No, nobody set lazy wannabe scientists on fire.
Instead, these amateur scientists are contributing to the world science from the comfort of their chairs and computers. Entomologist Shaun Winterton has discovered a new species of Malaysian Lacewing while idly browsing Flickr. He came across Guek “Kurt” Hock Ping’s snap of an insect taken while hiking in the Malaysian jungle, which bore an unfamiliar black-and-blue pattern along its wings. When his colleagues couldn’t identify the markings, he realized he was staring at a new species and hurriedly emailed the photographer — who, a year later, had captured one of the elusive creatures.
Sent to Simon Brooks at the Natural History Museum, the suspicion was confirmed. The armchair explorer named it Semachrysa jade after his daughter and promptly used Google Docs to co-author the paper with Guek and Brooks on opposite ends of the world.
But that’s not all, amateur archaeologist Angela Micol found possible pyramids using Google Earth.
While most Google Earth hobbyists are satisfied with a bit of snapping and geotagging, satellite archaeologist Angela Micol thinks she’s actually discovered the locations of some of Egypt’s lost pyramids, buried for centuries under the earth, including a three-in-a-line arrangement similar to those on the Giza Plateau.
Egyptologists have already confirmed that the secret locations are undiscovered, so now it’s down to scientists in the field to determine if it’s worth calling the diggers in.
If your mom or dad complains that you’re spending too much time on your computer, just tell them you’re searching for strange life-forms and old civilizations.
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