the small science collective

Fruit Flies - the workhorses of science

2011-02-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

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And what have we here? The most noble of small insects, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Sure, there are over 4, 500 species of "fruit fly," but this one in particular has arguably contributed to our understanding of genetics more than any other critter yet. How you may ask? Well, well, this new zine called simply Fruit Flies & Science by Emily Fundis is the best short introduction I've ever come across. you could even say it is creating a "buzz." If give an overview of the What and Why of this common and tiny fly and its role in over 100 years of science.

Because Evolution by Common Descent unifies all of life (thanks for pointing this out, Charles Darwin), studying the genetics of an insect of even a plant or yeast can in fact reveal much about the biology of creatures like ourselves. You have to respect these model organisms of biological research.

Now, you may say the after watching the movie "The Fly" you understand the whole matter, but I urge you to look a little deeper past such science-fiction. Plus that is NOT a fruit fly, but rather the common house fly Musca domestica. Isabella Rossellini gives some fascinating insight into those flies here.

For an additional general overview of fruit flies in biology, check out this nice visual explanation, or explore some of the more famous mutants flies that are used in genetics. For the real detailed nitty-gritty that professionals get into, check out Flybase.

To read the zine online in comic format, click the image here:

And click here is the downloadable, printable, and foldable PDF version...

Remember what they say: "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana!"

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from dry desert to coral reef...

2011-02-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

Today we'd like to show highlights from a truckload of excellent zine submissions we received from Dara Nix-Stevenson's biology class at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The assignment?

Pick 1 land biome and 1 aquatic biome and create a zine to communicate the key characteristics of their selected biome.

Given all the zines and all the great content, we decided to simply highlight some of the panels from zines covering a wide range of the environments their explored...

Deserts as discussed by Matthew Richman ~

Conifer Forests by Benjamin Rapp ~

Tundra as discussed by Aviva Zucker ~

Coral Reefs by Inga Mamut ~

Hannah Ripps ~

And this is just a small selection, and we are only sorry not being able to include more here.... These zines were informationally rich and visually a pleasure - an amazing set of zines, and The Small Science Collective wants to thank you all for sharing them with us.

Let's have a flying squirrel (from Rachel Senehenkova's zine) lead us out...!

Eating Insects?

2010-12-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

In a world whose burgeoning population and ravenous appetite for meat only continues to grow, sustainability is finding itself stretched to new limits. The environmental, food safety, and ethical issues of raising cows, pigs, and fowl on such an extensive scale are myriad. Take the example of beef and consider that pound-for-pound:

It takes ~200 times the amount of water to produce than potatoesIi takes about 5 pounds of grain for every pound of beef a cow produces
Feeding livestock consumes about 40% of the world's grain *

in overview....

Given this, what other options might there be for animal protein? Perhaps one of the most common ones there is? That's right - insects! Here are some very impressive nutritional statistics and recipes from National Geographic. In fact Time magazine has a a data-rich article on topic, while David Gracer, from Small Stock, also males a nice case for bug brunching here on the Colbert Report a little while back. The recent Insects Are Food website is also a good resource.

However, all that said, if you want a really nice and compact reference, I can suggest nothing better than than this new zine in the collective simply called "Entomophagy" by Moinca Ramirez. If gives a nice overview on these issues in a very handy format. Click on the image here to read it in comic form:

And of course feel free to download the printable and foldable version HERE to make your own hardcopy.

By the way, if you are interested in specific insects to dine on, consider cicadas! Here is a zine about them in particular (recipe included) as well as an article.

And some more of this topic from our sister site, the Insect World as well as your editor here at Small Science partaking of some giant water bug found in the local grocery store...

The Theory of Sexual Selection

2010-11-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

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Why the differences between males and females of so many species - be they large horns, flashy feathers, strange songs, or bizarrely long "stalks" in the case of the stalk-eyed flies pictured above? This question puzzled Charles Darwin even after he came up with his explanation for the diversity of life forms generally - evolution by natural selection.

Many consider Chuck D's solution to this conundrum of male and female traits as equally elegant: sexual selection theory.

(Feeling rusty on the concept? This video from the PBS Evolution series gives a summary of the basics.)

Denny Liu has designed an attractive zine The Theory of Sexual Selection that gives us a clever and contemporary overview of the many ways evolution has crafted traits, from the notion of "good genes" to nuptial gifts.

To read this zine it as a web comic, click the image below and get a little knowledge ~

(unfortunately, as a 11'' x 17" inch zine it won't work for many home printers but be in touch if you want the PDF.)

Another zine featured here at SSC also looks at sexual selection theory, check it out here!

More to come on this topic, so keep an eye out ~

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Free Water vs. Bottle Water

2010-11-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

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Water is so apparently abundant, and yet increasingly precious - for drinking, agriculture, and industry. Even Hollywood has become sensitized to the issue of fresh water access, be it the latest James Bond film or Matt Damon's new water advocacy organization.

The bottled water phenomenon in North America is a puzzling one indeed. Some say it is healthier, others more convenient, and yet all of this is ironic given that we put millions of dollars into creating a public water system that is one of the best in the world. Lucky to be some of the people in the world that actually has access cheap and plentiful tap water, we in the US have opted in the last few years for the apparent chic of water plastique, bottled up and sold to us.

Many have pointed out the virtues of tap water, and indeed that many bottled waters are in fact sourced from municipal taps to begin with! Videos like The Story of Bottled Water gives us some insight into the marketing and social psychology behind it, as well as the environmental consequences of all that plastic...

