#497: Photosynthesis

A recent Google Doodle tackled the topic of photosynthesis.

This Back to School Doodle celebrates photosynthesis, the process in which plants use light energy to transform carbon dioxide and water into organic molecules like glucose. Oxygen is then released as a byproduct. This natural phenomenon is essential in supporting life on Earth, allowing many living organisms to breathe. Searches for photosynthesis spike every year during back to school time.

#96: Google Doodles with a Natural History theme

From time to time, Google changes its logo to a Google Doodle. These are linked with the centenary or some other celebration of the birth (or death) of a diverse range of individuals, including scientists, artists and others.

Some of these Doodles celebrate the work and life of people connected with Natural History and related disciplines: Charles Darwin's 200th Birthday for example.

I posted earlier about Eunice Newton Foote's doodle.

One interesting student task would be to do some appropriate research and produce a new Google Doodle, related to the work of a particular person, or charity or wildlife organisation, in the same style as the official ones.

A full archive can be viewed and searched here. There is a huge archive of creativity here where the artists and other creatives who worked on these Doodles share their thinking and early sketches and designs.

There are hundreds of these for inspiration.

Many of these Doodles will not have been by people in the UK as they are often used in a small range of geographical locations rather than in all countries, and many people use a search box in a browser now rather than actually visiting the Google website itself.

e.g Japan Mountain Day

The Wadden Sea

The world’s largest network of intertidal sand and mudflats, which spans the coastlines of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. On this day in 2009, UNESCO designated the Wadden Sea a World Heritage Site in recognition of its unparalleled ecological and geological importance and the decades of effort dedicated to its preservation.

Created by storms during the 14th and 15th centuries, the Wadden Sea is a relatively young wetland environment that comprises one of the world’s last remaining undisturbed intertidal ecosystems. This magnificent stretch of sea and sand houses numerous plant and animal species, including the grey seal and harbor porpoise. Considered one of the most critical regions globally for migratory birds, it’s estimated that the wetlands are visited by over 10 million African-Eurasian birds annually and can harbor up to 6.1 million birds at once!

The Wadden Sea isn’t just a pristine habitat for wildlife—popular ways human visitors enjoy the scenery include exploring the mudflats at low tide or touring the barrier islands by boat. However, it's vital for tourists to respect the site’s essential role in maintaining global biodiversity. Current conservation efforts are grounded in a strategic partnership between UNESCO, environmental NGOs, the Wadden Sea Forum, and the governments of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands so that future generations can enjoy this natural phenomenon.

What are your favourite Natural History related Google Doodles?

#36: Maria Sybilla Merian

Today, we know that insects have different stages of life. 

For instance, caterpillars turn into butterflies. 

In Maria Merian's time, people thought these two creatures were actually different insect species. 

Here's a video on her life and achievements made by the Royal Society. 

One would hope that there is appropriate representation of women and people from minority groups amongst the names of people that are included and named in the specification - we don't want it to be just old white men such as Darwin, von Humboldt and Linnaeus.

Maria was the first person to work out that these were actually the same insect in different stages of its life.

She was the subject of a Google Doodle which was shown in April 2013 on the occasion of her 366th birthday.

This is a rather lovely design. See the separate post on other Google Doodles on the blog, with a suggested activity linked to the proposed curriculum which is a creative task.

The Google Doodle archive can be viewed here. There is some wonderful work here.

Here's a Linnean Society video as well: