic diversity

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Stringent diet (their palates are not very adaptable)

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Still, given that the species is not currently in danger of imminent extinction, their extreme climate sensitivity could serve a greater purpose.

The narwhal as a window into ocean climatic changes

The international team of researchers, led by Mads Peter Heide Jorgensen, were interested in just how deeply temperature fluctuations affect these whales, so they gathered telemetry equipment and journeyed to observe four narwhals in East Greenland.

As mentioned in the study, Arctic ice has been disappearing at an unnerving rate of 3-4% per decade, on average. Additionally, the vast ocean continued its ascension into higher temperatures at about 0.11֯C with each passing decade between the ‘70s and 2010.

The team discovered that, despite the narwhals’ preference for “dense, high salinity waters,” their desire to remain in areas between 0.5-2֯C was much stronger. Further, when foraging for cod and squids, the whales favor depths between 300-600m above most other microhabitats. These depths slightly differed between the summer and winter, yet the maximum temperature limit remained the same. Due to the specificity with which narwhals react to their surrounding environment, their behavior could be a reliable indicator of the state of deep ocean habitats as climate change continues to warm polar landscapes.

Since narwhals’ lives are so particularly dictated by sea temperatures, watching their behavior may give marine researchers a peek into ocean degradation in real-time. Though the inflow of cold waters into the narwhals’ habitat sustains their current ecological preferences, warming temperatures in the North Atlantic’s surface area may force them to change in the near future. If and when these changes occur, marine experts may be indirectly alerted to climate-related anomalies in the deep sea. These researchers set out to discover the ecological intricacies of narwhal life, and yet, they may have just unveiled a brand-new canary of the sea.

Bio Jazmin “Sunny” Murphy is the Creator and Head Writer of Black Flower Science Co. - a platform meant to facilitate the building of relationships between scientists and laypeople while challenging social stigmas attached to cannabis use. You can support Jazmin’s work by visiting blackflowerscience.co and purchasing a book, or by offering a donation. You can also become a patron at patreon.com/BlackFloSciCo Above: Black Flower Science Co. information. © Black Flower Science Co. All rights reserved.

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The art of ethical taxidermy A More Modern Prometheus By Chris Styles (as seen on SciCulture.eu)

Chris Styles speaks to the

Images below: Taxidermy for museums (general example).

ethical taxidermist, Krysten Newby, about the truth behind the art of taxidermy and how she turned her passion for art and nature into a business.

There is something about seeing an animal in the flesh; something you cannot get from an image. It is tangible, you can understand its weight, its height, its literal embodiment. In a previous life, I studied Zoology and Ecology, and I remember reading books of animal keys (imagine a pick-your-own adventure but in the end, you always end up being an animal of some sort) or books on animal mechanics, where the technical illustrations always looked a little.. off. Even the best illustrations or videos cannot do the real creatures justice. Then, I would step into the University’s Zoology Museum, a lifeless menagerie, full of beasts great and small, and some now extinct. Even if some of these specimens had seen better days, they took up physical space, instilled with a quasi-potential for life. I think that if you study any form of life, you must have at least a small amount of fascination with death as sometimes this is the only way to learn how the trick is done. When dissecting a frog, you learn a lot in the process, but sadly, in the end, you are left with a dead frog. So here lies the importance of a skilled taxidermist, an illusionist who can seem to bring the dead back to life. And although not the real thing… we can sometimes learn far more from a good approximation. We speak to artist and taxidermist Krysten Newby, about how she sees her craft and selling these ideas to the world around her.

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Q & A - Krysten Newby

What is the usual response you get when you tell people about what you do?

How did you get into taxidermy?

When I tell people that I’m a taxidermist, I watch their eyebrows rise and fall as they’re going through the My love and total admiration for nature and wildlife emotions of astonishment, curiosity, then disgust, as from a very young age definitely played a part in they ask “so you have to gut them and everything?!” my journey to becoming a taxidermist. As a little To which I explain that I carefully peel the skin off the girl and young naturalist, I never had any idea carcass so no ‘gutting’ is involved (unless it is a badly that I would become one - but all I did know that deformed roadkill). I tell them to visualise the chicken I wanted to work with animals. Marine biologist, they roast on a Sunday and that it looks similar once veterinary nurse and an equine physiotherapist a bird is skinned so they have something to relate to. were all on the cards, but I never wanted to give I always find it funny how people who eat meat are up on my dream of becoming a traditional artist squeamish about ‘dead things’, but are totally fine with and my friends and family always told me it was a the idea of handling and preparing something such as a talent I should never give up. chicken carcass to eat. So in the end, it has worked out perfectly! I’d say getting into taxidermy was a natural progression. It’s birds, in particular, I’ve always had an extreme fondness for. I was never a child who liked to play with dolls or watched cartoons much, I was always glued to the windows watching birds in the garden, then looking them up in bird books to see what they were. I did daily walks around the garden to collect dropped feathers as a very young child, followed by collecting other bits of natural history such as skulls and entomology in my teens. Then, I started collecting a bit of old, antique taxidermy for drawing reference.

‘Dead stuff’ is something I have always had a morbid fascination with though the opportunity to see animals up close in all of their glory, seeing how each piece of anatomy works, learning with every observation. I remember dissecting fish in a biology lesson once and that afternoon after school, my best friend and I ordered her parents to drive us to the supermarket so we could get some fish from the deli counter. We revisited our biology lesson earlier on in the day, in the summerhouse in the heat of summer, which wasn’t the wisest of ideas…but we had so much fun and those memories certainly sparked something within me and possibly fuelled my hunger to explore the world of taxidermy. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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What part of your work do you think would surprise people most? People are most surprised by just how many processes and skills are involved in creating a piece of taxidermy. Most people don’t realise that beneath the skin, is an anatomically correct, handcrafted mannequin that has to mirror the original carcass with absolute accuracy. Once a bird is skinned, I take measurements of every part of the carcass and note them down before carving and sanding a body out of balsa wood, or foam for very small birds. So a ‘taxidermist’ is really an umbrella term for being a sculptor with a keen eye for detail, hairdresser, biologist, carpenter, architect, an alchemist of sorts, and most importantly of all in my opinion - a keen naturalist.

What was the learning process like? How do you practice etc? Taxidermy is a constant learning process. I am learning new ways to do things and things I never knew from a zoological perspective, with every specimen I work with, and that’s what I love about it. Just recently, I was working with a red-crested turaco and to my amazement, the red pigment was appearing to come out of the primary feathers as I was skinning! After doing some research, I learned that turacos harbour this amazing red pigment as a result of their copper-rich diet which is totally unique to them, which was even used as a paint pigment in years gone by! They are also the only bird to have ‘true green’ feathers, which isn’t a result of light refracting in the feather structure. But in terms of learning the craft itself, it is really a case of trial and error and you learn from your mistakes very quickly. I consider myself self-taught, apart from a day course in London where I learned how to do the absolute basics working with a rat. I religiously watched as many youtube tutorials and read as many books as I could, which all varied massively with methods. Like any art, there’s no right or wrong way to really do things, so I used the knowledge as a guide, applied it to my practice, and sort of found my own way of working, but this is not without many failures! I love to look back on them to see how far I have excelled. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Were you ever squeamish? I was never really squeamish, but more nervous about working on animals as I was afraid of not being able to do them justice. So I did have a lot of anxieties when I first started out. The only thing I am not really fond of, are ticks and parasitic worms that come with specimens, especially when they’re still alive! I freeze all of my specimens prior to working on them, which resolves this issue.

How do you refer to the animals you work on? I prefer to refer to the animals I work on as ‘specimens’. I think this helps build the association to a practice of science and natural history, rather than a ‘trophy’ for ‘sport’, which is a stereotype I want to keep as far away from as possible.

Is there much separation between your taxidermy and your other artwork? The overall thought process is much the same for both my taxidermy and traditional art. For both practices, I have to have a good knowledge and understanding of the animal, what it’s ecology is like i.e it’s habitat, behavioral attributes, and diet, in order for me to create accurate concept sketches true to the subject. I do quite like to create a homage to the animal and represent it to a true former likeness in a creative way through. Recently I have started to work with resin and have incorporated it into the wooden bases for my specimens. My favourite piece is a Eurasian Jay, which has acorns embedded in the clear resin, sandwiched between two pieces of oak. Jay’s bury and ‘stache’ acorns for a food source in the winter and the ones they do forget, turn in to oak trees! I thought this was artistic, yet an educational way of showing the ecology of the Jay - my favourite bird.

Can you tell us about starting your own business? Was that always your plan, to use your art training to open a studio? Starting my own business definitely wasn’t my plan, although having said that, I never really had a plan, to begin with! In 2014, I graduated from university p26

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with a graphic design degree, and soon after, I had a job at a local design studio doing illustration for car wraps for almost a year. However, due to my ongoing battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, I had to resign as it was too demanding and I had to have a lot of time off. Although I have been suffering with these chronic conditions since the age of 9, I went through a particularly rough patch during this time, even the simplest of tasks such as showering and brushing my teeth would leave me completely exhausted and unable to carry out any other activities for the rest of the day. I found it extremely difficult to adapt to this new, slower way of life and lost a lot of friends along the way, as they didn’t quite understand why I couldn’t meet up with them and were declining their invitations to events. Having all of this free time at home has allowed me to focus 100% on my art and taxidermy and it seems to have naturally progressed into something people are genuinely interested in - I soon built up a commissions list, much to my amazement and delight! I do explain to people about a waiting list before taking on work, which they are mostly fine with thankfully, they don’t mind the wait. I allow a lot of extra time to take on projects to accommodate for days I am unable to work due to frequent illness.

You advertise yourself as an “Ethical Taxidermist”. Can you discuss why it is important to make this distinction, what does this mean to you? Branding myself as an ethical taxidermist is something that is extremely important to me. I know ‘ethical’ is a subjective thing and what it may mean to one person, won’t necessarily mean the same thing to another. For me, animal welfare and conservation are at the forefront of what I do and I will not work with any specimen that has been killed unnecessarily for a so-called ‘trophy’ or the pure purpose of taxidermy. The only specimens I do work with that have had their lives deliberately terminated are those that have been culled in the interest of another, more vulnerable species. A prime example of that is having predator control on nature reserves to protect very vulnerable breeding birds that are in declines, such as Stone Curlew and other ground-nesting birds. The carcasses of the predators such as carrion crows and foxes will only end up being incinerated, therefore I obtain them for free and I just prefer to preserve their beauty. I also donate a percentage of my profits

Unlike most taxidermists that can get things done in a couple of days, I have to vigorously pace myself. I’ll allow a morning for skinning a specimen (which will most likely deplete me of energy for the rest of the day) then pop the skin back in the freezer which is essentially the equivalent of hitting the ‘pause’ button on a project. Another day, I will make the form based on the carcass measurements, and I will allow myself an additional 3 days (typically) to clean the skin, mount it on to the form and ‘feather’, which is the process of making sure each feather is where it should be. Right: Taxidermy in action. © Krysten Newby. All rights reserved.

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to my local wildlife trust and other conservation charities to enable them to continue the amazing work they do to conserve and protect our wildlife. So in an unconventional, roundabout way, although these animals have perished in very sad circumstances, their legacy lives on through the medium of taxidermy and they are actively helping other wildlife to thrive - it’s the ciiirrrcle of liiiife! One more point I’d like to say is that I donate the carcasses of my birds of prey to the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme, which gathers and analyse data such as the level of toxins like lead and other poisons that get into the food chain, within the carcasses. Very important research for the wellbeing of our birds of prey, who are often at the top of the food chain which gives us an indication of how the rest of our ecosystem is doing.

