I got talking with a geology student recently, and we could not help not bringing up one of the subjects that bring together biology and geology: mass extinctions. So here is some information in case you ever need to impress a geology student, or plan the next extinction.

There have been 6 mass extinctions. The 5 recent ones involved multicellular life. I count them as 6 because there was an earlier major one involving the production of oxygen. Yes, oxygen was not on Earth since the beginning.

This is all relevant to the snowball earth theory, the idea that the Earth was completely covered by ice in the past. Turns out it might have happened during the mass atmospheric oxygenation event, but there are also other possible dates, all before multicellular organisms evolved. Here is plenty of information about it, a bit long but the visuals on the Earth periods over time along are worth the visit.

If you can survive more reading, here is the wikipedia page on the mass extinctions, where the mass oxygenation is not considered a mass extinction.

Do you have a cat? Does it pee or bite what you don't want it to?

Research suggests your cat might be frustrated with its life, since it is semi-domesticated after all. Especially if it is not allowed out, it might be a good idea to enrich its environment.

The catch is you might need to collect some more food pieces from around the house than you are used to.

Here is the easy read version with more information, and here is a specialised site which inludes instructions on making homemade cat puzzles. It looks like a fun weekend project regarldess of outcome.

Here is a nice video illustrating, among other things, how traffic jams appear to go away for no reason. The solution to end all traffic is rather interesting.

Then again, one could say the solution already exists.

An excellent performance of "Last chance to see", by the author, Douglas Adams.

Fun, intelligence and biology into one long (talk)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZG8HBuDjgc].

Here is a nice summer project.

Melt some aluminium. Pour it over a fire ant colony to make a cast.

Gently dig out the cast.

And you have a new sculpture full of dead ants!

Summary: Learn to distinguish perceived and actual danger

Here is a nice story from someone who went blind during a space walk. And some nice imagery on what it is like to go to space.

Video link