But if you want to get the word out on the street, nothing better of course than a zine. Michelle Doh's zine, Fresh Water vs. Bottled Water gives a wonderful overview of the issue, including drinking tips!

Click on the image below to read the zine in comic form:

And/or click HERE to download the PDF as a foldable zine (standard letter size).

Just how precious is fresh water? Sometimes you only realize it till its gone, as the Aral Sea story illustrates...

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* that crazy-brilliant Tycho Brahe

2010-09-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

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Many are fond of Copernicus (and his"revolution"), of Kepl er and his astronomical ways - even Ptolemy gets a lot of credit for being simply wrong about the relationship of movement between the earth and the sun. But what about Tycho Brahe?

Tycho did remarkably detailed observations, tried his best to resolve issues between Ptolemic and Copernican views of the universe, and above all else made a lovely discovery: a supernova in 1572 that fundamentally changed the way people thought about the physics of the heavens and its changeablity.

Artist Sara Drake has done a wonderful job in the name of scientific biography in her about Brahe. Her zine brings us through the large life of a man devoted to making sense of the puzzling heavens (as well as partying and dueling to the point fo having his nose slashed off - oops, spoiler alert!). But there are plenty more bizarre details to ponder in the zine, so enjoy!

To read the zine, click the image below:

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Click HERE to download the printable/foldable PDF version.
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Acid Advice

2010-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

This last year's Zine-a-Thon generated a startling array of zines of various topics, and one that all of the judges loved was simply called "Acids" by Rishabh Tripathi, a high school student in
Nagpur, India.

Far less exotic perhaps than lattice QCD or dodos, Rishabh's zine conveys just how strange, common (we ourselves are composed on many different kinds of acids), and even dangerous certain acids can be. As the zines summarizes by way introduction:

"Horrible Details: Acids taste horrible and sometimes stink. You wouldn't want to go near some of them. They are strong enough to dissolve the human body!"

This only attests to the diversity of acids and the roles they can play, from flavoring your salad dressing to causing acid rain in the clouds.

To read Rishabh's zine, click the image below:

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And to download a PDF format of the zine in foldable form click HERE.

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! The Indomitable Water Bear !

2010-08-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

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Chicago artist Alex Chitty has made a lovely, funny, and narratively nice contribution to our understanding of biodiversity through her zine Simplify Your Life (aka The Indomitable Water Bear).

Before you even ask what exactly the definition of "indomitable" is, you might also be pondering the following simple question:

Water Bear ??

Well, the water bear is like a lot other mysterious (and perhaps somewhat confusing ) common nomenclature mash-ups for organisms. Take for example: sea lions, monkey flowers, dolphin fish, or potato bugs - likewise, the water bear falls in the category of not exactly what it might sound like. It is not a bear, but a creature maybe vaguely shaped like one that happen to - when lucky - live in the water. Although to be fair the scientific name for these tiny invertebrates - Tardigrades - is no less cryptic. (They are quite cute was they dance through liquid space)

Alex presents us with the opportunity of what it might be like to be a wholly different kind of creature and what (from our ever busy, fragile, and pre-occupied human perspective) living the life of something like tardigrade might feel like.

These are bizarre and tough critters - read all about them:

Click the image below to read it in comic form....

And click HERE to download the PDF as a foldable zine (standard letter size).

oh, and:

Some more wonderful drawing of water bears.

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Hmm....

2010-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

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Exploring the small science initiatives around the country, one nice example is Hmm... a small magazine out of Colorado that covers how science is done by researchers in the field. Though advertised as for middle-schoolers, this zine will be of interest to any one of any one with an inquiring mind towards the latest work being done in geology and weather.

Handsomely designed, it is no surprise the makers are graphic designers as well as science-minded writers. Go to this site to download the full edition!

Perfect! ~ the Circular History of Planetary Orbits

2010-06-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

It was once believed that the heavens were a realm of complete perfection. For this reason, certain shapes like circles were thought to be to rule form and movement.

It is a fascinating history involving our human conceptions, perceptions, and in the end the successes of scientific reasoning that led us to understand the circle in fact is not the King of Celestial Shapes. What are the other shapes and how did we find them out?

To learn about this planetary topic, we suggest checking out a zine by artist and SAIC student Amy Schleser called Perfect! You can read it in comic form by clicking the image here:

- - AND.... If you want to download the printable and foldable PDF version, click here!

Wonderful zine contribution and winner of the "Astronomy" category of this past year's Zine-a-Thon contest - in a word: perfect!

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Deep Dive: Exploring the Mussel Tussle

2010-06-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

Mussels are a kind of bivalve. Like their cousins the oysters, clams, and scallops they live a shelled (although not completely sheltered) life in freshwater rivers & ponds to expansive oceans all across the globe, filtering water for tiny morsels worth eating.

Mussels of course can be worth eating themselves as a tasty meal, as all these recipes show. Then again, some mussels, like the Zebra mussel, have become difficult pests in areas like the Great Lakes, drastically changing ecosystems and causing economic hardship...

But what about the overall biological lives of freshwater mussels? What about the risk of extinctio for others? What factors are at play. To answer these questions we only need to read Lauren Hughes' zine Deep Dive: Into the Secret Live of Freshwater Mussels to get a rich visual guide to the topics, and others besides (click on the comic below to magnify):

- - If you want to download the printable and foldable PDF version, click here .