When most people think of taxidermy they probably imagine people getting family pets “stuffed” which is a service you do not seem to offer, what are your thoughts on this practice? Preserving pets is a controversial subject within the taxidermy industry. It’s a service I personally don’t offer, as people have a very deep, emotional connection with their beloved pets and know every single little quirk and characteristic about them. This is something taxidermists would never be able to comprehend and therefore it is very difficult to portray the character and soul that a pet owner knew so deeply into the art of taxidermy. This especially applies to pets such as cats and dogs, that hold so much emotion in their face, again, something that’s difficult to get right. Not only is it the physical and technical aspect of pet taxidermy which is the challenge, but the emotional one too. People are understandably distraught over the trauma of losing a pet and may not be able to bare the thought of living without them. They may make impulse and irrational decisions during this time. For this reason, I urge anyone thinking of getting their pet preserved to keep them in the freezer for at least 6 months and revisit the prospect of having them preserved after this time. Many people will change their minds after they’ve had time to grieve. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever mounted? I get asked this question a lot…most of the animals I work with are roadkill, so I don’t get to work on exotic and unusual specimens very often, however, I always love working on a woodpecker as their tongues wrap right around their skull and sit in a special groove between their eyes. That’s pretty weird!

Can you describe the process and the tools you use? Most of the tools I use are probably what you’d expect, scalpels, knives, etc. but there are some pretty cool taxidermy specific ones out there that you won’t have heard of, like a brain scoop or a tail stripper! It’s the most satisfying part of skinning mammals for me - using this tool makes removing the tail bone from the skin a lot easier, it literally slides out like a slippery glove off a hand. I’m sure other taxidermists can relate. The taxidermy process in a nutshell for mammals consists in order of the following: • • •

•

• •

After the specimen has defrosted, I’ll remove the skin from the carcass, usually by making an incision down the belly. Next, I will deflesh and remove all bits of membrane, flesh, and fat from the skin. The skin then goes through the tanning process, in which I first have to ‘pickle’ the skin which prepares the epidermis by removing unwanted proteins for accepting tannins. This solution has to have a PH level of between 1.0 and 2.0. After neutralising, the skin will then go into the tanning solution, which will strengthen and preserve the skin and turn it into a strong, durable leather. After the mannequin or ‘form’ is accurately recreated from the carcass measurements, I will mount the skin on to it and move into position. Glass eyes are fitted to the form prior to the skin being mounted.

Birds go through a similar process, but go through a series of washes and soaks instead of tanning, as their skin is paper-thin and very delicate!

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What makes a bad piece of taxidermy? Taxidermy is undoubtedly a form of art, so there is no right or wrong, good or bad way of doing it providing the skin is properly preserved.But it does annoy me a lot when I see taxidermists that clearly have little understanding of the subject they’re working on. For instance, not knowing what species you’re working with means you can’t plan in advance or research into their ecology, to know what pose they are typically seen in, their eye colour, habitat, etc. and this very clearly reflects in the finished article. A little bit of my soul dies every time I see someone use black eyes for my favourite bird - the Eurasian Jay as they have gorgeous, vibrant blue eyes! There are ‘rogue’ taxidermy artists who like a lot of creativity into their pieces and step away from the traditional approach. Although they aren’t focused on representing how the animal would have looked in their former life, I do enjoy seeing all the weird hybrids people come up with! I especially have a fascination with animals in mythology and there are some great taxidermy artists that have come up with mystical beasts such as griffons, using parts from multiple creatures that some people would consider ‘bad taxidermy’, I suppose.

How does taxidermy make you think about your own mortality? Taxidermy definitely makes me reflect on how fragile we all are when I’m working on birds especially and how we’re only here for a fleeting moment in the Earth’s endless timeline. It sounds very cliche, but It’s encouraged me to make the most of every single day, even if that means observing and appreciating

About the author

wildlife through the window when my health is bad. I haven’t given too much thought into what I want to happen when I die, but I would like to be returned to nature in whatever form rather than cremated, I like the idea of my body being given back to the earth. Also, a sky burial would be really cool! Not very practical in the UK though, mind you.

Is there a message would you like to get across to the general public about taxidermy? I’d love to reiterate the point and defeat the stereotype that is not all taxidermists are bloodthirsty psychopaths that kill animals for fun! There is now a huge community that preserves animals because they love and have great admiration for the natural world. We see the priceless educational and scientific value of taxidermy, which is now more important than ever with the number of species at risk of extinction. In years to come, sadly taxidermy may be the only way of appreciating the creatures walking the earth today.

How important is it for you to have a creative outlet? Having a creative outlet is the most important thing for me - it’s honestly the only reason that gets me out of bed. Not only is it my only form of pain relief and a chance to escape from my ailments for a while, but it also gives me hope and fuels my ambition to make better art and advance in my taxidermy career. It also so good for my mental wellbeing - being stuck at home all the time isn’t easy, so it keeps me busy.

Thank you to Krysten for her time and insight. A version of this interview features on sciculture.eu/a-more-modern-prometheus

Chris Styles: Ex-dung beetle wrangler, grass-counter, science teacher, and pond-dipper. Currently; science communicator, existential worrier, shouty introvert, freelance weirdo. Zoologist turned marketing and comms person (somehow). Chris has created, The Philtrum, a science and news website, featuring interesting stuff, right under your nose- Get it? Chris currently works for the Erasmus + project SciCulture, bridging the gap between Scientists, artists, and entrepreneurship. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Web: thephiltrum.com Twitter: @philtrum_under SciCulture: sciculture.eu Taxidermyco: taxidermy.co.uk p29

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Biology illustration with Sophie Bee Art Sophie Banspach is a scientific illustrator

who demonstrates how a background in biology, and more specifically, public health, can compliment visual art beautifully. Her project, Sophie Bee Art, features vividly illustrated aspects of the natural world influenced by her biological knowledge, often centred around wildlife, insects, plants and flowers. The level of detail we can see in the artworks she shares with us here demonstrates the advantage of understanding a subject in depth, at a technical level. She is passionate about engaging science with wider communities and sharing her skills with others through her art, community programs and online workshops.

