Have you ever wondered what would happen if everyone walked with a microscope in their pocket? This thought has just come true for children on the island of Chiloé in southern Chile - pocket-sized microscopes, known as Foldscopes, have arrived! Yes, Foldscopes are origami-based fold-your own paper microscopes that fit in your pocket! Several months ago we contacted Professor Manu Prakash at Standford University ( http://web.stanford.edu/~manup/index.html ) after seeing his inspiring TED talk and he very kindly responded to our enquiry. Manu Prakash TED talk video: From the USA, his group sent us these extraordinary instruments which have already blown the minds of many people around the worl
Action! Still drowsy after a 32 hour trip from Scotland to Chiloé I crawl out of my sleeping bag. Glorious dawnlight and only a light breeze greet me – perfect weather for surveying the more exposed parts of Isla Cailín in our Quellón study area here in the Chiloé archipelago in southern Chile. I’ve only arrived but the team has been in the field since January. Soon we’re on the water, high fives among our team of four, and off we whizz in our small inflatable zodiac -Yaqu- to search for dolphins. Ten minutes into the journey - there they are, in one of their usual places at the entrance to Bahía Yaldad where I saw them for the first time 16 years ago: Chilean dolphins! The four dolphins onl
Two porpoises approached us and we could even determine the sex of one of them. GoPro-Video: The Burmeister’s porpoise inhabits the entire Chilean coast and has a beakless head like the Chilean dolphin. It can be distinguished easily by its backward-leaning dorsal fin that is also further back on the body (more than any other porpoise or dolphin) while the Chilean dolphin has a rounded dorsal fin. Burmiester's porpoises are incredibly difficult to spot at sea. They appear very dark and cause little disturbance of the water when they surface. Attentive eyes can sometimes see the 2-7 rows of small tubercles that this porpoise has along the entire leading edge of its dorsal fin, hence it scien
El trabajo que se lleva a cabo dentro de la comunidad Yaldadina es de gran importancia en la conservación del ecosistema chiloense, brindando al pueblo el conocimiento del área en la cual desempeñan las labores que les dan sustento a sus familias y que por otro lado, contempla una gran biodiversidad tanto marina como terrestre, por lo que es necesario realizar diversas actividades para concientizar a sus habitantes del valor único de esta región. El aumento de las actividades humanas puede traer amenazas para la integridad de estos sistemas costeros. Imagen1: Voluntarias Yaqu Pacha realizando aletas. Imagen2: Poliana trabajando con aleta de marsopa espinosa. Imagen3: Mariana Fragoso fabrican