Wonderful zine contribution and winner of the "Oceans & Water" category of this past year's Zine-a-Thon contest!

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* Meeting a Giant Octopus *

2010-02-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

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The Octopus is a creature of splendor and mystery, there is simply no doubt about it, and the Giant Octopus, even moreso.

These cephalopods change color, pattern, and can navigate mazes. In fact , they are so dynamic and clever it has recently been shown they are the only invertebrates known to use tools !

In the images here we see one diver apparently hugging a giant octopus; in the other Captain Nemo watches one at a casual distance in an illustrations from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

But just what would it be like to meet one?

Thankfully, there is a zine that helps us with just this question: Chen Dou's zine "Meeting a Giant Octopus," which won the Grand Prize in Year of Science 2009 Zine-a-thon co-organized by the SSC and COPUS, explores just what it might be like to learn about the a giant octopus through a first hand meeting.

I recently asked Chen what she likes most about drawing animals:

"I've always felt as if drawing animals brings me closer to the creatures that share residence on planet Earth because it allows me to place myself in a different world where there is more interaction and understanding between human beings and other species. In our society today, it seems as if we are completely isolated from the natural world and rather indifferent toward the interaction and protection of other species. Wouldn't it be great if we got to know these mystical and beautiful creatures a little better?"

I think Chen's zine accomplishes just that sense of trying to get to know an animal, especially in the case of octopi and their remarkable intelligence...

Thanks so much for sharing this zine, Chen!

- - If you want to download the printable and foldable PDF version, click here.

You can also check out the zine here on the Year of Science site (click it to magnify)

ps:
Mind you, NOT to be confused with the "giant squid," or the "colossal squid" (nor confused with each other)

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Year of Science 2009 / Small Science Collective Zine-a-thon Winners!

2010-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

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After sorting through and reading over the 250 submissions for the 2009 YoS / Small Science Zine-a-thon, we have our winners! (For the full press release, go here)

In fact, their were 32 winners in 11 different topic, and 3 different age categories, with people sending zines from all over the world: from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Marasthra, India; from Bellingham, Washington to Buenos Aires, Argentina!

For a quick peek at the winners by age category, look here:

8-12 (Middle School)
13-17 (High School)
18+ (Adults)

And, there were also some BIG prizes ~ ~

The Grand Prize best overall zine, which goes to Chen Dou for his zine Meeting a Giant Octopus. A Biodiversity entry from the 13-17 category, we were wowed by how interesting and educational it was to read this zine, and all the craftsmanship put into it. As the judges commented:

"This zine shows great imagination and really helps the reader to connect with the science in a personal way. Yes, the facts about the giant octopus are pretty cool by themselves, but it was also so compelling to imagine what it might be like to have an octopus as a best friend. The front cover is especially inviting and the drawings throughout were so well done."

There were a number of Honorable Mentions in this category that were also stellar, making it so hard to decide - click on the links to read them as web comics:

The Indomitable Water Bear by Alex Chitty

Acids by Rishabh Tripathi

Endosymbiosis by Mary Allison Abad

Dive Deep - the Secret Lives of Freshwater Mussels by Lauren Hughes

Two Prizes also went to zines that excelled specifically in illustrating the Nature and Process of Science. These awards, sponsored by Understanding Science, went to:

Santino Chavez (8-12) for Scientific Methods in Earth Science...

...and Amy Schleser (18+) for her zine Perfect! that explored the process by which we came to understand the shape of planetary orbits.

Here on the Small Science Collective site we will be doing an extensive series of posts about the winning zines over the next few months, making many available for you to read as well as download - so we hope you will come back and visit regularly.

The Small Science Collective wants to give a big thanks to Year of Science 2009 and the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) for all of their tireless energy and enthusiasm in co-organizing the Zine-a-Thon, especially Sheri Potter and Judy Scotchmoor!

Also and of course, a big thanks to all of the judges putting the time and attention to read all of the entries! I know in speaking with all of them, just how much they got from it too. To learn more about the judges, check out their bios here. Many thanks also to the generosity of all of the prize sponsors

The following organizations generously donated prizes for this contest:

(Shodor, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Society for Microbiology, American Society for Photobiology, Banana Slug String Band, Deep Earth Academy - Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Encyclopedia of Life, Entomological Foundation, Geological Society of America, The Intersection, Made With Molecules, National Center for Science Education, NESCent, Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT), ScienceCheerleader.com, Society of Petroleum Engineers (Energy4me program), University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California Press, WGBH Educational Foundation, WhaleTimes, Inc., Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy)

stay tuned for more.......

the Ants Cometh

2010-01-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

And what would a science collective (even a small one) be without some mention of some of the most numerous and biologically fascinating creatures on earth - the ants!

For the sake of full disclosure, I should mention I am actually an ant biologist, and it is perhaps for this reason I've held off including them here for fear of showing any favoritism towards these marvels of the insect world...

But the time finally has come for a post because a couple excellent ant zines have become a part of our collection and it seems a shame not to share. I guess you could say I was getting "ansty" about it (ouch, a painful pun).

Our myrmecological journey starts with a densely and beautifully illustrated comic zine called Army Ants! - by Lale Westvind. Lale brings us through the jungle up front and (frighteningly) close with the trail of a nomadic army ant colony of the species Eciton burchelli, and the complex ecology they are a part of.

