We're less than a month away from the end of the year (the decade, even). In past years, I've done a review of the year, where I select my favourite posts. But those were more innocent and less productive times. This year, I have written 245 posts and counting and it's now easy to narrow these down to a manageable number.
So I thought I could get you to do it, and we could have some in the process
Throughout December, I will be getting you lovely readers to vote for the top stories covered on this blog over the last year. I've selected the ones that have interested me the most and divided them into 8 groups, each focusing on a different field of science. Today: animal behaviour (well, sort of - one of them arguably involves no actual behaviour)
Top two posts in each category make it to the final selection. Throughout the process, you can suggest stories that you think I may have missed in the comments. Between Christmas and New Year, I'll put up a final poll including some of these suggestions and some cool stragglers published in December, leading up to the final list on the 31st.
So for today, here's your selection. Click on the links to refresh your memories and then vote in the box below.
- Bagheera kiplingi - the mostly vegetarian spider
- Confirming Aesop - rooks use stones to raise the level of water in a pitcher
- Cats manipulate their owners with a cry embedded in a purr
- The tentacled snake turns a fish's defence into a death march
- Venomous Komodo dragons kill prey with wound-and-poison tactics
- The rebellion of the ant slaves
- Alex the parrot and Snowball the cockatoo show that birds can dance
- Chimpanzee collects ammo for "premeditated" tourist-stoning
- How dolphins prepare the perfect cuttlefish meal
- Three groups of fish are actually the males, females and larvae of one family
Life Science
Comments
That last link leads to a story about dinosaurs, not fish, just a heads up!
Posted by: Kate | December 4, 2009 10:52 AM
Fixed! Thank you.
Posted by: Ed Yong | December 4, 2009 11:10 AM
But what about fruit bat fellatio?! Didn't it make the cut?
Posted by: Kaari | December 4, 2009 11:24 AM
I really can't believe I missed out fruit bat fellatio. It can go in the final poll.
Posted by: Ed Yong | December 4, 2009 11:31 AM
Fruit bat fellatio? How the hell did I miss that?
Posted by: Michael Simpson | December 4, 2009 2:02 PM
Fruit bat fellatio? How the hell did I miss that?
Oh, um, well, Michael, I guess we just assumed that you wouldn't be into it. You just don't seem like the type.
But, look, if you're curious, a bunch of us are getting together at Nigel's tree next Friday after work. You can check it out, you know, no pressure.
Posted by: The Fruit Bats | December 4, 2009 5:32 PM
Why is "premeditated" between quotation marks?
Posted by: jose | December 8, 2009 2:26 PM