Photo: Peter Rejcek/National Science Foundation (Wikipedia common use license)

Blood Falls is located in the eastern Antarctica and flows from Taylor Glacier into
Lake Bonney.
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It flows along horizontally for 300ft then flows into a waterfall of around 60-80ft.

The falls were first discovered in 1911 by Thomas Taylor, an Australian who was part of the British Antarctica Expedition.

The cause of the red water was unknown until 2003 when samples of water were analyzed and it was found the water contained iron oxide which formed when ancient seawater was trapped under the glacier and came into contact with the air.

The seawater is home to bacteria that has adapted to the conditions of having no light, oxygen and limited nutrients. They survive by breaking down the sulfate and iron in the water.

For more information on this amazing but little known natural feature please click on the links below:

www.sciencealert.com/the-eerie-mystery-of-blood-falls-in-antarctica-is-finally-solved

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl0Fuzns_o8

By Brendon Crook

In this short 16 minute video, the life and philosophy of Pantheism espoused by Spinoza is explored very well.

Baruch (Benedict) Spinoza as a 17th century philosopher whose ideas promoted a form of Pantheism founded on strict logic and dedication to Reason. His ideas were so revolutionary that centuries later, even Albert Einstein was inspired to say, “I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists.”  Spinoza remains an inspiration for Pantheists who reject many common religious and philosophical traditions, and found their "faith" on being "faithful' to the only God that really exists: the glorious Universe itself, which is understood not by myth and stories but by scientific investigation, and celebrated in art, literature, music, and the way we treat the natural world and its creatures, if we would only treat it right.

Photo: Dragus - Wikipedia common use license.

The Giant Malaysian Leaf insect is the largest of it's genus (pulchriphyllium) reaching over 100mm in length and are found mostly in the western regions of Malaysia.

They blend in superbly with their environment but don't start their lives looking like fresh green leaves.

Their appearance adapts over time to match their surroundings so their camouflage is ever changing to suit their natural habitat.

All females can reproduce and lay eggs asexually, hiding in trees and dropping their eggs to the forest floor.

The eggs resemble small brown seeds that blend in with the leaf litter.
They hatch after around 6 months and the babies are wingless and brown resembling brown tropical ants, developing their greenness after eating leaves.



Eggs of the Giant Malaysian Leaf insect. (Wikipedia)

For more information on these amazing earthlings see the links below:

www.lifeandscience.org/blog/lets-hear-it-for-the-boy-a-male-malaysian-giant-leaf-insect-is-born/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsr1T-bbKpE

By Brendon Crook