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Q & A - Sophie Banspach How have your Public Health studies influenced your botanical and wildlife illustration endeavors? Throughout my career I have found that my interest in public health and my visual art training can work to complement one another. Communicating public health messages effectively is often dependent on the use of human-centered design-thinking principles and information visualization strategy. My undergraduate degree is in Scientific Illustration, which is the art of visually representing scientific concepts for educational learning (via textbooks, scientific posters, diagrams, etc.), and I am currently working on my Masters of Public Health degree at Columbia University. Prior to graduate school, I worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at a local health district, where I began to see a need for effective communication methods to educate the local community about health information, such as vaccination. I grew interested in the interaction of science, culture, and health communication, and how public health professionals

can better communicate information to influence healthy-decision making in diverse populations. At Columbia, I am working as a fellow at Columbia’s Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, helping implement a program that bridges academia and the broader Manhattan community. This program works to grow community engagement and build organizational capacity by training health professionals in effective communication approaches. In both public health communication and scientific illustration, the core goals are the same – to take complex information and make it accessible and usable to a broader audience. In this sense, my background in art and health continue to be complementary disciplines for communication science.

“In both public health communication and scientific illustration, the core goals are the same – to take complex information and make it accessible and usable to a broader audience” © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Please tell us about how you developed your frog illustrations. What references did you use to capture their anatomy? My Scientific Illustration thesis was “An Illustrated Selection of Diversities in Frog Propagation”. After deciding on this topic, I met with a herpetologist at my university to learn more about frog biology. I also spent hours researching and reading about frog propagation. Once I selected the frogs I wanted to draw, I used references from the internet and videos to help me accurately represent the subjects. My drawing process first involved a graphite pencil illustration of each frog, which took dozens of hours to perfect. Following this, I scanned the drawings into Adobe Photoshop where I digitally hand painted each frog. From start to finish, each frog drawing took an average of 15 hours to finish. Today, I update and adapt my frog illustrations to fit into various contexts. During our current Coronavirus pandemic, I put a mask on a frog to create an amusing and relevant health message – “don’t jump to conclusions – wear a mask!”

Your time-lapse videos on your YouTube channel really capture your creative process well, using a range of media, with paints and pens. For somebody new to art, what media do you recommend they use? While my YouTube channel is still in its beginning stages, I have many ideas for future tutorial and timelapse videos. For new viewers, I would recommend my “postcard painting” playlist – these are time-lapses of various illustrations I paint on postcards! In addition to YouTube, I livestream myself painting postcards on a weekly series I call “Wine & Paint”. A lot of my art centers around wildlife, insects, and botanicals. For new artists, I recommend starting out with Winsor and Newton (Cotman) paints. You can buy the paints as a kit – it’s very handy and easy to carry around with you. I would also recommend starting on cold press 140lb watercolor paper. You can find relatively inexpensive paper in this weight, and it is a great to use when you are just practicing or playing around with the paints. What I wouldn’t go all out on are brushes; I have used inexpensive watercolor brushes my whole career and I haven’t run into any problems! If you want to spend more, you can purchase sable (horse-hair) brushes.

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Please tell us more about your teaching experience and the online art classes you offer. Are these suitable for beginners or those who are more experienced? My joy for educating started in high school, when I began to teach summer art camps. I quickly learned how fulfilling it was to work with students who have a great passion to learn, grow, and express themselves through art. I taught summer art camps into college and began private tutoring. Post-graduation, I moved to Nevada and worked part-time as a Natural Illustration educator at the Nevada Museum of Art. During this job, I was invited to teach a Natural Illustration seminar to art teachers at a national STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) conference hosted by the museum. Over my years of experience teaching, I have learned personally, through students, and at an academic level, how special it is to be an educator and how transformative the act of creating artwork can be. Currently, I take art tutoring requests from students of all ages and experience levels. I also facilitate art workshops, what I call “art parties”, for groups. At the moment, I am planning on creating online, self-paced art classes on a variety of subject matter (i.e., beginner watercolor, drawing basics, wildlife painting, natural illustration, etc.)

Bio

Final thoughts Sophie Banspach fuses her experience in both art and public health to create stunning art illustrations while also communicating science. Through fine art, Sophie has made science more accessible to wider communities, including a program she implemented that bridged academia with the Manhattan community. To engage with more people, risk free of Covid-19, Sophie offers art workshops for groups online.

Hi! My name is Sophie and I’m the artist behind Sophie Bee Art. I am a Scientific Illustrator (the art of illustrating for science education) and a Masters of Public Health Student at Columbia University. I love painting botanicals and wildlife, and also plan to use my art degree to inform public health communication to help people make healthier decisions. As an artist, I believe that as humans our eyes can become desensitized to the little details of our everyday, and through my artwork I aim to reintroduce our eyes to the beauty and small treasures of the natural world. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Etsy: Sophie Bee Art Instagram: @sophiebeeart Facebook: Sophie Bee Art YouTube: Sophie Bee Art Web: www.sophiebeeart.com p33

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Prehistoric story-telling with Dinosaurcomics When we think of comic books our minds

usually jump to stories of myth and fiction - such as the famous superhero comics, Spider-Man and Super-Man.

Andy Cruz shows that we don’t need to write purely fictional stories for comic books to be captivating. This format can be education, as demonstrated with Andy’s paleoart project Dinosaurcomics - shared graphically on Instagram and Twitter. Andy’s designs have led to a successful Kickstarter campaign for unique dinosaur pins based on Cretaceous species from the geological Hell Creek formation. We speak with Andy about the creative process behind Dinosaurcomics.

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Q & A - Andy Cruz Please tell us about how your interest in paleontology was sparked and how you went on to pursue that subject further. It all started when I saw Jurassic Park on VHS as a child. I played that film, as well as The Lost World: Jurassic Park until the cassette tapes broke. I started reading plenty of books and have kept up with Paleontological discoveries since then.

What inspired you to start Dinosaurcomics? Please also tell us a little about the creation process. Do you use pen on paper or is it all digital media? Comic books have been a big part of my life growing up. I loved reading Archie, Spider-Man and various Japanese Manga. The major inspiration for beginning my dinosaurcomics page was “Age of Reptiles” (a series of comics published by Dark Horse Comics) by Ricardo Delgado. My process for my educational comics always begins with research. I’ll often go through various sources on google and reach out to actual paleontologists that have worked on and investigated the animal. Previously, I used to storyboard my work traditionally but have shifted completely to digital. Shown to the right is the Albertosaurus comic, which I did with help and feedback from Paleontologists Hillary McLean and Dr. Thomas Holtz Jr., (copyright Andy Cruz 2020.)

