Christie Wilcox
cwilcox
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As every year we humans pump out more and more carbon dioxide, our climate is changing. While select few in their fields disagree that any alterations are human-induced, the majority of the scientific community accepts the data which shows global warming and other changes - ocean acidification, for…
Every month, the blog at BioData.com features one scientist. They delve into the scientist's background, motivations for doing what they do, and general awesomeness. And guess who is the scientist of the month for August 2009?
... Yeah, that's right. You know you're jealous.
So if you want to know…
NutritionWonderland is a fantastic site which looks at nutrition from all angles, from health to ecological impact to hard science. Right now, they're running a special feature called "Plastic Troubles" about all those things that plastics make possible, like smaller testes, cancer, and marine…
Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute. Puppies DRESSED AS KITTENS: cute overload!
Conan O'Brien, you are the cute master.
(H/T @KSuzJ via twitter)
For centuries, people have wondered about our existence. Where did we come from? How did we get to where we are today? This kind of self-reflection has founded religions and spurred the greatest achievements in science. But only recently have we had the technology to truly trace backward and…
Sure adult fish are rarely considered cute. But c'mon - their babies are downright adorable!
A little Convict Tang in Hanauma Bay (photo by moi)Baby puffer c/o AndreaHarner.comLittle Guppies c/o Maddie's Home
Ah, the joys of a tropical getaway. There's warm, clear waters, soft, sandy beaches, and of course, a whole ton of amazing parasites waiting to gorge on your delicious flesh.
Anyone who has traveled out of the US has been told horror stories of the disgusting creatures that await them. Take a nice…
Sure, you know your face in a mirror. But what do you look like to the internet?
Let's be honest - you've probably Googled yourself to see what comes up. Who hasn't? Well, now MIT has come out with an online program called "Personas" which artistically "uses sophisticated natural language…
Animals don't have to be adorable adults to be cute when they're kids. A classic example, as pointed out by my favorite French blogger (who also happens to have a fascination with parasites), is the sloth. As adults they're underwhelming in the cuddle department (unless you're a weirdo like me who…
You might have noticed I've been posting a little less frequently. In part, this is because being a grad student is far more busying than being on vacation. But another part is that I've started really using Google's Shared Items. Instead of writing a ton of posts on everything I find intriguing, I…
We all celebrate those moments in life that mark our growth and development - our first steps, our first words, our first kisses. We all remember that first time we rode a bike without training wheels or the first place we lived in when we moved out of our parents' house. Well, you might not know…
I find it harder and harder to top the amazing cuteness provided by ZooBorns (a must-follow if you come here for cuteness!). They had these two youngsters there this week: On the left may look like a common duckling, but this little Meller's Duck is highly endangered. You won't find it flapping…
There are a lot of parasites that cause strange changes in their hosts. Parasites turn hosts into zombiesgorge on the flesh of the host from the inside out, even assist a host's suicide. But one of the most interesting and extreme changes caused by a parasite is achieved by the mermithid nematode…
While we often think of features like the Grand Canyon as impressive, majestic landscapes, we forget that only 1/3 of this planet of ours is above sea level. The rest is underwater. And while many of us may know what coral reefs or near-shore habiatats look like, we rarely get to see what the…
Took this yesterday while playing with my new camera's "Panoramic" setting at Hanauma Bay. Yeah, it's that gorgeous here :)
Ok, a couple more beautiful shots:The best place to play baseball. Ever.
Perfect scenery
But, like just about every beautiful island, Oahu has its share of invasive and…
Ok, so I've kinda missed a week or two.
What? None of you noticed? Oh. Nevermind then.
Wait a second, I see someone noticed. Just look at that face - so sad that I didn't post a Weekly Dose of Cute last week!
c/o the ever-adorable Zooborns
This unhappy cub is one of four lovely little 2 month…
This doesn't happen very often in scientific journals, and when it does, it's always a shock. A paper I wrote about a little while ago, where scientists claimed to have derived sperm from stem cells, has been pulled by the publisher for plagiarism.
The editor of the publishing journal, Stem Cells…
Ok, so Nat Geo got it all started by putting Parasites in their "In the Womb" series. Then Animal Planet jumped on board with "Monsters Inside Me". Now I get to get all gushy about the Travel Channel, and not just for awesome specials on places I wish I could vacation in. Their new series, "Bite Me…
News today has spread about new stem cell research out of China. Two teams used mouse fibroblasts, a kind of cell found in skin connective tissues, to create induced pluripotent skin cells (iPS), which were then used to create living mice.
Their breakthrough research suggests that both cloning full…
It's no shock to anyone who reads this blog regularly that I adore the National Geographic Channel. They never seem to run out of awesome features and amazing specials that totally turn my nerd on. I may be a biologist at heart, but when watching Nat Geo, I suddenly become a geologist,…
Greenpeace protests with cute little stunts. The Sea Shepherd throws slick bombs and tries to foul props. And, so far, nothing has stopped the Japanese practice of "scientific" whaling. But now, an unlikely turn of events just might accomplish what years of efforts have failed to do: stop the…
I know everyone is going to jump at once to talk about this mind-blowing research by some of the greatest scientists that have ever been associated with ecology, and I hate just writing about papers that everyone will talk about anyhow, but I decided I still had to comment on this paper. It may…
Following on the heels of Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice and Sunsets and Southern Fried Science, I am posting this fantastic letter about ocean acidification by Randy Repass and Sally-Christine Rogers of West Marine (originally posted at The Intersection). Ocean acidification is, for me, the real crux…
When I saw this little girl over at Zooborns, I couldn't help but fall completely in love! Isn't she just the cutest little doll?! Best yet, the Belfast Zoo, where this little angel was born, is currently having a naming contest for the little girl.In case you didn't know, this beautiful baby girl…
Yesterday, we snorkeled Hanauma Bay. It's simply one of the most fantastic places to see Hawaiian fish. So, instead of trying to regurgitate the experience, I thought I'd give you all a little lesson in fish ID - Hawaiian style!
Meet Canthigaster jactator, the Hawaiian Spotted Puffer. This species…
As a marine biologist by training, I naturally love the ocean and just about everything in it. So it is such a treat for me to be able to just go out and enjoy what I love. Right now, I'm in between my last job as a simple graduate and being a full time graduate student, so I've got a little free…
It's amazing how the field of stem cell research has advanced so much in such a short amount of time. Today, just a little over a decade after the first stem cell line was produced, scientists announced another breakthrough - turning stem cells into sperm.
In a paper published in the journal Stem…
OK, everyone. I'm back. I swear. I know, I know - It's been awhile. But we've finally settled in here in Hawaii and are having a blast enjoying the gorgeous weather and new surroundings. Sorry I've neglected you all for so long - I know, I'm a jackass.
No wait, that's these little guys:
OK, to be…
I've thought for a long time that Animal Planet has been dropping the ball on something. You see, they're supposed to be a whole network dedicated to Animals. Large, small, domesticated, wild - all of them. And they generally do a great job of that. They have specials about all kinds of creatures,…
Hey there Observations of a Nerd readers,
If you've been here long enough, you might remember me mentioning a side project that I write for called Nutrition Wonderland. Well, it's taken on a life of its own, and it's now a fully-functioning and amazing site on nutrition and health - you should go…