Gransnet forums

Science/nature/environment

Citizen Science on Zooniverse

(8 Posts)
Grannyknot Mon 07-Oct-19 15:53:31

No, I haven't! smile Will definitely check them out now.

Namsnanny Mon 07-Oct-19 15:50:45

Grannyknot....have you ever read any of Oliver James other books?
I’ve found them to be full of compassion for the human condition, all backed up with well researched studies.
I go back time and again to dip in and out if them when the need arises!

Grannyknot Thu 26-Sep-19 21:23:25

I omitted to say that the book was groundbreaking, a game-changer. All from a lay person's observations.

Grannyknot Thu 26-Sep-19 19:15:02

Definitely. It reminds me of the psychotherapist Oliver James who wrote a book with his MIL (Penny Garner) after he realised she was on to something from observing her own mother in the grip of dementia:

Garner's ideas evolved as a result of caring for her mother, Dorothy Johnson, when she developed Alzheimer's. One day, they were sitting together in a doctor's waiting room when out of the blue Dorothy said, "Has our flight been called yet?" Garner was mystified and played for time. Her mother anxiously looked around and said, "We don't want to miss it, where's our hand luggage?" Suddenly, Garner realised what was happening. Her mother had always loved air travel and Dorothy was making sense of this crowded waiting situation by assuming they were in a departure lounge. When Garner responded with "All our luggage has been checked in, we've just got our handbags," her mother visibly relaxed .

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 18:41:43

Observation...a very underrated thing.
It's also nice to know that ordinary people on the internet have helped projects do research quite quickly that would otherwise require boots on the ground and years more research.

Grannyknot Thu 26-Sep-19 18:06:36

Meant to add - I've thought for a long time, in a way we are all researchers, if we are interested in observing.

Grannyknot Thu 26-Sep-19 18:05:50

Hi Londongranny that's a really interesting site. So much going on! I might transcribe some Shakespeare ... smile

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 17:41:21

Discovered this site quite recently. I've been monitoring chimp tool use. It's very addictive. Loads of different projects from transcribing notes in handwritten journals from archives, looking for new solar systems, identifying animals caught on night time camera traps, all sorts.

Anyway, it was a friend's grandson that told me all about it, with great enthusiasm. He's only nine and has done loads of useful work on there.
He's monitoring skinks in New Zealand at the moment but is also keen on counting penguins.

www.zooniverse.org