Of course no mention of army ants would be complete without mentioning the work of Mark Moffett, whose documentation of these ants (photos and essays) is simply unmatched. You've likely sen his photographs in National Geographic on a variety of bio-diverse topics, but he also is a big Ant Fan.

Lale's account in her zine of their fierceness is not hyperbole - in coming across a colony of these guys in Panama I learned the hard (and sharp) way just how effective their mandibles are in grabbing flesh; this pictures shows the moment before it sunk its teeth into me!

- - To download the zines printable and foldable PDF, click here.

- - Click the image below here to read it online as a web comic:

Continuing on with our foray into the ant world is also a fascinating zine by Joe Song called Awesome Attributes About Ants.

Here in just this one panel (at the right) he details some part of the multi-species symbiosis that Fungus Farming Ants are involved in. Indeed, you may know these guys as "Leaf-Cutter Ants" as well, for leaves are part of the intricate web of interactions they play a role within.

This wonderful video clip for the PBS Evolution series explains it all, and much more. In fact this zine discusses Trapdoor Ants, Slave-Making Ants, Sugar Ants, Weaver Ants, and give us even more information on the Army Ants too.

- - To read the whole comic online, click on the image below:

Finally, there has been an ant zine in our library for quite some time (in fact it was the first one ever done as part of the SSC project!).

That one you can download to read and/or print by clicking here.

enjoy.

Latching on, Leeching off

2010-01-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

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Leeches have a bad reputation, mainly because they suck (our blood), they are slimy slitherly creatures that are stealthy, able to latch onto us with their odd teeth without us noticing at all!

And yet for all of this, they are also remarkable useful in certain medical circumstances, a fact that has long been admired and utilized. In the time of the Egyptians and Greeks many believe they could "balance the humors" of the body, while in Victorian times it was seen as a general cure-all through the blood-letting it allowed for - hence you might keep some on hand in a pretty jar (as to the left) just in case.

Today doctors are bringing these critters back into the hospital, recognizing their beneficial uses in helping tissue recuperation and blood flow in cases of re-attachment surgery, skin grafts, and other cases. Here are some remarkable images to ponder.

In fact, supplying these bloodsuckers is becoming a nice business for some people!

Mario Martinez has made a nice zine about medicinal leeches (the 2009 update) to provide some small science perspective on these creatures and there uses.

- - Click HERE to download the PDF and print & fold it as a zine (two per sheet!)

- - Click on the image below to read it as a comic right here online:

Zine-a-thon 2009 : Now the Judging!

2009-12-31T07:57:00.000-08:00

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Hi All

Just an update on the Zine-a-thon sponsored with the Year of Science 2009:

Entries were due in November and in the end we have about 250 entries! An amazing number indeed.

Given how many there are to read and consider, our judging panel from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the University of Illinois Chicago will be finished judging early in the new year.

Small Science and COPUS/Year of Science 2009 plan on announcing the various winners on FEBRUARY 15th.

Meanwhile, look for other new Small Science zines and post throughout January! We have lots we've been wanting to share about leeches, beetles, astronomy, and many topics besides.

best in 2010 and more soon!

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

2009-08-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

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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)

2009-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

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.

- - Click the cover above to download it as PDF to fold and print.

- - Click the image below to read it as a web comic:
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"the Cadillac of swallows"

2009-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

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 Pur ple Martin Page.

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

- - Click the cover above to download it as PDF to fold and print.

and fascinating little video on Purple Martin conservation ...

The Future of Energy?

2009-03-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

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.

- - Click on this image to read as a web comic:

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

2009-03-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

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 not surprise you...

- - Click the image below to read it as a web comic...

Diamonds are Forever (and ever, and ever)

2009-02-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

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 form:

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

- - Click the image below to read it as a web mini-comic:
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Pigeons for Darwin!

2009-02-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

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)

- - To read it in online comic format, just click the image below:

Ocean "Acid Influx" ?

2009-02-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Life has evolved on a ever-changing earth, this much is true. The effects that the massive amounts of carbon dioxide we continue to release through fossil fuel use has naturally focused on the atmosphere into which all that gas first goes. But of course land to air, air to ocean - a planet's biogeochemical cycle is connected all the way through; absorption of all this carbon dioxide into the oceans is having some alarming consequences such as ocean acidification. (Acid rain sure - but acid oceans too?)

Recent reports by scientists have only called more strongly for action on carbon dioxide emissions not only because of its influence on global warming, but also because of how this acidification may harm marine life, including already endangered corals and as well as a whole range of shelled organisms, not the least being the tiny plankton that form the base of ocean food systems.

This new zine "Ocean Acidification" by biologist Beth Archie illustrates and introduces us to the issue at hand - click on either of the images or the link HERE to download this zine to share with others.

- - Click on the image below to read in as a web comic :

those odd dermapterans

2009-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

This zine starts out with a simple rebus that leads us to its topic:

Lobe + Hair?

No.

Ear + Wig = EARWIG

Where did this odd name come from? There are some clues if we look closely at the root of the word (the etymology of entomology!)

One of the the less-liked insects, even the supposedly scientifically objective Ohio State Agricultural Extension can't helped but describe the earwig ("dermapterans" in the scientific lingo) in its factsheet thusly:

"They have a frightful appearance, move rapidly around baseboards at the ground level, and may emit a foul-smelling, yellowish-brown liquid from their scent glands."

Hmm. Not a strong endorsement.

Nevertheless, some find a certain charm in these creatures, and indeed in you look more closely at them there are some surprisingly elegant aspects to what appear to be otherwise a fairly wigglely bug.

This zine by Lyra Hill explores and illustrates a very short but nice introduction to these insects.

See what the creator says about it on her blog and feel free to download a printable copy by clicking on the cover above...

...to read as a web comic, just click or the image below:

3D living

2009-01-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

Many say we are living in the "Genomic Age" - where the decoding of all the "chemical letters" of our DNA of an organism (= genome) is leading to understanding of life never before possible. After all, if the DNA which makes up all of our genetic information, then some have claimed it is equivalent to having something akin to a "Book of Life."

However, if we take that metaphor seriously, then we all also must admit to the fact that a book is nothing without a reader and that words themselves and the texts they make up are a matter of interpretation, not simply matters of fact. How are genes "expressed"? How is the text "read"? What form in terms of meaning does the metaphorical DNA information provide? The answer is proteins.

Yes, proteins are what DNA is coding "for" and is what makes up the strucutre and activity of life - from our very flesh to all the biochemistry creatures perform, all that comes down to proteins and their unique shapes. You see, shape = function for proteins, which puts us, many say, in the "Proteonomic Age" where the big questions are about how proteins are shaped and thus how they dynamically funtion in organisms.

Here is exactly where scientist Josh Kurutz's new zine contribution to the collective, Protein Structure.

A beautifully illustrated zine, it is packed with plenty of history and material to introduce you to Josh's own professional specialty of discovering just how these nanoscale molecular scupltures are shaped.

Recently debuting at the Knowledge Virus part of the Biological Agents exhibition at Gallery 400 this fall, it is an anticipated addition to the SSC. Download the PDF version of the zine, by clicking on the cover image above - ready for standard 8-page folding.

If you want more information on genetics, I recommend DNA from the Beginning and indeed a whole host of other web resources that can be found HERE.

To read this in web comic format, click on the image below!

Insect Sex Ed - "It's Perfectly Normal"

2008-12-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

We have all experienced or heard of the lore of sex education class - the mandatory, uncomfortable and sometimes ill-conceived attempt to teach youngsters the "facts of life."

From a evolutionary point of view thinking of reproduction in these terms is really right on the mark - the traits and behaviors of many organisms are the consequence of natural selection and it is the case that the Birds and Bees alike have evolved very elaborate means to attract mates and have offspring.

Written and scientifically illustrated in careful detail by Alexandra Westrich, this zine, "It's Perfectly Normal" takes the Sex Ed textbook theme and puts it in the insect context, guiding us through rings you through a sampling the wide variety in strategies that have evolved in the insect world in the competition to reproduce. Covering topics such as pleasant sounding as "nuptial gifts" and scary as "hypodermic insemination" the zine gives a nice introduction to just how strange the world is

In pulling from human cultural perspectives on sex, this zine shares some kindred spirit to projects such as Olivia's Judson's book/BBC series Dr. Tatiana's Guide to Sex or Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno.

- - Click on the image of the cover above to download the zine, ready to fold.

- - Click on the image below to read it as a web comic!

What's Up with Food?

2008-08-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

"Making sustainable food choices - what does that mean?"

Sarah Elliott's new zine What's Up with Food? poses the question through meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and GMOs too. It is hard to imagine that the beef in a quarter-pounder from McDonald's takes 11,000 liters (about 2750 gallons) of water to produce, but it's as true as it is sobering.

This zine is chock- full of information on the complex ecology of food, its nutrition, and its environmental costs (bibliography included). Download this double-sided zine-pamphlet by clicking on the title above or the cover image to the right. For more information, consider:

Yale Sustainable Food Project
The Sustainable Table

That Gut Feeling

2008-08-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

This past June in Mexico I got sick - stomach sick in that worst sort of way. Many talk of "Montezuma's Revenge," but if this is true, he is having some sort of bacteria doing the dirty work of causing the illness.

We often think bacteria = enemy instinctively. Think of all the anti-bacterial products out on the market singing the gospel of hygiene. Ironically such products have likely only made the problems worse.

It is often forgotten that many bacteria are actually beneficial, and that indeed without them we couldn't live: our very bodies are a welcome host and collaborator with trillions of bacteria, more in fact than our own human cells.

This zine, Gut Feeling discusses this intimate relationship as one to consider more carefully. Without even taking antibiotics my body healed from the stomach bug of Mexico - most likely due to a tag-team performance of my immune system and native gut friends both. Be nice to them - eat some yogurt!

If you are interested in bacteria and viruses too, then consider checking out another zine in our collection - "Bacteria or Virus? - Good Question."

basic ingredients!

2008-08-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Do you wear lipstick? We'll even if you don't, you may eat maraschino cherries or partake in some other forms of bright red that makes use of cochineal red, also called "carmine."

This zine by Alexandria Rosen explores where this particular hue comes from (spoiler alert! - the little bodies of "scale insects"). It might sound to fantastical, perhaps an urban myth or a rumorish story that gets passed own from kid to kid ("you eat bugs!"), but even our skeptical friends at Snopes have fact checked this one.

This pigment in fact has a very long and venerable history of use in a number of cultures for the purposes of natural dyes.

Click on the image to the right to download a copy of the zine in PDF form to print out and fold up yourself.

