Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Archives for December, 2006
Another Amazing Christmas Display
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 23, 2006 I wonder how long it takes to plan, set up and test this light show? And what do they do when one light burns out, darkening an entire string of lights?
Common Green Darner
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 23, 2006 Common Green Darner, Anax junius, dragonfly in the Big Thicket of East Texas on a NABA field trip, 4 March 2004. Image: Biosparite. I am receiving so many gorgeous images from you, dear readers, that I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the images and the creatures and places in those images. If you have…
Bears are in on the Hoax, Too
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 23, 2006 Bears have stopped hibernating in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain, and instead, spend their winters wandering around, expending valuable energy by eating nuts, acorns, berries and chestnuts. This is interesting because I thought that bear hibernation was a circadian (daylength) event rather than an environmentally-dependent event, but this shows that the trigger for hibernation is…
Upcoming SICB Meeting
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 23, 2006 I have been invited to be a panelist at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) meeting, which is one of the largest biology meetings in North America. It is being held from 3-7 January 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona. This panel will discuss blogs: how to set them up, how to decide what to…
Another Mutha Fuckin Nickle
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 I have been watching this video several times before I saw this revision of it. Sheesh, I feel like I am on a subway, watching this video.
Scientific Breakthroughs of 2006
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 To continue this conversation about the state of science, here is an article that discusses the breakthroughs of 2006, starting with an award given to a mathematician for solving a 100-year-old mathematical mystery;
Gulf Fritillary
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae incarnata. A Gulf Fritillary basks in the sun in early afternoon at the West 11th St. Park in Houston on 12 November 2006. It was cool the previous Sunday with temperatures in the 60s, so this butterfly, an ectotherm, was warming its wing muscles in the sun as a response to…
The State of Science 2006
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 I think that my 2006 was the worst year of my entire life, and believe me, I’ve had several poor years prior to this one, but I am not the only one having a bad time: it appears that science in general has been having a rough time as well;
ExxonMobile Gets Another Break on Valdez Spill Penalty
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 How much do you want to bet that the employees won’t be getting any of this savings in their Christmas stockings this year?
Extraordinary Front Yard Light Show
Posted by "GrrlScientist" on December 22, 2006 I love christmas lights but this is the best christmas light show I’ve ever seen. The lights in this streaming video are timed to coincide with music from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra;