Biodiversity is short for “biological diversity.” It is a big word that essentially means the variety the living things making up a particular habitat or part of the world.
SCIENCE.DISCOVERYPLACE.ORG
What is biodiversity and why does it matter
Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface. They are so vast that we have only been able to explore about 5% of them, but the human impact on the world's oceans is much greater.
Today, we're sharing an experiment on how CO2 emissions can affect sea life and the overall health of our oceans.
Try this Stay-at-Home science experiment that lets you test different chemicals around your house to get a sense of what the difference is between acidic and alkaline substances.
https://bit.ly/2XHo8wj
Science only belongs in a lab, right? Wrong.
Let's use science to churn our own butter. (bonus: then you can eat it)
For more Stay-at-Home Science activities, click here: https://bit.ly/36tVVyb
Happy National North Carolina Day! What's your favorite hike?
ONLYINYOURSTATE.COM
15 Trails To Take In North Carolina If You Love The Outdoors
Want to become a bird watcher without leaving your house? Make a simple pine cone bird feeder with a pinecone, 1 part vegetable shortening to 2 parts cornmeal, a string and birdseed. Then sit back and relax!
For more Stay-at-Home Science activities, click here: https://bit.ly/2GebjDm
Thanks to Chase for making our Stay-at-Home Science series possible and helping us spread wonder to our community.
They have no heart, no brain and no blood. Instead, they have nerve nets, a simple nervous system that allows them to react to external stimuli including light and smell.
Learn more --> https://bit.ly/2RToyfB
What's for dinner tonight? If you said spaghetti, you're wrong. Instead we're using our favorite carb to design and build a pasta car.
In this activity we learn about the design process and aerodynamics.
Hope you're not hungry cause this food isn't for eating! Share your pasta cars below.
Discovery Place Nature was live.
Yesterday at 9:33 AM ·
Let’s talk about the best season of all.. fall!
Enjoy 15 minutes of relaxing rainforest sounds in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.
Help support the upkeep of our Rainforest and the animals that live there by clicking on the donate button on this post.
Relaxing Rainforest Sounds
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month – a month dedicated to sharing and learning cyber best practices. Maintaining good cyber security habits can often feel overwhelming, but following simple best practices can help reduce the risks and keep you and your family safe.
It’s #CyberSecurityAwarenessMonth. Learn more at staysafeonline.org and join a cyber education webinar hosted by Bank of America on 10/26 at 4:30 p.m.
SCIENCE.DISCOVERYPLACE.ORG
5 tips to help keep you and your family protected online
Indicator species are organisms that are sensitive to their environmental conditions and, as such, can provide invaluable information about the overall health of an ecosystem.
SCIENCE.DISCOVERYPLACE.ORG
What the scarcity or abundance of some species may tell us
In honor of National Fossil Day, let's learn about what a fossil is and how they are created.
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.ORG
fossil
Today’s history lesson:
In 1848, North Carolina sent this Leopardite rock to be included as a commemorative stone in the construction of the Washington Monument in our nation’s capital. The rock is a sample of the stone known as Leopardite stone. Leopardite was selected for submission to the monument because, in the United States, it is only found in large quantities in Mecklenburg County.
Ultimately, marble was chosen as the stone to represent North Carolina in the monument and the rejected Leopardite rock was returned to the state. For a time, it sat in front of the home of Adam Brevard Davidson. Later, it was placed in Independence Square at the northeast corner of Trade and Tryon streets.
In 1957, the rock was moved to the grounds of the Mint Museum in the Eastover section of Charlotte. The Mint Museum gave the rock to Discovery Place in 1989.
Get up close to the rock and learn even more about it during your next visit to the Museum!
#MyDiscoveryPlace
It's Polar Bear Week and polar bears are heading towards Churchill, Manitoba - where polar bears gather to wait for freeze-up on Hudson Bay so they can return to hunting seals.
During Polar Bear Week, we focus on the importance of sea ice to polar bears--and why we must take action on climate change to ensure their survival.
Visit https://polarbearsinternational.org/get-involved/polar-bear-week/ to see how you can get involved. #saveourseaice
Polar Bears International
She may be a diva but she's our diva.
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Even animals get stressed out by COVID-19 — especially Discovery Place’s biggest diva
Terrariums are self-sustaining ecosystems are that designed to replicate all the elements of a naturally thriving community.
Today, we're making a snail terrarium so you can use the scientific method (question, research, hypothesis, experiment, observe, conclude and repeat!) to observe and document your findings.
Just remember to let your new snail friend go when you're done with your experiment.
Here's a fun way to let kids play with their food before they eat it!
By dissecting a chicken leg we learn about our skeletal and muscular systems, which are very similar to a chicken's. Afterward, you can use the parts of the chicken to make chicken stock.
Talk about good camouflage, indeed!
APNEWS.COM
Scientists find Madagascar chameleon last seen 100 years ago
Meet Herbie, the laid-back Red-Footed Tortoise that has called our rainforest home for the past 25 years. 🐢
Why do birds have feathers, snakes have scales and humans have skin?
Let's take a closer look and find out.
Good news! Starting tomorrow we're extending our hours of operation.
The Museum will now be open Friday through Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Make your online reservation here: https://science.discoveryplace.org/plan
In today’s activity, we will grow our own plants using recycled material.
SCIENCE.DISCOVERYPLACE.ORG
Stay-at-Home Science: Explore sustainability with this self-watering seed starter activity
Take a look at this giant clam, which is among the 70,000+ items that make up our (non-living) Collections department. Its scientific name is Tridacna gigas.
This particular giant clam was harvested from the Philippines in 1986. It is on display in our Education Studio on the Discovery Place Science campus. Our Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville museum also has a giant clam on display.
The next time you are at the Museum, be sure to check out our vein viewer, which illuminates the veins inside your hand. While seeing the veins under your skin light up is cool, the exhibit also teaches us something!
In healthcare settings, this technology helps nurses and phlebotomists find the best spot to insert needles accurately and efficiently into their patients’ veins. This vascular access imaging device is a relatively new tool in the healthcare industry, debuting in the 2000s.
So how does it work? Projected near-infrared light is absorbed by blood and reflected by surrounding tissue. The information is captured, processed and projected digitally in real time directly onto the surface of the skin. It provides a real time accurate image of the patient’s blood pattern.
Now, that is illuminating!