- - Click on the image below to read it as a comic online:

Small Science "Field Work"

2008-08-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium all in one place makes Chicago a science-lovers dream. Stars,to sea, to savannah, these museums have it all making it a prime destination for visitors in the summer.

Small Science is taking to those sidewalks this summer and offering science zines to any and all takers - of which I am happy to report, there are many.

Carrying a small tray packed with 15 or so different zines on a variety of topics and a sign that says "Free Science!" we've been handing them out to many enthusiastic folk interested in learning a little more about fingerprints, birds, spirals, cicadas, botflies, and many things besides. A boy and his mom look into the Holes in their Heads (left) while a guy shares a romantic moment by picking out the the evolution zine Snake Legs and Wisdom Teeth for his girlfriend (aw, shucks).

Some people said they wanted to make zines of their own, others confessed their head was too full from a day of museums, but were taking one to read on the bus ride home anyway. That is what makes small science handy - it's bite size, portable, and never makes you drowsy....

In two days we gave out hundreds of zines to the science hungry. More coming online but meanwhile for the range of what is downloadable, check out here.

:::For the Birds:::

2008-07-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Are you a birdwatcher? Or perhaps at least a frequent bird seer? It is hard to avoid them: pigeons, seagulls, robins, and of course, the chicken. Even if you stay in your house all day, you might catch a glimpse of Big Bird on your public television.

But what is the origin of these feathery friends, biologically speaking? Who are their closest relatives? Why the lizardy-feet? This zine For the Birds explores these questions and includes some information on bird-like creatures of the past like Archaeopteryx and Pterodactyls.

It turns out, that looking at the biochemistry of T. rex tells us something about where birds came from - confirming what was already pretty well known: the dinosaur connection! Evolution is an incredible force for sure...

Click the cover image above or here for a copy of the zine - as usual, printable at home on 8.5 x 11" paper and ready to be photocopied and folded!

-- Click the image below to read it as a comic online:

@@@ Endless Spirals @@@

2008-05-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Spirals, spirals everywhere: galaxies, hurricanes, snail shells, your bathtub water - what is the deep connection (or IS there one?)

This new zine is a collaboration between and astrophysicist and graphic artist explores this question a la a mini-zine. There is a lot of gossip and hearsay about the universal nature of spiral forms, here is the skinny from a scientist.

As always, click on the image above, or here, to get a download of this 1-page-to-8-page fold zine. And too - don't forgot the directions for folding all these guys is always at hand.

- - Click on the image below here to simply read it as a complete web comic!

Of course, some spirals ARE everywhere, especially in the twisted (literally) world of artist Junji Ito. His manga Uzumaki - some panels shown below - is about how a town gets taken over by spirals, more spirals, and their dark spinning ways. The manga are brilliant-creepy , and the recent film version is pretty good too, if you are ready to be freaked out.

the Ways of the Wild

2008-05-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Who would think that Isabella Rosellini would be such a fan of invertebrate sex? I am so glad she is - her new series of short films - Green Porno - does a fantastical job of portraying the fierce and twisted beauty of reproduction among insects, worms, and snail. Told from the first person, you consider copulation with a female praying mantis, and all that entails (some images of mantis hunting last fall here in Chicago...)

Also nice: her particular focus on producing short videos for the specific format of small screen devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, portable media players, and the like.

I can't say enough good things to say about them, they are hilarious, so take the 10 minutes it takes to watch them all at the website. A triumph in small science-ness.

Small Science @ Hip Lit

2008-05-20T11:04:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday the Small Science Collective shared space with the generous Ladyfriend zine to spread the small science words and images at the Hip Lit Fair at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

We distributed over twenty different zines ranging every conceivable topic. At 10 cents a pop, we took in $16 to cover photocopy costs, which means 160 small science zines made their way out and about in the wide world. perhaps educating someone on the pros and cons of GMO foods (posted to the site soon), on fingerprints, or fake smiles, and etc. or etc.

Although not in time for the fair, two new zines about how birds make decisions (!), and how global warming is affecting how sea life dresses are both on the way, care of two new scientist-contributors to the Collective!

Look for "Endless Spirals" - a collaboration by astrophysicist Jeff Oishi and drawer Christa Donner already on a park bench near you, and to be posted here soon...

DNA computing

2008-05-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

When we think of computers, it is a matter of 0's and 1's in long series 001100100001010101..... the code by which your iPod plays Missy Elliott songs, your internet runs its searches, and your hard drive stores your school papers.

But a lot goes into the hardware: the computer chips that run this code is made of plastic, bits of precious metal and the like; various dangerous chemical solvents are necessary to make the microprocessors and plenty of electricity is used run them. All in all, there are a lot of environmental costs.

Biological systems are infinitely more complex than computers - and they construct themselves and run themselves using their own code - a genetic code inscribed in the form of DNA, and four chemical letters of A, (adenine), T (thymine), G (guanine), and C (cytosine).

Can we use this code in a way to analogous to computers to solve mathematical calculations and the like? -via "DNA COMPUTING"?

This zine by Lale Westvind explores this very question. Sometimes technical, it is full of historical details and enough information that you'll want to try to build your own DNA computer...

- - Click below to read the web comic version....

the Subtle Art of Mutations

2008-05-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

The living world is full of natural variation - faces, eyes, hands, colors. As obvious or subtle as these variants may be, some nevertheless can catch the attention as perhaps more "off" from others.

