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A few links while I'm away
- Michael has the scoop about a Royal Society podcast about the "true Darwin." Even during his own time Darwin's views were sometimes twisted or misrepresented, and it is certainly important to ask the question "Which Charles Darwin are we talking about?" Have a listen, and then why not pick up On the Origin of Species or The Descent of Man for a re-read? Better yet, why not check out the unfinished manuscript Natural Selection?
- May 13th marked the 176th anniversary of the death of Georges Cuvier. I didn't have time to come up with anything new, but I have written about the famed comparative anatomist before (see here and here).
- When I asked for some help determining the best way to clean a deer skull, a number of you suggested that I invest in some dermestid beetles. I ultimately chose another method, but as a new study published in the journal Ichnos shows dermestid beetles are so ancient that they previously munched on dinosaur carcasses. This isn't the first time that fossil bones have been modified by insects, either; termites from the famous Laetoli site in Tanzania may have made their mark on fossil mammal bones. (Incidentally, I don't have access to the Ichnos paper. If anyone has it and could send it to me I'd be most appreciative.)
Wow — thanks!
On the dermestid beetle front: as an alternative for cleaning skeletons, Leigh Van Valen a LONG time ago had a short article in, I think, "Systematic Zoology" in which he wrote that pill bugs (a.k.a. sow bugs, a.k.a. woodlice, a.k.a. slaters-- he mentioned Armadillidium and another genus) could also be used in preparing skeletons, giving result in some ways superior: he had cleaned a mouse and a small bird skeleton with them. Only journal article I've ever seen in with a footnote thanking the author's cat for supplying experimental material.
Science needs more of that.
"Incidentally, I don't have access to the Ichnos paper. If anyone has it and could send it to me I'd be most appreciative."
Done.