“The process for my educational comics always begins with research.. I’ll often reach out to actual paleontologists..” Andy would like to thank Kathryn Abbott from Dino Lab inc. for providing skeletal references for the Albertosaurus comic. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Which dinosaurs have you particularly enjoyed working on and why? I enjoyed working on the designs for the Hell Creek Pin Set! For those that don’t know, the Hell Creek formation is a famous geological site that stretches from Montana to Wyoming. The rocks there date from 67-66 million years ago, at the very end of the age of the dinosaurs, before they became extinct. Famous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops are found there. This particular set was fun for me, mainly because I was working on the same animals that were my introduction to dinosaurs as a child. My personal favorite among the bunch is the Triceratops. I started a Kickstarter to get them manufactured and the Paleontology community rallied to support it; I feel very fortunate to have made many wonderful friends in the process of making my art and these pins.

For a beginner or amateur artist, how can somebody start to make paleoart? The first step is to do research and search for referential material. Learn as much as you can about your subject before even picking up the pencil. Think about what physical characteristics make the animal unique and look at how other Paleoartists portray it. And of course, you also need to practice your art fundamentals such as perspective, gesture, composition, value etc.

Final thoughts

Bio

Having been inspired by both dinosaurs and comic books growing up, Andy Cruz reaches out to experts in paleontology to create the entertaining, yet educational comic book series, Dinosaurcomics, having also produced dinosaur pin badges from the Hell Creek formation. On the next page, Andy shares a ‘how to paleoart’ guide with us, so we can all can give paleoart a try!

Andy (AKA Andrew) Cruz is a part-time illustrator whose main focus is science communication through webcomics. He loves educating the public about nature, and is currently working on his webcomic series “Did You Know Dino”. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links

Merch store: dinosaurcomics.bigcartel.com Instagram: @dinosaurcomics Twitter: @dinosaurc0mics p36

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How to paleoart with Dinosaurcomics

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Comparing the birth of a star to a human zygote By Isha Parlikar

Stars are considered to be the building blocks of galaxies.

Studying the life cycle of a celestial star is central to the field of astronomy. In a galaxy, the birth of a star takes place in clouds that are scattered with dust and gases, such as the Orion Nebula. The giant cloud that is formed as a result of the explosion of a dying star is filled with gases and dust particles from the explosion. Hydrogen gas is one of the basic components of these clouds.

Basically, due to the gravity of hydrogen atoms, they start coming closer to each other. The atoms slowly move towards the center of mass of all the atoms. As a result, the cloud starts getting denser, allowing hydrogen atoms to interact with each other, also causing a rise in temperature. At this stage, the central core is called a protostar - the name given to a very young star that is still gaining mass from parent clouds. The young protostar was a ball of hydrogen and helium not yet powered by fusion. Over tens of millions of years, the temperature and pressure of the material inside increased, providing the source of energy for the star, just like the fusion of hydrogen that drives our sun today. Gravity keeps gases and dust particles together. It keeps forcing energetic interactions and igniting gaseous explosions around the central core that formed this protostar. As the size of the protostar gets smaller and density increases, spinning accelerates. The resulting orbitting material around a central body is called an accretion disk.

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Accretion in astronomy is the growth of mass of any celestial object due to its gravitation. In an accretion disk, gases, dust particles, and astronomical objects flow in a disk-like manner around a very strong gravitational field. It loses the energy and angular momentum as it slowly spirals inward. The formation of all stars and planets involve this accretion disk. Let’s understand the birth of star with the help of a blackhole: When massive stars die, a supernova forms. The explosion of a star is called a supernova, it’s the largest explosion occurring in galaxies. There are two types of supernovas: 1. Binary stars, two stars orbiting around the same orbit can cause a supernova. 2. When a star runs out of its fuel it cannot support itself, causing a big explosion known as a supernova. A supernova expands and contracts, to result in the formation of black holes. The total mass of the star collapses to a very small space which is dense and has very strong gravitational forces. This appears to be smaller than the size of the star but has strong gravitational power. After the star collapse happens, the surface of the star becomes an imaginary surface called the “event horizon”. All the material crossing the event horizon disappears for the observer due to its strong gravitation pull. Black holes have a very strong gravitational field that we cannot observe. Although everything entering a black hole vanishes for the observer, a black hole is said to have the power to give birth to a new star or planet. The strong gravitation pull, circular motion, nuclear fusion events and the high temperature seems to set the scene for the birth of a star.

Comparison to a human zygote

Let’s compare this to a human zygote. This is first diploid cell which eventually develops into a human being. It is the first single cell after the fertilization and fusion of male sperm and the female oocyte.

one second. Sperm motility is an important consideration for fertilization success. They observed that the sperm body and tail rotate around in a swimming direction.

A series of events begin as the sperm enters the oocyte. After sperm fuses with the oocyte, a pro-nucleus forms, which then migrates towards the center of the oocyte.

If we draw an axis through the sperm head, it can be seen that sperm is spinning around itself and the tilted axis rotates around center. Entire motions of sperm are considered to have a drilling effect thought fluid to achieve the destination.

Every cell has to have two centrioles. The sperm contributes its two centrioles to the zygote, which then guides the migration of pronuclei towards the center, but it is not known what guides the centriole. Recently, researchers from the UK and Mexico using 3D microscopy were able to mathematically reconstruct the movement of a sperm tail. With the help of a very fast camera, they were able to record 55,000 images in © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Authors find similarities of this process with the precession of the equinoxes. Taken together, this finding hints that circular motion is responsible for the birth of a star in interstellar p39

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space and zygote formation inside the female womb. That brings to mind a very similar creation process on a circulating potter’s wheel, or when preparing a ball of dough.

What do you think about these interesting connections? Is there a similar event happening inside the zygote, which has to do with the spinning motion of sperm? Is the merging of black holes similar to the merging of two pronuclei? Nature uses similar principles again and again. These connections and similarities can help us to understand molecular evolution. To us, natural events can seem to be similar, irrespective of scale. Here, the principle of circular motion and conservation of angular momentum seem to be miraculous and astonishing. Patterns observed on an astronomical scale can be applied to microscopic life, and vice versa. This helps us understand scientific connections hidden in our natural world.