Scientific illustrators have some of the most careful and observant eyes in the world, often moreso than scientist themselves. One such illustrator and artist - Cornelia Hesse-Honegger - has turned her power of observation into a powerful tool to re-present the shapes of living things that might signal changes and damage to the environment - such as effects of nuclear radiation from Chernobyl. In this way the insects she draws almost work as a sort of bioindicator.

This mini-zine by Monte Smith interprets her illustrations with wonderful line quality of his own.

How to be a Proper Host (to a Botfly)

2008-05-03T22:34:00.000-07:00

Botflies are tricky - and somewhat disgusting - insects. They mug other unsuspecting flies and lay their eggs on them using the other fly as a free taxi ride to a nice warm mammal, perhaps like yourself. There, the larvae burrows in and > then...

Jenny Goldberg's zine on how to be a "proper host" to these parasites is a nice primer on keeping and feeding your own insect, albeit off your own body! I actually had a good friend, Yui, who nurtured the botfly he was infested with in Costa Rica till it finally emerged from his shoulder. Heck, that is what a dedicated entomologist will do. In fact, some people even keep online diaries of the experience. Would you name yours "Iggy" like this diarist? hmm...

For those brave souls among you, you can watch a video of some folk extracting three of these critters from the back of some fellow - Ugh..!

This zine even comes with a handy mail-away coupon so you can get your own botfly, once you've been thoroughly convinced what a worthwhile project rearing your own would be...I suppose you just don't tell the mailman what is in the box.

To download the zine, click on the coupon above. If you would like to see a color version of the original zine, check it out at Jenny's site!

Hole in yer Head!

2008-05-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

My Ma always told me I needed more candy "like a hole in the head." If the "cavities" in my teeth were any indication, she was probably right.

Still, it is unfair to say all the holes in our heads aren't useful. In fact without them we would be pretty lost in the world, and much more boring as people. Think about losing your ability to smell lilacs, listen to Michael Jackson's Thriller, savor an avocado burrito, and watch the Muppet Show - all at the same time! We would be so sensory-deprived without the lovely holes in our heads. True, we wouldn't get sneezed on while riding the bus, but that's a matter of proper handkerchief use, not your nostrils....

This zine, "Hole in yer head" explores the portals in your skull with actual holes through the zine itself + some intriguing facts along the way. Click on the image, or the hyperlink above to get a copy.

"hybrid-insect cyborgs"

2008-04-10T11:53:00.001-07:00

Going by Quimby's the other day, C. and J. came across this nice double-sided pamphlet. Seemed innocuous and charming enough: green paper, insects, smiling girl.

Closer inspection, and it describes a project called "Micro and Nano Electro Mechanical Systems: Technology Engineering Metamorphosis" which is about basically making cyborg insects as micro-surveillance robots for the military.

What seems quite like science fiction is in fact one of the many schemes that scientists at DARPA have cooked up. It looks like this little one sheet pamphlet (and more in a series?) were created by Matt Kessler and Zach Huelsing at Eye Rocket.

A nice combination of science/almost sci-fiction/political commentary, these pamphlets operate in a variety of nice ways.

As for this bug-robots thing, DARPA scientists write:

"Imagine an intelligent micro air vehicle maneuvering around wires, birds, even bullets, without human controls, perhaps being piloted by a hybrid-insect cyborg"

Perhaps the next pamphlet will be about PANDA?

The Nature of Attraction

2008-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

Why do bowerbirds build such crazy architecturally adorned structures? Why do so many male insects have such fancy horns and colors and patterns? What's up with the male peacock's tail?

Throughout the natural world there are an abundance of cases where males and females of the same species look very different - a phenomena known as "sexual dimorphism." Darwin came up for a very interesting an powerful explanation for this based on his principle of natural selection.

He reasoned that the individuals of a given sex may have to compete with each other to attract potential mates, and so that one (or the other) sex might evolve adornments and behaviors to attract these possible partners. This is known as "sexual selection," and while males often are the sex that is acting so flashy and with all the bling, in some cases the roles are reversed.

Of course, since humans are themselves evolved from the same "Tree of Life" as all other creatures, might they not also be subject to sexual selection? Perhaps we too choose mates on the basis of displays that signal biological worthiness?

This zine, a "The Mini-Book of Sexual Selection" by SSC contributor Dominique Holmes gives a nice little introduction to these questions... Feel free to click on the pink zine cover
above to download a copy.

Snake Legs, Chick Tracts & Evolution

2008-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

For years handy, brightly colored comics have been finding there way in every park bench, waiting room and bus stop you could imagine. Inside are stories of everyday life that quickly turn into ones of Eternal Damnation. If you have never seen one of these Chick tracts, then you are rare case indeed.

In their fundamentalist Christian spirit, a number of these tracts also tell of the evils of evolution and the impossibility of creatures changing over time. These days Creationists have come up with a new version of their views, called Intelligent Design, but which still suffers from any real scientific credibility

As an alternative to the mis-information these tracts and that Intelligent Design put out, C.D. and I have penned a Chick-like zine called Snake Legs and Wisdom Teeth that talks a little about some of the overwhelming evidence that exits for evolution by natural selection and against notions like Intelligent Design, including the rudiments that still exist in many organisms, remnants of their roots in other, ancestor organisms.

- - Click below to read it as a web comic:

Fake Smiles and "Gaydar"

2008-02-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

When that clerk flashed you that smile at the store, was it a pleasant and happy one, or the one that he gets paid a low hourly wage to give you as you purchase soda and eggs? Was it sincere or is was it for show?

