Polish Man in New World

T o be successful is to be able to retain enthusiasm between the failures (Churchill probably said so).  Philosophy that explains how important failures are in one's ability to grow may apply to humans as  well as to any organisms on Earth. Last week I had a chance to help one of the graduate students Dr-to-be Stephen Formel in the field element of his PhD project. While collecting mud for his glasshouse experiment we also ventured into one of the island ecosystems of Bay Jimmy - oil contaminated part of the Gulf of Mexico .  To our surprise oil-contaminated soil did not stop mangroves from establishing but what managed to kill them was the very short period of freeze that happened last winter in Louisiana . Apparently, the xylem vessel that transport water into mangroves canopy are of weak design ( broad vessels with thin walls ), just like pipes in the whole of New Orleans - they burst open while temperature fall below 0C (32F). The mangroves do not give up t...

When a local Teddy Bear comes off the skateboard due to icy conditions on the roads this definitely means a panic in New Orleans. State of emergency to be precise. State of Emergency. A real panic was caused by air temperatures falling below water-freezing level (30°F or 0 ° C). The schools were shut down, the classes were cancelled, the pipes were getting frozen, and all locals were advised to stay home. Mind you, we live in subtropical Louisiana where few dare a thought of insulating the water pipes. Icicles on local fern. T he only way to prevent freezing water from blowing up your pipes is to keep your water running entire night until you go mad or until the temperature goes above 0c or 30F. As in this famous torture   dripping can make you go insane.....drip, drip, drip, drip, mad, mad, mad. So... a sinking swamp city of New Orleans is not only exposed to rising sea level, hurricanes, but suffers from frostbites too. So... what would you do in the coastal...

Too often things are not what they seem to be. Have a look at this industrial set of iron pipes and bricks I have to pass every day I walk to work at EEBio . Do-not-enter Entry Do-not-enter Entry to what? Why are all those people breaking the "do not-enter" rule!? Would you expect a lively intellectual hub behind that wall? It is called Loyola University (named after Spanish Saint) and it truly feels like you are Alice from Wonderland who fell into rabbit hole because this how it looks like behind the do-not-enter entry: Have a great school year, Wolf Pack! #loyno pic.twitter.com/l8UbIKW1EN — Loyola New Orleans (@Loyola_NOLA) August 20, 2017 Life has a way to keep good things hidden away these rusty pipes seem to say. The fake things, on the other hand, tend to be well-manicured. How to tell apart fake from not fake in present post-truth world? Not sure. Science? Very likely. Many may say that off-putting bible is a fake too but I managed to...

I met a self-confident rat walking across my little courtyard in New Orleans. Then I met Bruno (or if you prefer B.R.U.N.O - Brave Rodent Utilizer in New Orleans ) who is actively researching the distribution and ecology of local rats. And then, last Friday, I had to say good bye to Bruno as he leaves to follow his supervisor. Unfortunately, the rats stay in New Orleans - they do not follow Bruno nor his supervisor. New Orleans is apparently a home to two types of fury fellows: Norway rats and black rats. While Norway rats tend to live in underground burrows,  black rats live in tree canopies or the roofs of buildings. I assume I met my fellow European :) Credit: Timmy Madere, Tulane University .  These rats are small and shy. I had no time to take a picture of that little bastard as they are  neophobic too - yes new scientific synonym I just learnt meaning that they don’t like new things. “ Getting your hands on an animal is incredibly hard ,” says Rat Researche...