Bio Isha Parlikar is a biochemist and molecular biologist based in Thane, India. As a passionate multimedia artist, she is very interested in the area of SciArt, with a focus on improving scientific communication through art. Her interests include visualizing science, graphical summaries, science comics, and vector art for scientific diagrams. She completed her postgraduate (MS) qualification at the University of Bremen, Germany. Her professional background includes lab work at the “Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer” in Mumbai and the cell culture department at HiMedia Labs.

Links Portfolio: ishaparlikar.wixsite.com/sciart

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SciArt jewelry honors Covid-19 survivors Seeing the impacts of coronavirus on the

community, jewelry-maker and scientist Dayle Daines created ‘Coronavirus Survivor’ necklaces to honor those who have undergone the harsh impacts of the virus. Dayle shares more science inspired examples of her jewelry with us here, including the geometric series shown to the right.

“The various items in the geometric series are a lot of fun to make, as the shapes can be sized and forged in a multitude of ways and the designs can range from very clean and straightforward to fancy and embellished with gemstones.”

Top: Examples of the geometric series pendants. A. Rounded circle; B. Flattened pentagon fused to a hexagon; C. Rounded hexagon; D. Flattened elongated diamond set with a round 8 mm Amethyst cabochon; E. Flattened hexagon set with a lazy oval 8 mm x 10 mm Carnelian cabochon; F. Flattened elongated fancy diamond set with a round 8 mm Blue Chalcedony cabochon; G. Solid flat circle set with a 6 mm round Blue Chalcedony cabochon inside a rounded circle outline. Directly above: Sterling silver DNA and RNA pendants. Natural carnelian, lapis lazuli and black onyx cabochons reflect the oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms, but can be changed to any other preferred stones. These are also available as lapel pins. Left: Dayle Daines, owner and maker at Daughter of Luna LLC and her trusty sidekick, Tucker. © Dayle Daines. All Rights Reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Dayle Daines Please tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to start creating science jewelry? I have always been interested in science – my two favorite hobbies as a child were collecting interesting rocks and learning about various plants and animals. I was also captivated by the arts and learned to play instruments (the violin and the piano) and also to dance – at one point I owned and operated a dance studio. However, I never forgot my fascination with the wonders of the natural world and ended up deciding to go back to school to study science. I fell in love with microbiology during my undergraduate degree, and went on to receive a Master’s and Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology. I then did research in both nonprofit and government organizations before I entered into academia as a faculty member. Making jewelry was initially a hobby that I indulged in after work to relax. However, as I started to make science-related items, I realized that I needed to learn how to manipulate metals to fabricate my designs, so I took a course on smithing. The ability to work with precious metals greatly expanded my repertoire, and the positive feedback I received from my customers convinced me to start my business and take it online. Below: An example of the COVID-19 survivor necklace. The sterling silver antibody pendant is embellished with 5 mm cubic zirconia faceted stones at the antigen binding sites. Since these are handmade to order, specific colors and types of stones can be requested for each necklace. B. Antibodies without stones made as lapel pins, without and with an added patina. These are also available as pendants. © Dayle Daines. All Rights Reserved.

At a basic technical level, please share your jewelry making process. How could this be seen as both an art and science? My inspiration mainly comes from the beauty of Nature. I know that many people are inspired by what they see in the natural world, but the ability to translate an idea into a physical object is key. There is an amazing amount of physics, chemistry and biology involved in making jewelry. In my view, you absolutely need some background in these areas to effectively design and safely execute the many processes that are needed to culminate in the genesis of a beautiful piece, whether it’s sciencerelated or not. The biggest frustration I’ve found is that sometimes the image in your head is remarkable but bringing it into the physical world can be challenging (or impossible, if it violates the laws of physics). When I’m faced with such a situation, I relax and think about how to approach it for a few days and nearly always the answer (or viable options) will occur to me that allows its translation into 3D reality.

“There is an amazing amount of physics, chemistry and biology involved in making jewelry.”

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In addition to chemistry, in what way is geology a key influence for your jewelry and the gems you choose?

What motivated you to create your COVID-19 survivor necklace in response to the pandemic?

Gemstones are an integral part of most of my pieces, and therefore are chosen with the greatest care. I absolutely adore cabochons cut from natural stone, and each cab I use is special in its own way, including the colors, patterns and shapes. I am particularly drawn to fossil cabs, as they are a unique blend of biology and geology. The Web is a rich resource to discover beautiful stones cut and polished by talented lapidarists from all over the world, and I would say that I expend a significant amount of time and energy choosing the perfect ones for my pieces. Each stone has its own history and geology and brings with it a wealth of folklore and beliefs about its uses and effects. My intention is always to meld the beauty of the stone with the setting such that it brings the greatest positive effects as well as joy to the wearer.

This pandemic has impacted the lives of all of us in myriad ways. At this writing, there is no effective vaccine available against SARS-CoV-2 and unfortunately, many have lost family members, friends and colleagues to this virus.

I also like working with faceted stones and will incorporate them into designs that call for their sparkling presence and colors. These too have a number of effects associated with them, and even small ones can really make a statement. Finally, the choice of the metal used in a design (sterling silver, fine silver, argentium silver, copper, bronze, brass, etc.) is also based upon the stone and each metal has its own history and set of beliefs associated with it. So, I would say that geology has a huge impact on nearly all of my pieces.

Recent research has shown encouraging results using convalescent plasma (plasma taken from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that contains neutralizing antibodies against the virus, also known as serotherapy) on the duration and severity of the infection in some patients. This suggests that the practice could provide at least a stopgap measure to help protect vulnerable populations until a vaccine becomes available. Serotherapy is not a new concept, as it has been used many times in the past to treat different viral infections prior to the production of a vaccine. I envisioned that the COVID-19 survivor necklace or lapel pin would honor those who have weathered the storm of this infection and recovered, and if needed would donate their antibodies to help ones who were less fortunate than themselves.

