Last week, we posted the first clue in our Pixel Puzzler challenge and we got lots of great guesses. Let’s see how many of you know what animal this is now that the picture has gotten a little clearer.
Looking for more fun stuff? Click here to try our other Pixel Puzzlers, come up with a funny caption, or take a quiz!
Welcome back STEMologists! We’re on article 6 in our series and so far we’ve already learn how Science, Technology, Engineering and Math is being used to save rhinos, help farmers, clean up the ocean and save energy. Today, we’re going to be learning how STEM can be used at the zoo!
Have you ever heard of a nyala? It’s a type of antelope that’s native to southern Africa. It’s also a species that lives at the Marwell Zoo in England where it can get a little chilly outside. To help the nyala feel more comfortable, zookeepers started heating their indoor pens. But constantly running the heater wastes a lot of energy, especially if it’s on when the animals are outside. To solve this problem, the Marwell Zoo turned to the power of STEM!
The Marwell Zoo teamed up with IBM to try and figure out a way to make the heater turn on only when the animals are in the pen. With a bunch of different technologies to choose from, they needed to decide which type would work best for them. They could attach sensors to the animals, or even use motion sensors, but in the end they determined that using thermal imaging and something called a Raspberry Pi would do the trick!
This Raspberry Pi isn’t a delicious pastry, but a teeny tiny computer. It was combined with a bunch of electronic boards, thermal (heat) sensors and a USB battery pack to create a super awesome nyala heating system!
The system uses data collected from the sensors, temperature readings and a special algorithm (a collection of steps that are used to solve problems) to tell if an animal is in the pen. If an animal wandered by or didn’t lie down, the heater would stay off. If the animal stayed in its pen, the system would send the data to Watson IoT Platform and the heater would stay on.
To make sure the system was working properly, they also set up an infrared camera that took pictures of the pen once per second, which were sent to Watson IoT Platform. The pictures were sorted based on whether the heater should be turned on or left off to see if the system was correct. So far, the system has gotten it right about 96% of the time. Wahoo!
Once the zoo is comfortable with the system, they’ll hook it up to the heater and let it run on its own. If it works and the zookeepers are happy with it, the system could be used to help heat the zoo’s other pens as well, as long as they are the right size and shape.
Using thermal sensors to detect people or other living things has tons of other uses besides zoos. It could be used to light up a train station, turn on the heaters in a bus stop, start an exhibit at a theme park, and so much more!
IBM and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
Sources:
www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/iot-how-to-build-a-better-zoo-bed/
www.marwell.org.uk/zoo/news/74/marwell-zoo-heats-antelope-enclosure-using-artificial-intelligence
Exactly one year ago on August 19th, 2018, Ranger Jackson took the pledge to be an animal-saving hero. Now, on August 19th, 2019 we’d like to introduce you to our newest Super Ranger: Super Ranger Jackson! With only one year of membership under his belt, he’s already achieved an incredible goal and reached his Fundraising Milestone for the Ringed Seal.
Super Ranger Jackson kickstarted his fundraising efforts by hosting an awesome Bring Back the Wild Birthday Party! Jackson has always loved nature — so when he saw the Earth Rangers advertisement on television, he knew right away he wanted to be one! Jackson decided to have an Earth Ranger themed birthday party for his 7th birthday.
Super Ranger Jackson says that he chose the Ringed Seal because; “I like seals, even though foxes are my favourite animal!”. So, in lieu of birthday gifts, Jackson’s friends and family generously donated funds toward his Ringed Seal campaign. Through this fundraiser Jackson was able to raise $60.00, even contributing some of his own money! Jackson says he was thrilled to know he was helping the seals; “I hope it will help protect them!”
Super Ranger Jackson wants to leave off with the following message to all members and nature enthusiasts alike: “ALL animals are important!” So, remember Rangers; whether you focus on fundraising for endangered animals, or completing in-home missions to create lasting, positive impacts, you CAN make a difference!
Your actions can change the world!
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You get home from a great day of hanging out with friends and you sit down for dinner with your family. You’re about to take a forkful of mash potatoes when a question pops into your head: where did these potatoes come from? Then you start wondering where the rest of your dinner came from, and then all of the food in your kitchen too.
Your food could have come from all over the world, but it could also have come from right here in Canada. Thanks to our diverse landscape and seasons, Canadian farmers can grow all sorts of different delicious foods to fill our tummies.
Regardless of whether you get your food from Canada or anywhere else in the world, it’s important not to waste it. Wasted food means wasted energy and money.
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Source: http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/publications/discover-agriculture/infographics-agricultural-products-and-their-impacts
We’ve gotten tons of great guesses on Part 1 and Part 2 of the Pixel Puzzler, and now it’s time for Part 3. Are you ready for the great reveal and to find out if you got it right?
The answer to this Pixel Puzzler is (drum roll please) a LION!
