cwilcox

I went off on sharks and cancer over at ScientificBlogging.Com... You might enjoy it :) Busting Marine Myths: Sharks DO Get Cancer!

Living in a world of sunshine and electricity, we tend to take light for granted. Heck, we complain when clouds diminish our bright sunny rays. But dip just beneath the surface of the ocean and light becomes a rare commodity. More than half of the light that penetrates the ocean surface is absorbed…

No, not the small little drums. I'm talking about Bongos, the vibrant antelopes: c/o the Houston Zoo and ZooBorns Bongos are a kind of large antelope native to the lowlands and some mountains of Africa. They're at least two different subspecies: Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus (the lowland bongo)…

Science is for the people... so welcome, people, to the newest edition of Scientia Pro Publica! Sit down, buckle up, and get ready to be taken on a wild ride that includes everything from vampires to vegetarians, the dawn of the universe to current affairs, and anything in between! While the ghosts…

Trick or treat! To me, nothing says Halloween like a good, old fashioned parasite. So scroll down for a preview of next month's Sci-Fi Worthy Parasite! Enjoy :) . .. ... .... ..... Picture credit

Registration is now open. Do if you want to go, register! You can even see who else is going. Yes, one of those people is me. I've given in to the hordes of sci bloggers saying I just have to come. So if you go, you can meet me in person! Now if that's not a reason to go, I don't know what is!

It's that time of the year again... the temperature is dropping, pumpkins are being carved, and there's that creepy rustling in the woods as you walk by. All Hallow's Eve fast approaches, and with it come tales of mysterious disappearances, strange sightings, and all kinds of things that go bump in…

Remember how I told you all about a wonderful and delicious fish that you can eat guilt-free? Yeah, you remember. Well, just in case you end up with a nice tasty lionfish and have no idea how to cook it, here's a collection of recipes put together by The Lionfish Hunter himself. Bon appetit!

What's cuter than bunnies? Pygmy bunnies! What's cuter than pygmy bunnies? Baby pygmy bunnies! While they're unbelievably cute, these little guys are more than just adorable - they're the last remaining hope for their local population. Pygmy rabbits were once found throughout the Northwestern…

**A post about Climate Change as a part of Blog Action Day 2009**When people talk about climate change, they, more often than not, talk about global warming. Yes, the effects of increased temperature will be diverse and generally bad for most creatures on Earth, including us. But the most dramatic…

Ok, I really tried not to post about this. But come on - they're just so cute. I want ten of them. And to really make you squeal, some video: (it's all your fault, Rick. Ever since you posted this on your facebook I couldn't stop thinking about them!)

Every year, Blog Action Day seeks unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. This year, 2009, Blog Action Day is focused on Climate Change - like I could even think of resisting! All you bloggers out there, it…

Boyish good looks - the next generation of sexy? Men like Mike Rowe on the outs? I couldn't help but notice that a new study has come out about the behavioral effects of hormonal contraception. It's all over the science news sites. With titles ranging from the conservative "Pill May Change…

Facebook won't let me show off this stunning vertical panoramic I took at Manoa Falls (doesn't like the image size), so I'm putting it up here: The falls are simply gorgeous. Just letting you all know. See the rest of the hike photos over on my facebook page.

Ok y'all, it's been a busy week on the blogosphere, and there are some links you GOTTA hit up. Carnival of the Blue #23 is up over at Cephalopodcast. It's a great mix of ocean blogging that you're sure to enjoy! Similarly, Scientia Pro Publica #13 is up at Living the Scientist Life. Be sure to flip…

I'm sure that many of you, while looking for fantastic, outdoorsy, nature blogging, have stumbled across Nature Blog Network. If you haven't, it's definitely worth checking out. Nature Blog Network is a list of over 950 blogs that you can peruse for free. They rank them according to a metric like…

Last week, we saw the bravest rodent in the world. But these ones are the largest, and they are adorable!Photo by NIGEL TREBLIN/AFP/Getty ImagesMeet the Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). When I say big, I mean huge. Capybaras can get over 4 ft long and weigh in at 140 lbs! And they live in…

If you haven't heard, the 2009 Ig Nobels have been given. The Ig Nobels are one of my favorite yearly treats. They are given to research that "first make people laugh, and then make them think." The prizes "celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative - and spur people's interest in science,…

We all love it when our work is appreciated, and as a grad student, that doesn't happen nearly enough. On the plus side, the wonderful bloggers at Mauka to Makai have noticed my little blog and have given me a Kreativ Blogging Award! They put me in the ranks of Deep Sea News, Malaria, Bedbugs Sea…

The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center is holding a contest - $750 towards attending SciOnline 2010 for two bloggers who write exceptional evolutionary blog posts in 2009. Living in Hawaii, it's tough to afford the round trip to North Carolina all by me onesies, so here's my attempt at getting…

Most of the time, marine conservation entails convincing people not to eat the over-exploited seafoods they love. We tell people to stop eating the fried grouper sandwiches, spicy tuna rolls and shark-fin soup that they crave. Well, we don't have to avoid seafood altogether to help marine life - in…

So, Barry, his brother Brian, and I decided to spend our Saturday tooling around the Wai'anae coast. For those of you who aren't familiar with Hawai'i, the Wai'anae coast extends west of Pearl Harbor up to Kaena point, shown in the map on the right in orange. It's drier than most of the island,…

I stumbled across this little story at Snuzzy.Com and simply had to share it. How's this for a brave little rodent? Photos taken by Casey Gutteridge As the story goes, what was initially identified as a mouse (though closer inspection identifies as a young rat) decided that it wanted some of what…

I believe that most of my readers are very environmentally-conscious people. After all, how could you stand reading the ravings of a clearly tree-and-animal-hugging girl like me unless you had a soft spot for things that are green. So you all might like to know about a brand new, volunteer-based…

Wow, I can't believe it - it's my first blogiversary! One year ago today, I posted my very first blog about why it's Obeservations of a "Nerd". I can't believe a whole year has gone by... it seems like just yesterday! The blog growing up so fast. In just one year, I've already had my first…

Introduced and invasive species are a hot topic in ecology. Even when brought in for good reason, introduced species can have unforeseen negative impacts on the environment and the species around them. Take Cane Toads, for example. They were introduced to Australia to control a particular bug, but…

I did a guest post for Paw-Talk.Net, a great blog about animals of all kinds. It's about eight of the cutest endangered species - so go check it out for your weekly dose!

Last night I had this wonderful dream. It was a normal day in just about every way except I had this amazing ability. When I jumped, I was able to leap great distances and almost fly. No wings were involved - it was almost like I was able to levitate, and slowly drift between places. It was a very…

Sometimes, when I get bored, I play around with sites like Google. Barry was sitting there talking about how much he missed seeing the Steelers play, and before long, we were Googling how to get from Hawaii to Pittsburgh, including a quick and dirty Google Maps. So what's the best way to get from…

Sure, there's the cute accent. There's the funny hats. There's the feeling of intellectual superiority when it comes to humor. There's even the fact that I could ignore painful dental visits without becoming socially ostracized. But mostly, I occasionally want to be British because of things like…