Weekly Photo Challenge: Rusty Nail

This week’s challenge is all about forces of nature, so I thought I’d focus on something common, but overlooked: Oxidation. Rust forms when iron comes into contact with things like water and oxygen, and even more so with salt water. This chemical reaction happens everywhere, perhaps most famously with the Statue of Liberty; it was made of copper, but years of ocean weather gave its surface a blue/green patina. If you want something a little more local, try finding an old nail…like this one on my back porch. Large version available here.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Plankton Rainbow

This week’s challenge is all about forces of nature, so I thought I’d post something about light and its effects of animals. Here’s another Exploratorium exhibit. Basically, zooplankton can distinguish different colors of light. In the ocean, it helps them swim toward the surface, where their food is located. Blue and green lights shine deeper in the water than the other colors, hence why the plankton are attracted to these ones; they think the sun is shining through the water, and that they’re entering the photic zone for a meal. Large version available here.