Looking for more fun stuff? Come up with a funny caption, take a quiz or watch a cool video!
Earth Ranger Emma is trying to find the best animal joke ever and she wants to hear from you! Vote for your favourite joke submitted by our listeners in each of the polls below. Once all the votes have been cast, she’ll take all the winners and put them in a head-to-head competition to determine which one is the BEST ANIMAL JOKE EVER!
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Round 5: Which of these jokes do you think is the best? Vote for your favourite!
Total Voters: 183
Loading ...Round 4: Which of these jokes do you think is the best? Vote for your favourite!
Total Voters: 444
Loading ...Round 3: Which of these jokes do you think is the best? Vote for your favourite!
Total Voters: 565
Loading ...Round 2: Which of these jokes do you think is the best? Vote for your favourite!
Total Voters: 473
Loading ...Round 1: Which of these jokes do you think is the best? Vote for your favourite!
Total Voters: 445
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Earth Ranger Emma is the host of the Earth Rangers Podcast. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out! You’ll go on all sorts of crazy wildlife adventures with Emma and you might learn a thing or two. If you love animals, this podcast is for you!
Are you looking for something super fun to do this weekend? Build habitats for animals in your neighbourhood! Accept the Habitat Hero Mission and you’ll learn how to make 8 awesome animal habitats including…
The Best Butterfly Snack Bar in Town |
Toad-ally Awesome Toad House |
Bird-tastic Bird Bath |
Ladybug Lair |
Bird Nest Supply Shop |
Creepy Crawler Cottage |
Bee’s Knees Bumblebee Nest |
Pile Up for Nature |
PLUS! For a limited time, when you complete the Habitat Hero Mission, you’ll have the chance to win one of 10 limited edition trophies! Check out the Mission page to learn more.
The Habitat Hero Contest closes September 9, 2019 at 11:59 pm ET.
So many of you have already started this Mission and are on their way to be Habitat Heroes. What are you waiting for?
Saving energy is an important way to help slow down climate change, but it isn’t always easy. If you’re looking for some inspiration to help you reach your energy goal, look to the animal kingdom! Check out these animals that go on low power mode during the summer and be inspired to save energy in your home!
Just when you thought these guys couldn’t get any slower, they have a surprise for you: they can! When it gets too hot during the day, many land snails take a “dryness sleep” and slow all their body functions down. During this time, they will close their shell with a membrane of dried mucus (yuck!). This protects them from the elements and keeps them from drying out in the heat.
We’re not talking about your spiky pet; we’re talking about wild hedgehogs from Africa! These hedgehogs are used to a hot, dry climate—but when the temperature rises too high and the earth gets too dry, their food gets harder to find. Instead of starving, they will go into hiding and slow their body functions right down to save energy. While they’re hiding, hedgehogs live off fat stored in their bodies until the outside conditions are better.
Some turtles and tortoises aren’t fans of the hottest or driest part of the summer. Tortoises will look for an open burrow or a spot under logs or rocks, while turtles will swim down and hide in the muddy bottom of a pond or river. During this time, these shelled reptiles won’t move or eat, and their heartbeat and breathing will drop from 20-30 times a minute all the way down to once a minute or less.
When it gets too hot and dry outside, some crocodiles will dig caves in river banks and hide out in them to beat the heat. Not only is the temperature in the cave cooler than the outside, it’s also a safe space for them to settle down until the weather gets better. This can mean several months without food so they need to do everything they can to save energy. During this time, they’ll drop their heart rate, breathing and body temperature, surviving only on the fat and water they have stored in their body.
During the dry season in Africa, ponds and rivers can dry up. This can mean trouble for most fish, but not the African lungfish! They have special lungs that allow them to breathe outside of water. During this time, they will burrow deep in the mud and create a cocoon of mucus around them, which helps them keep moist. They can stay this way for up to 2 years, feeding off the muscle in their tail, but thankfully they don’t have to wait that long. After a few months the season changes, rain comes back and the lungfish can return to the water.
These animals take being energy efficient to a whole new level! The survival of many animals and plants depends on their ability to only use energy when they need it. The same is true for us humans—the better we are at using our energy wisely by saving energy in our homes and using renewable energy, the healthier our planet will be.
