Reblogged from Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week #AcademicSpring:

Aaargh!  I’ve had it up to here with this.  I just read it yet again, this time in a letter to the editor of the New York Times in response to Michael Eisen’s recent piece in that paper on the RWA.  The letter says some good things, but then right in the middle we have this: Mr. Eisen understates the value added to medical research articles by journals such as ours. Peer review is invaluable in selecting the highest impact medical research and improving its quality before publication. This is just one …

Sadly, I’ve been completely oblivious to the Boycott Elsevier petition circulating throughout the blogosphere. The more I read about it, the more sense it makes. They charge an exorbitant amount of money to access research journals, but don’t pay the researchers. It’s academic slavery. Thanks to Brian Romans (@clasticdetritus) for providing the link.

The latest Martian meteorite to be added to the collection of rocks from Mars. (Photo from Laurence Garvie. ASU News)

Today’s Meteorite Monday is going to be a little different. Instead of talking about a specific type of meteorite, I’ve decided to round up some of the latest and most interesting meteorite news on the web right now. At this point the biggest news in the world of meteorites is the brand new Martian meteorite, Tissint. About 24 lbs of material were recovered in Morocco last July and it represents one of the largest Martian meteorite finds to date.

News about the brand spanking new Martian meteorite:

• Meteroites in Morocco Confirmed to be of Martian Origin (Christian Science Monitor)
• Martian Meteorite in ASU Collection (ASU News)
• Meteorite from Mars Confirmed (Time)
• Scientists Confirm Rocks Fell From Mars (Associated Press)
• Newly Fallen Meteorites Offer Fresh Look at Mars (NPR News)

Other interesting meteorite news

• Hate earthy wines? Try one made from meteorites (io9)
• Mystery Moon Flashed Caused by Meteorite Impacts (Universe Today)
• Hundreds of Meteorites Uncovered in Antarctica (Discovery News)

Yes.... Dana is just as awesome in real life as she is on the intertoobz.

I wish I could guarantee a regular blogging schedule, but this term is looking rather unforgiving in regards to my schedule. I’m only taking three classes: meteorites, physics 2, and calculus 2. However, all these classes are rather time intensive and require that I spend most of my waking hours working on them. Hell, I’m even feeling a twinge of guilt for writing this post.

With the start of this term I did receive some good, if not slightly anxiety-inducing, news. That meteorite I’ve been working on is part of my advisers’ wife’s paper about other meteorites that were found in the same area. The work I’ve done will be incorporated into the paper, and assuming I don’t drop the ball, I’ll be named coauthor on the paper! Which is really exciting and stressful all at the same time. The goal is to have the paper finished and submitted over the Spring break.

Factor in my moving to another part of Portland at the end of the month, and you have a very busy, very tired (and possibly cranky) Ryan. I am going to try and revive my Meteorite Monday posts, but I wanna make sure I’m putting out posts of quality and not just posting to post (if that makes sense). Since I am taking a course in meteorites this term, I should have plenty of material to write something that isn’t too time consuming on my end, but won’t seem hollow and trite on the readers end.

So, if you don’t see me updating and posting on an even somewhat regular basis, just know I haven’t forgotten about my blog. I’m probably in the meteorite lab or the bowels of the library learning integrals or the laws of thermodynamics.

This is a piece of the Esquel pallasite from Argentina. It's considered one of the most beautiful due to its large olivine crystals. (Image from Wikipedia)

Mine is labeled as the Bela Pallasite, Russia, but I don’t have much information beyond that. Pallasites discovered in Russia include the Omolon, Pallosovka, and the Krasnojarsk. There was also one found Belarus called the Brahin. I’m not sure which of those mine could be from, but it’s one of the nicest gifts I’ve received in a long time. So, with that I want to say a big thank you to Karla! She made my evening with this piece of cosmic debris and also gave me the inspiration for today’s Meteorite Monday.

My own piece of pallasite! The 2nd piece in the middle has a somewhat visible olivine crystal in it. Bike key for scale.

So, I thought I’d put together a small list of some of the more important concepts I learned this term. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Always read your syllabus: You know that piece of paper your professor gives you at the beginning of each term? That one with important dates and deadlines? They don’t put that together for shits and giggles. Read it. Otherwise you’ll end up like me and realize that a few days before finals, you have all of them on the same day.

2. Projects and research: When working with your advisor, even as an undergraduate, come prepared to all your meetings. Be prepared to tell them what you’ve done, what you’ve read and what you’re next step is in completing the project they’ve entrusted to you. Don’t give them any reason to think you’re wasting their time.

3. Set backs: Life is full of them. This occurred when I realized that my version of Leica Software (the interface between the computer and microscope) wasn’t as fully functional as my advisors. I had to make some adjustments and I’m still working on getting the software to my liking. The important part is that I made do with what I had and kept going.

