i’ve recently had the chance to see the ASIB: Algensammlung am Institut für Botanik der Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck (algal collection of the institute of botany).
in the little laboratory room, there are some 1500 specimens of aeroterrestrical algae and cyanobacteria (cyanoprokaryotes) stored and cultivated. every strain is grown in its own little test tube, and the entire chamber is cooled down to 12 degrees celsius to slow down their metabolism and make them low-maintenance.
the oldest specimen was collected in 1920.

apart from the scientific importance of such collections, i was impressed with the beautiful array of algae in nearly every colour.
 

[view photos: algal collection of the institute of botany]

i’ve applied nigrin nanotec polish to my car’s windshield this afternoon, following tom’s recommendation.

i think the resulting lotus effect is really cool to watch (even though you might think it’s getting old):

lotus effect on my car’s windshield

wikipedia articles on the lotus effect: en, de

(für die deutsche version bitte auf “more” klicken.)

here’s a short glimpse into what my studies are about.
it’s the protocol of a practical class about plant physiology.

(click to open PDF, 1.2 MB)

for those of you who don’t speak german (and the non-biologists among us), there are some pretty pictures to look at. ;)
 

contents: photosynthesis activity and its dependency on temperature (measured by the level of chlorophyll fluorescence), catalases, peroxidases, phenolases, alcohol dehydrogenase, antioxidant levels in foods, chloroplast pigments, measuring photosynthetic oxygen production with isolated chloroplasts, abscission and the role of phytohormones (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, α-naphthaleneacetic acid, indole-3-acetic acid).

[more...]

this is incredible…

thx to tom …err stefan ;) for the link.

planets and stars in scale – it’s nice to watch if you turn off the sound:

in this post: photos of the longest tobogganing tour ever, some more impressions from university, and one of those sets that can only be summarized as “misc”.

[view photos: nighttime tobogganing]
[view photos: university] *
[view photos: miscellaneous]
 

* about the coca cola photo:
coke has a pH-value of about 2.5. that makes it more acidic than vinegar (about 2.5 times more acidic), and about 10 times more acidic than orange juice.
it’s said that saliva and gastric acid quickly neutralize coke, but imagine how much sugar you need to make something so acidic taste sweet!
i first heard about it last october, and in a way, i’m still astounded…

i think there aren’t many occasions in which botanists are recognized as the ones with exciting stories to tell.

dr. dallas mildenhall, a botanist from new zealand, recently held a speech about his job, and he is definitely one of those.
he’s one of just a handful of forensic palynology experts around the globe, who are analyzing pollen and spores to help solve criminal cases in court.
after talking about his job in general, dr. mildenhall presented some cases which he had collaborated in/worked at: age determination of antique furniture, tracing drug-dealing routes, investigating import fraud, up to murder.
he had some very interesting things to talk about!

if you like the tv-show CSI and get the chance, i recommend going to one of his lectures.

[view photos: forensic palynology speech]