From Rivers to Space: Exploring Nature’s Mysteries

With its canoe-paddle snout, the Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is surely Wisconsin’s weirdest fish. Early naturalists initially thought it to be a made-up mythical beast and then later, when its existence was confirmed, an odd type of shark. But now we know that it is an ancient species related to the sturgeons whose ancestors swam while dinosaurs ruled the earth. For centuries, people have speculated on what the paddle is for, and now we finally know. I’ll talk about the amazing paddlefish, where you can see it in Wisconsin, and reveal the function of that crazy snout. You’ll be surprised!

Space is a truly alien environment but how does our Earth-bound biology cope with the weightless environment of spaceflight? We will explore what happens to the astronauts, and the plants and microbes that accompany them as we venture beyond the protection of our home planet.