Facial gestures are one of the cornerstones of animal communication - and of course thus deceit as well. How good a job do we do in smiling convincingly or detecting that "fake smile"? Psychologists have been looking into the question, and this zine by Jackie Martin discusses some of that current work click on the image on the right to get a copy).

In fact, if you want, you can take a online quiz testing your ability to detect fake smiles. Now you'll know the truth behind those grins!

Of course, so much of science is about detecting distinctions, differences, and theorizing what they might be indicating in terms of cause - visible signs and signals of mood, yes, but some also claim of biological nature.

As useful (medical diagnostics), frivolous (phrenology), or dangerously discriminatory (racial profiling) that the reading of visible traits may be, people are always still looking for the next set of correlations that may work as some definitive sign of something.

One example of these popular ideas that scientists are taking seriously (for what purposes, it is unclear) is whether physical characteristics indicate one's sexual preference. Recent studies are looking into things such as the direction of your hair colick to the relative length of your index and ring fingers as possible traits that are associated with different preferences.

This is the topic of the zine to the left "Do You Have Gaydar?" by Catherine Mudd. Perhaps the better question is: Who needs it? Rest assured, form what studies can tell these traits only loosely correlate with sexual preference - as everything else in biology, it is a matter of probabilities NOT certainties.

Behold Sinners - Locusts!

2008-02-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

Religious leaflets are traditional part of American print and media. Often filled with fire and brimstone, such tracts tell you "what's is what" and are meant to remind us that Someone is Counting.

An Art Institute of Chicago student, Colleen T., has elaborated on this tradition - producing a wonderful pamphlet on what is in fact the natural history of locust swarms in the American West.

Check out a version of it by clicking on the images on the left (PDF)

the Myth of Fingerprints

2007-08-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Paul Simon sang of the "Myth of Fingerprints" - and for sure there are some.

When did they start being used for criminal investigation? Are identical twins even identical down to their prints? This little pamphlet looks into some of this.

One myth, of course, is that fingerprint technology is almost foolproof, but cases of those like Brandon Mayfield show us this isn't true.

Even still, even the idea of them is powerful, and the metaphor of "DNA fingerprints" - identifying people by a unique pattern of their genetic that might be left at the scene of a crime.

Interstingly this DNA fingerprinting has been extremely important to so far overturning the wrongful convictions of 206 people in prison wrongfully convicted of crimes, largew=ly through the Innocence Project.
'

Science Literacy, the Internet & HIV deniers

2007-08-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

A fascinating article just came out in the Public Library of Science about the various movements that deny HIV is the cause of AIDS that are finding new audiences the internet ( HIV Denial in the Internet Era)

Seemingly working from the position of underdogs fighting mainstream scientific authority, denial groups undermine the importance of basic health measure that can help keep all of us from catching or transmitting HIV and other infectious diseases.

No doubt the treatment of those with AIDS is in need of constant improvement, but denial of its known cause as a means to promote alternative treatments is unethical. It is denial of what the scientific community has spent so much time and resources trying to understand.

Knowing your Microbes

2007-08-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

A small zine about knowing the difference, and why it matters.

Should I take antibiotics for the sniffles? How big is a virus compared to a bacteria anyway? These are a important things to know for protecting your own health for sure.

However don't assume all bacteria are bad - it is estimated that your body has more bacterial cells than human cells! In fact your own cells (though individually much larger than bacteria) make up as little as 10% of your own body! These bacteria, largely in our guts, help us break down food, produce nutrients, and we could not live without them.

As for viruses, they are usually never friendly, although many of them are specific to only certain species of plants and animals, and so pose no harm to us. Occasionally ones like "bird flu" and HIV evolve to cross species boundaries, and this is a major challenge now to global health. Either way, our bodies are a host to a world of microbes.

One big challenge for us is "antibiotic resistance" - the process of bacteria evolving resisteance against the antibiotic drugs we use to fight them. While this evolution of resistance is natural, the overuse of antibiotics is leading to a unnecessarily rapid and dangerous evolution of bacteria so that they can become more and more dangerous to us. A really interesting and sobering example of this is TB (tuberculosis).

Click on the image above to download a PDF template of this zine.

"Wisconsin Wildcards"

2007-08-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

Invasive species are a big problem. They are plants or animals that are native to one environment but move far distances (usually through human transport) and settle in a new place, often with terrible consequences to the environment there. These plants and animals disrupt the food patterns and other ecological interactions in the new environment.

The state of Wisconsin has taken to baseball-esque cards "Wisconsin Wildcards" to get information about these invasive and damaging species out to people. My friend Anne came across them on a recent camping trip to Devil's Lake and kindly brought some back:

Clever, small and eye-catching, this is a good resource, full of all the information you need to know which bug you might want to step on, on plant that pulling up might actually help the native environment!

For more information:

Wildcard Activity Guide

National Invasive Species Information Center

Invasives.org

CICADAS

2007-07-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

Across much of the Midwest of the U.S. it is the season for cicadas. That is true every summer. But this summer in particular is also the time for the 17-year cicadas to emergence.

This time the long-awaited performance was a little spotty: In Chicago there wasn't much action, but in the suburbs and in other parts of the midwest they came by the millions, singing their song. This zine is a little introduction to them.

If you want to see more from it, click on the cover on the right.

The Zine Library

2007-01-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.andrewyang.com/zines/strongestcreature.pdf

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