Sources:
molluscs.at/gastropoda/index.html?/gastropoda/dormancy.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnQKnMZbQnk
www.aboutanimals.com/reptile/nile-crocodile/
www.nationalgeographic.org/media/west-african-lungfish/
Stefoff, Rebecca. Turtles. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark (2008). Pg 39. Accessed July 23, 2019. Available at: https://bit.ly/2JYAwAe
Warwick, Hugh. Hedgehogs. London: Reaktion books ltd (2014). Accessed July 23, 2019. Available at: https://bit.ly/2OdgO9a
https://www.awf.org/blog/cute-tough-african-hedgehog
With the world’s population growing bigger and bigger, we need more food than ever to feed everyone. Unfortunately, with the impacts of climate change (like drought), it’s getting harder to grow enough food to go around and get it to where it is needed. Luckily, there are tools that can lend a helping hand to farmers and it’s all thanks to STEM! Let’s take a closer look…
Imagine you’re a farmer. Your days are long, busy, and full of MANY different decisions. It’s your job to plant crops, figure out how much water they need, keep them healthy and free from disease, try to keep pests from eating them, and then harvest them on time. Plus, if you have animals on your farm, you need to take care of them too. Talk about a long To Do list! Good thing Watson is coming to the rescue!
Watson isn’t a who, but a what! It is a collection of super cool technologies that use artificial intelligence, research and data to help solve problems. These technologies make it easier for us to communicate with computers using English and other human languages. They also dig through tons of data, looking at more than what a person could review in a lifetime. There are a bunch of different Watson tools, including one that farmers can use called the Watson Digital Platform for Agriculture. Created by IBM, this amazing tool can help farmers have super successful growing seasons.
How does it work? First, Watson creates an electronic field record (EFR) for each farm. This record contains all the data this tool needs to make decisions. It includes weather information from ‘The Weather Company’, information about soil quantity and moisture, data gathered from equipment (like seed drills and sprayers) using the ‘Internet of Things’, data about how the farm works on a day-to-day basis, and pictures from satellites. That’s a LOT of information! Now what?
After gathering ALL that information, the Watson tool uses Artificial Intelligence to review the data and makes suggestions to the farmers about how to run their farms more smoothly. Farmers can see all the information and suggestions and then decide what’s best for their farm. For example, if Watson looks at drone footage of a crop that shows it has been attacked by pests, Watson can alert the farmer and make suggestions for what they can do to save their plants.
But stopping pests isn’t the only thing Watson can help farmers do. It can also help them figure out the best time to plant and harvest, show them ways to keep their crops healthy, and alert them of diseases or other threats. Watson is there to go through the massive amounts of data so we can make better decisions.
Want to do your part to make sure there’s enough food to go around? Don’t waste the food you have! Check out the Food Waste Warrior Mission and challenge your family to stop wasting food. When you accept this Mission, you’ll learn how you can help stop food waste at home and at the store.
Farms and farmers will always be incredibly important. We need more food than ever to keep people on our planet fed. That’s why it’s up to smart STEMologists like you to think about how STEM can be used to help people with all sorts of different jobs – even ones that don’t traditionally use STEM. With Science, Technology, Engineering and Math we can all make the world a better place!
IBM and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
Source: https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2018/09/smarter-farms-agriculture/
Did you know that there are animals that can light up like a light? In this article we highlight (ha!) 5 animals that glow in the dark and explain how and why they do it. Check it out!
Measuring only about 3 inches long, firefly squids are found in the waters surrounding Japan, and they use their glowing ability in a surprising way: to hide. When they lie horizontally and light up the underside of their body, they camouflage with the lights shining down from the surface. You can see the difference it makes in the picture on the right. This allows them to hide from predators swimming below them.
These squids also use their lights to attract mates and to communicate with each other.
The female anglerfish certainly isn’t what we’d call cute, but she’s definitely pretty cool. She has a light that hangs from the top of her head that she uses to attract prey. In the dark waters, a bright light like that can bring in all sorts of curious creatures, big and small. But she’s ready for anything that crosses her path, as she is able to swallow prey 2 times her size!
This railroad worm isn’t actually a worm – nor is it a railroad – but actually a type of beetle. While the males look more like you would expect a beetle to look, the females will always look like a larva, but they have something that makes them extra special: they glow in the dark! Their bright lights act as a warning to predators that they are toxic and to stay away. Only the females and juveniles can glow and when they do, they look like a passenger train at night, which is where their name comes from. Choo! Choo!
That’s right; there are glow-in-the-dark sharks! The lanternshark is another deep sea creature that glows. These sharks only grow to 50 cm long, and they have light-emitting cells that line their belly and underside of their fins. Scientists aren’t 100% sure what the sharks use the lights for but they think it is probably a form of camouflage, just like the firefly squid.
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without fireflies! These insects are perhaps the most famous light-up animals. It’s not unusual to see these insects flash their lights in the summer but why do they do it? They put on a whole light show just to attract a mate!
All of the animals on this list are bioluminescent! This is what it’s called when a light is produced by a chemical reaction in a living organism. The chemicals, stored in the animal’s body, are mixed together and create a bright and colourful reaction that the animal can use to do things like attract a mate, lure prey or escape from a predator.
Wouldn’t it be cool if we could glow in the dark? Think of all the energy we’d save by not using lights! Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be saying goodbye to lights any time soon but we can still save energy by being smart about how we use them.
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