:::: YEAR OF SCIENCE ZINE-A-THON 2009 ::::

The Small Science Collective has just partnered with Year of Science 2009 to have ourselves a Zine-a-thon starting...right....NOW.

Never a better time to contribute to the SSC, since now it might win you not only adoration and fame, but perhaps also various nice prizes through the zine-a-thon! Year of Science is looking for zines on a range of topics based within their twelve monthly themes for this year.

Check out the site for details on entering your zines. Any questions, feel free to be in touch with us here at the SSC: smallsciencezines (at) gmail (dot) com

Looking forward to seeing the zining....

Einstein and physicist Leo Szilard working on
their science zines together.

the life aquatic (of nitrogen)

There is of course a lot in the news about carbon dioxide and the carbon cycle given the current and pressing concerns over greenhouse gases and the phenomenon of climate change. But let's not forget nitrogen, which not only makes up 78% of the gas in the atmosphere, but is also a fundamental nutrient the life of all organisms.








As chemically complex as the nitrogen cycle is, this zine by Kara Hall breaks it down (haha, pun intended) into its basic steps in the context of the cycle's aquatic component and the central role that bacteria plays within it.

"the Cadillac of swallows"

What was the beautiful thing flickering in the air and right above the quiet lap of the river's surface? Maybe, if you were lucky, it was a purple martin. Let's listen to some sing, shall we?

Swallows of the most graceful kind, these flying insectivores winter in Brazil and come up to North America to nest and breed. But a number of factors have harmed their population in the last decades, including competition fro non-native birds.





Caroline Carlsmith's new zine Purple Martins: The Cadillac of Swallows discusses just such issues, and more!

For more information, go visit some of the martin groups online, such as the Purple Martin Conservation Assoc. , Coastal Carolina Purple Martins, and of course Chuck's Purple Martin Page.

And what of flinging scrambled eggs up in the air at these quick birds? Watch the video below to learn more....

The Future of Energy?

In a world and economy dominated for so long by the fossil fuels, what is the future of energy? This new zine Sun, Wind, Water explores just this question

While oil and coal seems like the most "economical "options, that in fact may be a short-sighted view of the economic realities of things that finally we a waking up too. Some recent articles on alternative energies are certainly sponsored by oil companies, though we have yet to see a real commitment to the future of sustainable and non-polluting power that solar, wind, and even new forms of water power might be able to provide.


As for "small science" a la the issue of energy, consider these amazing energy guides that artist, designer and scientist Nim Lee has crafted on a number of energy issues, including cards on How to Use Energy and How to Consume.

In these not only will you get plenty of useful information, such as how the average food product travels 1685 miles before reaching you at the grocery store, but what you can do about it in terms of the decisions you can make as a consumer to reduce your energy usage.


Of course there are other important steps we can all take as well:

Just a few days ago people across the planet celebrated Earth Hour 2009 by turning of all of there non-essential lights off.

Of course, beyond all the technologies we might come up with, the most important single step we can do is use less energy and conserve it. A recent report estimates Americans waste 2.9 billion gallons of gas a year idling their cars when stuck in traffic, "vampire" electronics use juice even when we aren't using them, including and especially computer monitors!

For more tips, check out this handy site, or this one, or even here.

Strong Critters

In a culture of hyperbole, superlatives, and the Guinness Book of World Records, of course everyone wants to know what the strongest creature on the planet is. This begs the question: When - now? Or might we consider 200 million years in the past?

If we are talking strong - is that measured by lifting, by biting, by poking? Even then a fair questions remain about whether this should be an absolute measure, or one taking body size and other kinds of things into consideration. Perhaps even just looking strong, the recent biological phenomenon of "bully whippets" - a mutant form of an otherwise sleek dog?


In this zine by, The Strongest Creature on Earth Michael Chlebowski considers the question in a short and sweet format. His conclusion may or may ot surprise you...



http://www.sandiegoinstruments.com/prod_gripstrength.htm

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119139008/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Diamonds are Forever (and ever, and ever)

They say "diamonds are a girl's best friend" - though I can't say I've ever met one who agrees.

They are however, a natural wonder on many levels. The hardest natural material on the planet, these dense crystals of carbon atoms shine with a clear and angular beauty. You can actually make diamonds industrially and it seems some diamonds come from outer space or may be created upon meteor impacts. Usually they come from mines in Africa, and this has its own complex social, political, and economic issues behind it, not the least being so-called "blood diamonds" or "conflict diamonds."

Shaped like small diamonds, these zines introduce these ideas and a few others besides. Click here for a printable PDF that contain six of these mini-zines per sheet (marked by red lines). Thus, each mini-zine has this format:


Fold each into eighths, and then follow the direction to cut off the one corner, and viola! A diamond.

Pigeons for Darwin!

On the occasion the anniversary of Darwin's 200th birthday (this February 12th!), it seems only right to be releasing a zine about pigeons.

Why? For Darwin, they held a special place in his argument for evolution by natural selection put forth in The Origin of Species. In those days pigeon breeding was quite popular in Britain and they were a natural place to see how small variations can result in big changes. That is not to say that interest has died in our contemporary world - consider the NPUSA or any number of pigeon racer associations.

Pigeon fancying hasn't died either, and the ways people choose to work that out are always ripe for invention. Just last week a man was stopped by customs in the Melbourne airport in Australia trying to smuggle two live pigeons in his pants. Would seem to give new meaning to the idea of a "passenger pigeon" (!).

Artists and scientists in collaboration with the public are also trying to understand these creatures better and work with them more closely in the urban places we share. Take for example Beatriz de Costa's pigeon air quality project and Natalie Jeremijenko's work (& a video here). As innovative as they are, both of fall into a long (sometimes sorted) history of how we relate with these ivory-and-charcoal feathered flyers.


This new zine is small, but *packed* with information, and a view of these birds with bit of a Chicago flavor.

It is a different, smaller format: double-sided printing = four zines per sheet! Print out side 1 and then side 2, copy them out double-sided, slice into fourths, and fold into fourths from there! (accordian fold style)