Final thoughts

Bio

What initially started as a means of relaxing after a day of microbiology and immunology research, Dayle’s jewelry creations are now an online business. We don’t need to be scientists to wear or appreciate Dayle’s SciArt jewelry that harnesses the beauty of geometry, and even symbolically honors those who have recovered from Covid-19.

Links

I have been an infectious diseases researcher, teacher and administrator for the past two decades.

Etsy site: www.etsy.com/shop/DaughterOfLunaLLC

In July 2020 I left academia so that I could fully concentrate on my business. Making jewelry is truly a passion project for me!

Email: info@daughterofluna.com

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Brainy fiber art by Laura Bundesen Laura Bundesen is primarily a fiber artist focusing on the fascinating human brain using thread. Her first two brain pieces were made in 2014 and she was instantly hooked. Since then, Laura has been spurred on by the reception the pieces received in the neuroworld, by scientists, medical professionals, and anyone with a brain injury or illness. Some of her work is representational, exploring how the brain functions, and some of it is much more abstracted and playful.

‘There is a Riot Going On’ is hand embroidered and painted. It represents the riot of thought processes and interplay of neurons in the brain - always going, not always under control. The brain is hand embroidered with cotton thread on artist canvas, then stretched onto stretcher bars and painted. Waves of thought come off of the brain and swirl around the canvas, spilling out onto the edges.

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Justice Now (below)

Justice NOW’ features hand embroidered flowers incorporating the words Joy, Peace, Love, Hope and Justice. It was constructed while many in the U.S. were out marching for the Black Lives Matter Movement. After the embroidery was completed, the word NOW was painted on top partially obstructing some of the words.

Links Web: www.laurabundesen.com Instagram: @laurabundesen Twitter: @laurabundesen

It was then stretched onto stretcher bars and the background painted a rough gray tone symbolizing a concrete wall.

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Painting a portrait of parasitism ART SCIENCE COMPLEX was founded with the intention of investigating our conjecture that the exercises of art and science (as well as all of the other speculative vocations, such as engineering, philosophy, mathematics, etcetera) stem from singular, rather than different and disparate, fundamental desires. As a result of our own work, and collaborations with our colleagues—and our ASC outreach and education programs—we set out to explore this initial hypothesis.

Artwork

Feast For the Starving: Host Recipes From An Obligate Parasite Banquet (below) © Julie Rauer Co-Founder of ART SCIENCE COMPLEX. Ingenious mechanisms for progressive host obligate parasitism are revealed from ostracized microscopic shadowed realms, illuminated with stark metaphorical ferocity in Julie Rauer’s elegantly unsettling macroscopic world of a human scaled vanitas banquet. Ribeiroia ondatrae begins its insidious life cycle inside Planorbidae, the albinic hemoglobin oddity, Ramshorn snail, leaping into developing tadpole limb buds to severely deform myriad species of frogs — crown roast of hobbled amphibians, engineered as easy meals for the third, and final, Ribeiroia ondatrae host, lodging and reproducing inside the avian proventriculus. Ravenous Cymothoa exigua, grotesquely inventive Isopod and merciless fish parasite, eats away the tongues of its piscine hosts, replacing the brutally severed vital organs with...themselves. Brilliant hive mind, the invasive colonial fungus, Ophiocordyceps (AKA zombie ant fungus), begins as individual microscopic cells, rapidly evolving into a mind-controlling superorganism, which compels Carpenter ants to descend from the safety of tree canopies, to clamp its jaws onto low branches of ideal fungus reproduction height— becoming mausoleum breeding chamber for Ophiocordyceps, which systematically replaces every internal organ, erupting from the ants’ empty husks in surreal stalks.

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photography

Snaps show wildlife in action Dave Newman is a 40 year old wildlife

amateur photographer from Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. Keeping an eye out for the natural world around Lincolnshire, he has been pursuing this activity for just over 18 months, and yet, has taken some stunning shots of British wildlife, as we can see here.

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Dave Newman’s photographic gear includes Nikon D500, Nikon 500pf, Nikon 1.4 III TC. His photos can be found here on facebook at facebook.com/DaveSpherical and on Twitter, with the handle @DaveSpherical. The Red Kite (above)

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Constructing a coronavirus crossword Tiffany Marcum is a self-taught artist from

the Appalachian Mountains, who is also a writer for “Silly Linguistics” Magazine. Her first experience as an artist was elementary school, nominated as “Student of the Week” and interviewed about career goals. When asked, Tiffany immediately yelled, “ARTIST!” The last question was, “What do you do in your spare time?” Her reply: “Painting and watching Bob Ross,” as she also began creatively writing.

The below crossword evokes our thoughts and associations with the coronavirus pandemic, whether they derive from our own internal experiences or from the consistent coronavirus headlines that have dominated our news feeds.

Tiffany studied Social Sciences, while also taking creative writing and art courses such as “Art for Education”, “Art Appreciation”, and “Art History”. Here, she expanded her practice creating wax panels, mosaics, hand mixing colors, pop art comic panels, art for the classroom, and collage. In 2004, she garnered editorial praise for an assignment in a college sociology course where she was encouraged by a teacher to become a writer in her career. In 2006, Tiffany won the Billie and Curtis Owens Award in Fiction. Four years later, in 2010, she won the Friends of Weaverville Library Essay Contest. In 2013, she took part in an employee art gallery, showing 2 original acrylic painting projects. More recently, in 2019, she was invited to a viewing at the Cynthia Corbett Gallery in Miami, Florida. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Solo Survival

How people who live alone have adapted during Covid-19 By Hannah Carmichael

When we spend quality time with

someone, the areas of the brain linked to motivation are activated. When we feel lonely, areas associated with distress are activated instead.

