I wanted to end this science literacy week book series on a bit of a different note. I’ve covered some amazing books about how to do good science, what it’s like to be a scientist, and some compelling real life science stories. But I’d be remiss in not acknowledging a huge source of science inspiration for a Past Victoria, in the form of nearly endless science fiction and science fantasy novels. I was, and still am, a pretty avid sci fi reader, and am particularly drawn to stories of evolution on other worlds, and where evolution might take us next. Continue reading
Month: September 2017
Science Literacy Week 2017: You can really taste the silt.
For today’s Science Literacy Week entry, I’m featuring the work of one of my favourite comic artists, Abby Howard!
Science Literacy Week 2017: Last Chances
As a vertebrate palaeontologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about extinction. So for today’s Science Literacy Week highlights, I wanted to talk about books about extinction – not ancient extinctions, but modern biodiversity crises. Two authors that have deeply affected me on this topic are the late Farley Mowat, an iconic Canadian author, and perhaps surprisingly, Douglas Adams, of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. Continue reading
Science Literacy Week 2017: Good Vibrations
Science Literacy Week continues, and today I’m sharing one of my favourite books about communicating science! Continue reading
Science Literacy Week 2017: How to Be a Scientist
It’s Science Literacy Week here in Canada, a time to celebrate science communication in all media. For the rest of this week, I’m featuring some of my favourite science books! I’ll also be joining the fun with two talks about our new dinosaur Zuul at the Toronto Public Library, and will be hanging out with Zuul for the ROM’s Family Funday: Brilliant Science next Sunday. This is also a good time to remind you to take the reader survey for the Complete Dinosaur, 3rd Edition, a new book I’m editing with Lindsay Zanno and Tom Holtz!
Evolution at the Zoo: Prehistoric Park Edition
A few months ago I wrote a bit about how zoos incorporate evolution into their exhibits, including examples where extinct species are featured through dioramas or life-size replicas. The San Diego Zoo does a great job of highlighting recently extinct mammals in its Elephant Odyssey exhibit, and today I wanted to share one more example along similar lines – the Prehistoric Park at the Calgary Zoo.
pseudoplocephalus 