Inner Nature: The eyes have it

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
The Earth rotates once on its axis every day, with the resultant periodicity of night following day. The predictability of exposure to the energy sources of light and heat have allowed lifeforms to evolve mechanisms to harvest it during daytime and develop materials to store that energy. All energy that emanates from the Sun is in the form of electromagnetic waves....
Inner Nature: Metamorphosis – Buggy Development

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
The growth of a single cell from a fertilized egg, or zygote, to an adult composed of trillions of cells is amazing and magical. This process which scientists, with their knack for understatement, call “development” happens with most eukaryotic organisms – those that have cells with a nucleus and other membranous compartments. Nucleated eukaryotic cells are...
Inner Nature: Aposematism – Worn Warning

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Aposematic coloration refers to the conspicuous colors some animals exhibit to advertise their unpalatability or warn of peril to potential predators. A familiar example is the black and yellow/orange stripes of bees. Black and orange aposematic coloration extends to flatworms (ex. sea slugs), reptiles (ex. coral snakes), fish (ex. lionfish) amphibians (ex. newts...
Land Conservancy plans busy spring

EAST MARLBOROUGH — The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County’s (TLC) mission is to ensure the perpetual preservation of open space, natural resources, historic sites, and working agricultural lands throughout southern Chester County. TLC encourages residents to spend time outside enjoying nature whether it is on one of our nature preserves or the many other open spaces throughout the county. ...