life science from single cells to ecosystems
From Flickr, by dro!d
May 9, 2008
The Loom
New Scientist: Microcosm is "exciting," "original," "powerful" From the new issue: "It is a powerful account of the dynamic, complicated and social world we share with this ordinary yet remarkable bug. Evolution and genetics glitter among the pages, as do the lives and experiments of the scientists...
The Loom
Time change for Coast to Coast: 1 am EST Sunday I'll be talking on Coast to Coast at a slightly less wee-hours time: 1 am on Sunday....
Not Exactly Rocket Science
Rats succumb to peer pressure too Rats will choose food that they know to be unpalatable if they smell it on 'demonstrator' rats.
Gene Expression
The theory of evolution Over at The Scientist Neil S. Greenspan has an article up, Darwin and deduction: One of the most remarkable but insufficiently noted features of Charles Darwin's conception of evolution is that its logical implications are still being worked out. I...
Pure Pedantry
Double dissociation of sound localization and identification in the auditory cortex of cats We have known for some time that there is a double dissociation (I will define that term in a minute) between location and identification in the visual system. Neuroscientists speak of a "where" pathway that goes from the primary visual...
The Loom
Microcosm Winner #5: What's Your Favorite E. coli Trick? At last we come to the fifth winning question about Microcosm, from Ceph. Once again, thanks to the ~240 people who entered the contest. I hope my answers to these five questions give you a sense of what my...
The Loom
Microcosm Winner #4: What Does E. coli Have to Say About Creationism? Here's the fourth winning question about Microcosm, from Sigmund: Creationists often point to the bacterial cell and say something to the effect of "the cell is so complicated it is highly improbable that it could have spontaneously formed - therefore...
Laelaps
A Toyota commercial that uses the "e-word"? Not only does the commercial dare to mention evolution, but it also features a prominent paleontologist and (gasp) some actual science. I have no idea whether it has been broadcast in the U.S., but I would guess not;...
The Loom
Microcosm Winner #3: How Long Has E. coli Been So Sexy? Now we come to the third winning question about Microcosm. Kenatiod writes, Long ago, in bacteriology class, the teacher (an ex-nun at an ex-Catholic college) was telling us about the type "F" pili that are used to pass DNA so...
The World's Fair
"Leicester School of Design Considers Name Change" Concerned they look "not so smart" without this new-fangled "Intelligent" modifier. (Or so this joke would have it.)
The Intersection
Carnival of the Blue 12 Over at Island of Doubt, you'll find Carnival of the Blue 12, 'A celebration of all things wet and wonderful'. This month features contributions from both The Intersection and Correlations. I especially enjoyed reading Jame's take on my April 28th...
The Loom
Microcosm Winner #2: Why Are Some E. coli Good and Some Bad? Here's the second winning question about Microcosm, from Kevin: E. coli is a bacteria commonly found in the intestines of some animals. What distinguishes the common and harmless strains from those that can cause illness and death? A lot of...
Pharyngula
Friday Cephalopod: Veiny Octopus marginatus Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman....
Discovering Biology in a Digital World
Workforce shortages in biotechnology, part I. Why is this a problem? Workforce shortages are a growing problem in the biotech industry. Communities are concerned that a lack of trained workers will either keep companies away or cause companies to move. If companies do have to move, it's likely those jobs might be lost forever, never to return. According to Robert Reich, former U.S. secretary of labor, now a professor at UC-Berkeley,...
Laelaps
Photo of the Day #243: Allosaurus A mount of Allosaurus in the Grand Rotunda of the AMNH....
The Loom
Microcosm Winner #1: Why E. coli? If you're just tuning in, on Tuesday I offered five free signed copies of my new book Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life to readers if they sent in a question. I was quite stoked to see...
Gene Expression
Sewall Wright & genetic drift Notes on Sewall Wright: Genetic Drift: Continuing my series of notes on the work of Sewall Wright, this one deals with the subject of genetic drift. I had originally planned to call this note 'Inbreeding and the decline of genetic...
May 8, 2008
Discovering Biology in a Digital World
Would your class like to clone and sequence plant genes? Dave Robinson and Joann Lau from Bellarmine College in Kentucky are going to be describing their student project in a free webinar next Friday, May 16th. Their students clone GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase) genes from new plants, assemble the DNA sequences, and submit them to the NCBI. Here's an example. Plus, since GAPDH is a highly conserved, it's a great...
The Scientific Activist
Video Primer on Animal Research A good introduction to and defense of animal research--all in a five-and-a-half-minute video from Tom Holder.
A Blog Around The Clock
How atrazine affects development? PLoS ONE paper The Herbicide Atrazine Activates Endocrine Gene Networks via Non-Steroidal NR5A Nuclear Receptors in Fish and Mammalian Cells will be one of the topics covered by Science Friday on NPR tomorrow - tune in if you can, or...
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
White-cheeked Turaco Another lovely image for you to enjoy, courtesy of an avicultural friend who is a talented photographer.
Not Exactly Rocket Science
March of the locusts - individuals start moving to avoid cannibals For desert locusts, life is about moving with the crowd, or being eaten by it.
Laelaps
A contorted Gorgosaurus The articulated skeleton of Gorgosaurus (AMNH 5428) found in the Belly River Formation near the Red Deer River, Alberta, Canada. From Matthew & Brown 1923. In 1913, an American Museum of Natural History expedition led by Barnum Brown (with...
Mike the Mad Biologist
The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA It's all just MRSA.
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Screaming Frog Can anyone identify this frog?
“We focus on intelligence because that's our own crowning achievement—but if we were flies, we'd be studying flight.” agnostic on The Cost of Smarts