4. Be the over achiever: Did you do all the problems your instructor assigned in the syllabus? You did? Great! Now, go do more problems from the book because chances are you’re still not prepared for the exam.

5. Relax: Go have a pint with your fellow students and remember you’re not the only one going through the stresses of a final project. Sometimes taking a break with your classmates is a good way to gain some perspective and pluck yourself out of the “woe is me” stage we all go through from time to time.

Any fellow students/teachers have anything else to add to the list?

Enjoy the repost!

This summer I get to do my very first independent research project. I’ll be helping one of my geology professors finish classifying a meteorite with the use of an electron microprobe. This is my first time doing such a project and as such I have a lot to learn. But that’s the exciting part of doing science: the continual learning process. So, as such I figured it was time for me to learn about meteorites. Or meteors. Or meteoroids. Each name means something different. And according to my instructor, the classification has been changing lately. So, in my efforts to learn the basics about these ancient pieces of space debris, I will be posting what I’ve learned in my blog. To start, those confusing names.

It turns out the terms meteor, meteorite and meteoroide are not interchangeable. They seem to refer to the phases of change space debris goes through as it enters the earth’s atmosphere. This rock can come from the moon, comets, asteroids or even other rocky planets (most notably Alan Hills 84001 from Mars- that deserves a post of it’s own). Some of it can be left over material from the formation of the solar system, almost 4.5 billions years old. While their origins differ they pretty much go through the same process upon encountering the earth’s atmosphere.

The difference between the three names used to be simple. The flash of light produced by the entering debris was a meteor. Any chunks of rock that broke off were the meteoroids. And any piece that didn’t disintegrate in the earth’s atmosphere and made it’s way to the surface was a meteorite.

However, a paper recently published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science by Alan E. Rubin and Jeffrey N. Grossman proposed a complete overhaul of the definitions. They suggest that a meteoroid becomes a “10 micrometer to 1 meter sized natural object traveling through interplanetary space”. A meteorite is a natural object that is larger than 10 micrometers whose parent was any rocky celestial body. The meteorite had to travel under it’s own natural means with enough velocity to escape the gravitational pull of its parent body. It then has to hit something that is larger than itself, natural or artificial, and survive the impact. What is most interesting is that the meteorite doesn’t have to hit a foreign object. If it hits the surface of it’s parent body, it’s still considered a meteorite*.

So, those are the differences between the terms. I think in the next post about meteorites, I’ll cover the classification system. And as a side note, this is my first time writing about anything of this nature. In the very unlikely chance that someone from academia (or anyone at all) reads this, please be kind with criticism. I’ll happily accept feedback if done in a professional manner.

However, my next post will mark my 100th post on this blog! Which is pretty exciting for me. I have a great entry planned to mark the occasion and, in a somewhat sardonic way, celebrate the holiday season.

See ya’ll soon!

While on my mandatory 15 minute break at work I checked my e-mail to find a comment from Brook over at Molecular Love (and other facts of life). Turns out she nominated me, along with four other bloggers for the Liebster Award. Thanks Brook!

Not sure what a Liebster Award is? Neither am I. A quick search on Google suggests that it hasn’t been around longer than a couple months and that it’s not an actual award. It’s actually a way for other bloggers with less than 200 followers to spread some love to those with less than 200 followers, as well. It seems the one stipulation is that, if you’re nominated, you link to the blog that nominated you and also nominate four other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

I know, it sounds like a chain letter of the blogging world. And it is. However, no one’s asking you to forward messages from a cancer ridden child or donate 5 bucks in some sort of Pyramid Scheme. It’s just a way for small bloggers to support one another. With that being said I’m going to present my list of four blogs that I love. I am going to change the rules a bit though. You do not need to repost and continue the Liebster award if you don’t want to.

So, here’s my list of Liebster Award nominees:

1) The Contemplative Mammoth- Fellow geoblogger Jacquelyn Gill is the mastermind behind this blog. She writes about climate change and ecology during the Quartenary Period, along with emphasizing the importance of science literacy and communication.

2) Uncovered Earth- Another geoblogger, Michael Klaas, has some great posts about the geology of the PNW, Portland and his weekly science photo round up. He hasn’t been blogging lately, but I figure it’s because he’s a much better student than me and is actually studying rather than blogging.

3) The Heretics Heaven- My good friend, Ben Crockett runs this atheism/skepticism blog. He’s also one of the co-presidents of the Portland State Freethinkers group. His latest post about the street preachers at PSU is one of my favorites!

I know that’s only three bloggers and not four, but I couldn’t quite think of a fourth blog.

Fleeting Light: The High Desert and the Geminid Meteor Shower from Henry Jun Wah Lee on Vimeo.