‘Feel’ is the important word. It’s possible to be alone, without feeling lonely. And it’s possible to feel lonely in the company of others. Loneliness is, at its essence, a set of mis-matched expectations – where the quality of one’s interpersonal relationships does not match one’s expectation or hope for them. The Covid-19 pandemic physically cut people off from their family and friends. People who have been living alone since the pandemic started are one group who have had to radically rethink their expectations around social contact. There are a lot of misperceptions about solo living, and the most widespread is that living alone is a uniquely lonely experience. Longstanding solos would tell you otherwise – the uniqueness is © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

in our freedom from distractions, the peace, control over our schedules, and the ability to live our lives the way we choose. Well-adjusted solos are adept at making sure they have a healthy level of connection, and often maintain larger networks of high quality connections than those who are coupled up. Covid-19 has hit the solo community hard because – unlike those who live with others – our social connections happen largely outside of our homes. We’ve had to radically rethink the way we connect. In some cases, our hopes and expectations haven’t matched what’s available to us, and this has led to loneliness. Technology has been a lifeline, as have initiatives like ‘bubbles’ in the UK which allow solo households to pair up with one other household. Socially distanced gatherings have been popular, and we have been some of the first to explore online meetups around shared interests. Living without physical touch has been difficult. Where people living alone already experienced problems with their mental health, we have often seen these exacerbated. p52

Written Word thought-notes For every person who has struggled, there have been an equal number who have embraced the unexpected solitude. With more time available, solos have told us that they’ve immersed themselves even more in the activities which bring them joy - in books, arts and crafts, writing, learning, and home and garden projects. There is something innately mindful about positive solo living even under usual circumstances. Without distractions, the little things take on greater significance - a cup of tea and a biscuit, hearing birdsong when you open the window, the joy of soft sheets. The last six months have been an opportunity to practice a deep form of mindfulness, and to be creative about drawing in more of these types of experiences. Nature has also become a source of comfort – whether it’s the sea, woods, fields, walks in local parks, flowers in the garden, even just noticing the trees through the window of an apartment. Solos, typically an environmentally conscious group, have found themselves spending more time alone

in nature, and have felt an even deeper sense of appreciation for it. Some solos have found themselves so comfortable in their solitude that they have contemplated never going back to their ‘normal’ lives! Through all of these various experiences, there’s never been an objective measure of the ‘right’ amount of social contact to stave off loneliness – it’s different for each person. Being adaptable in the way we access social connection, and the expectations we have of those connections, have been central to surviving the pandemic as a solo. Those living well alone during Covid-19 have also told us that establishing healthy routines through food and exercise, investing in self-care (whether that’s yoga, meditation, following religious practices, or even just enjoying a bubble bath), and cultivating a strong sense of gratitude (focusing on what we have rather than on the things we have lost), have also been key. With these strategies, many solos have found it possible not just to survive but to actively thrive during Covid-19.

Bio

Links

Hannah Carmichael is the co-founder of the Living Well Alone Project. The Project was founded in 2017 to fill a gap in high quality, accessible information on the highs, lows and experiences of solo living.

Facebook www.facebook.com/livingwellalone

The project’s aims are to empower those living alone to lead inspired solo lives, and to challenge perceptions and transform society’s understanding of what it means to live alone.

Website livingwellalone.com Instagram @livingwellalone

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Written Word comic

What Cubehead Thinks By Will Conway

Cubehead is Will Conway’s geometric mouthpiece

for philosophical, scientific, mathematical or linguistic musings.Topics so far have included souls, time travel, zombies, heaven, ghosts, numbers and dresses..

Here, we explore the well-known conundrum what came first, the chicken or the egg?

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About the author Will Conway lives, writes and teaches in London.

Links

He makes comics, zines, collages and cartoons while also writing science-fiction short stories.

More cubehead can be found on his site: willconway.co.uk

The first issue of his graphic novel ‘Steak’ with Marc Olivent is now available. He is also responsible for celebrity collages (seen under handle @slebnamechains), among other things.

Unrelated sci-fi time travel comic available here: steakcomic.co.uk Twitter: @tastesofink Instagram: @tastesofink

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Written Word poetry

Marine inspired poems by Gordon Meade Prawns in a rockpool Prawns in a rockpool are like our first attempts at flight, captured on film, and then played back, very slowly, in black and white. Or, like some prehistoric insects, caught for an instant that has somehow lasted forever, held in suspension, preserved in amber.

Fog I am not so sure as to what it is I miss the most no longer living on the coast. It would be easy to say it is the sound of the sea.

About the author Gordon Meade is a Scottish poet based in the East Neuk of Fife. He divides his time between his own writing and developing creative writing courses for vulnerable people in a variety of settings. Gordon’s most recent collection is Zoospeak, a collaboration between himself and the Canadian photographer and animal activist, Jo-Anne McArthur, that was published this year (2020) by Enthusiastic Press in London. A previous collection is The Year of the Crab, a poetic exploration of the diagnosis and early treatment of cancer, which was published in 2017 by Cultured Llama Publishing in Kent.

And, yes, on certain days that would, indeed, be true. But, at other times, the occasional blast of a foghorn has its own very different appeal. Silence may well be golden but, for myself, you just can’t beat the sound of a breaking wave, nor the moaning of some invisible animal coming at you through a veil of fog.

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announcement

Thank you for reading NatureVolve magazine!

If you enjoyed issue 7 you can get access to more science-art stories in our previous publication, issue 6 via PressReader.com Want to get in touch? If interested in sending in your feedback or being featured, you can contact Chief Editor Clarissa Wright at Clarissa@naturevolve.com You can also find us on twitter with our handle @naturevolve or facebook on the page NatureVolve Magazine. Another big thank you to all contributors to our issues, our dedicated readers, online following, as well as those who shared their thoughts of the publication by sharing their testimonials.

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announcement

Breaking down the barriers between scientists and the wider public is a global challenge.

Are there ways we can make research more accessible across the world? How can we encourage collaboration between seemingly opposing subjects? We believe effective science communication can be achieved through creative-story telling and aesthetics - with the help of journalism, art and design.

Why we bridge science and art Through both science and art, we celebrate the fascinations of nature. Meanwhile, we encourage the fusion of different subjects within the sciences and arts. while presenting the valuable ideas of scientists and artists alike with our readers. We are a community supporting scientists and researchers to engage their niche subject areas with wider public audiences, in an engaging and understandable way. This helps diverse communities to access research content more easily.

Call for submissions

We are inviting applicable researchers and creatives to share their insights in NatureVolve magazine: If you are a..

STEM researcher Science communicator Conservationist Science-based organisation Creative artist or writer ..inspired by nature, we want to hear from you!

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