#omsi

Beetles and weevils pt 3

Oh gosh, so neat!!! Although very somber too. Just thinking about all those who didn’t survive (even if there had been enough lifeboats, which there weren’t anyway) and the items that have been recovered. Amazing what can be preserved so far under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Certain leather bags held up surprisingly well and protected whatever was inside. Ceramic dishes that looked like they were brand new. I wasn’t certain they were the real thing, but every item in the exhibit was found at the Titanic site - majority of items recovered from the debris field between the two sections.

this is my favorite absolutely crazy thing they found:

That’s SOAP.

My brain is like “what?! HOW?!” So cool!

I do admit that even after all the books I’ve read, I did not realize that they had actually discovered an iron-eating bacteria that has been slowly eating the metal. One day, the actual ship will be gone - which I don’t know, I didn’t realize that would hit me so hard. Nothing is permanent, even gravesites.

Plus the advancements in technology since 1985 have really helped us understand what is going on down there and provided images and views that are just - insane but mesmerizing. No light reaches down there, but we got technology now to make detailed images! 🤩

No but if you get the chance at OMSI or at any museum in your city, do see this Titanic Exhibit. They have so many real pieces of the ship and tell the stories of many of the passengers, those who survived and those who did not.

hell yeah here are some of my favorite pieces from the exhibit i cant rememebr the name of the collection but it was at OMSI in 2019

I took time out today to go to the OMSI Science Festival; last year I was a presenter, but this time around I just went for the fun of it since I was so impressed by the 2023 event. This year had an equally great mix of informational booths featuring everything from science camps for kids to a chance to see live reptiles up close and personal.

I got to say hi to my friend Simran Gleason, a very talented oil painter specializing in plein aire work. Each year of the festival he's captured moments from the event on his canvases, and it never ceases to amaze me how well he uses color to portray the energy of a given vignette as it happens. I also dropped in at the Rewild Portland table to say hey and check out all the cool handmade bone and stone tools, woven baskets, and other neat artifacts they've created. They're one of the organizations I recommend to my foraging students who want more opportunities to explore the outdoors and what it has to offer.

I think the highlight of my day was getting to meet paleoartist Mark Hallett in person. I was first introduced to his work in the 1980s that he did for Zoobooks (Dinosaurs and Wild Dogs) and National Geographic, but this was my first time getting to see originals in person, including a VERY cool 3-D, mixed media sculpture of a saber toothed cat head with fur on one side and the musculature exposed on the other.

I just had to have a copy of his book On the Prowl: In Search of Big Cat Origins. It's the right combination of crunchy factual goodness getting into the evolution of feline megafauna, but written with an inviting voice--and, of course, accompanied by those incredibly rich illustrations Hallett is known for. I was very excited to get my copy signed, and I mourned the fact that my childhood Zoobooks were long gone as I'd love to have those signed as well.