July 7, 2006 
The universe's massiveness is not easily comprehended by mortal humans.
For instance, the Milky Way galaxy is so massive that it would take a beam of light well over 100,000 years to go from one edge to the other. There are approximately 200 BILLION stars in this medium-sized galaxy.
But he... continue reading...
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wasps June 14, 2006 
In a place called Playa Grande, Costa Rica, the leatherback turtles return to nest each year.
It's a magical place, a perfect tropical beach bordering beautiful blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Hundreds of varieties of birds fill the air as soft ocean breezes blow.
It's no wonder that t... continue reading...
Tags: 65 million years,
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playa grande costa rica,
sea turtles,
shell length June 6, 2006 
One of my favorite SF movies is Contact.
Its premise is that initial contact from an alien civilization consists of a simple message: primary numbers, i.e. numbers divisible by themselves and one only. Supposedly, a string impossible to produce without intelligence.
Well, today's FamilyFir... continue reading...
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uproar May 5, 2006 
Microbes. A single yard contains enough to outnumber the human race. They are of incredible benefit to mankind, as in we couldn't survive without them. On the other hand, there are some that are deadly to us.
How do you teach your kid about these tiny creatures, as well as the ... continue reading...
Tags: algae,
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youngsters May 1, 2006 
One of the most recognizable fossils in museums is the trilobite. These segmented crustaceans, distantly related to modern-day crabs, are something we find extremely fascinating.
Today's FamilyFirst site has a gallery of nearly a hundred images of trilobites, spanning th... continue reading...
Tags: amazing creatures,
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trilobites April 23, 2006 
One of the most exotic, beautiful places on earth is Madagascar. This island located off SE Africa is home to endemic species found nowhere else in the world.
Unfortunately, since it is a relatively small place, it is also very vulnerable to human encroachment having bad effects on the ... continue reading...
Tags: beautiful places,
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zoos April 21, 2006 
Scientists are only human, after all.
Throughout history, scientists have led the way to discovery of how our world and its life operates. Sometimes, however, they goof.
Today's FamilyFirst site looks at mistakes made by scientists, from ancien... continue reading...
Tags: ancient time,
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thought changes,
unicorns,
weird ideas April 10, 2006 
And now, on to the stars . . .
My aim for today's FamilyFirst site was to find a good tribute to one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels: Poul Anderson's Tau Zero. I was unable to find a good comprehensive one, but there's a good brief writeup of the book that inspired many to becom... continue reading...
April 7, 2006 
If you wanta know . . . about total eclipses . . . who ya gonna call?
MR. ECLIPSE!
That's right, today's FamilyFirst site is the one, the only Mr. Eclipse.
Mr. Eclipse is an mysterious, enigmatic individual whose passion is, quite clearly, eclipses of both the solar and lunar variety. And even thou... continue reading...
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welder March 17, 2006 
On Sunday night, March 12, I had my first personal experience with being in the direct path of a tornado.
The sirens were blowing, as they do every time a twister is seen within my county. For all of my previous forty-six years, all that meant was that a tornado was close, not necessarily ... continue reading...
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