Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
July 31, 2007
tags: Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, Image of the Day
Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, a late-instar nymph.
[Here are a couple pictures of] the Wheel Bug, also taken in the last week. The critter (a member of the Assassin Bug family, Reduviidae) is named for the gear-wheel structure on its thorax;…
July 31, 2007
tags: smoking, Ghetto Science, streaming video
This video of a "ghetto science" experiment can help people understand why smoking isn't such a good idea. Filmed in one take and completely produced in under an hour (also notice the music -- Mozart's beautiful Requiem). If you think the results are…
July 30, 2007
tags: Harry Potter spoilers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, books
I waited to publish my review (and rant) of the last Harry Potter book until today because several friends and SciBlings wanted to also participate in the discussion, and further, I wanted to read the book one more time and…
July 30, 2007
tags: Rhododendron Leafhopper, Graphocephala fennahi, Image of the Day
I noticed you have been featuring insect images regularly on the blog. [This is] a pic of a Rhododendron Leafhopper, Graphocephala fennahi, that I took yesterday. These are quite common (but small, about 1/4 inch in length)…
July 30, 2007
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A winning photo of a Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Galbula ruficauda.
Image: Marcelo Ismar Santana.
Birds in Science
Scientists are looking in the brains of songbirds for clues to human speech impediments like stuttering. For the…
July 30, 2007
tags: Huntsman spider, Australia, streaming video
I hate to be all girly, but if I woke up and saw this thing hanging above my bed, I'd burn the place down (if I didn't die of a heart attack first) [1:45]
July 29, 2007
tags: encephalon, neuroscience, psychology, blog carnivals
The 25th edition of the blog carnival, Encephalon, the Neuroscience and Psychology Blog Carnival, is now available for your reading pleasure. Yes, I contributed something to this blog carnival, so go there and support them!
July 28, 2007
tags: pearl-bordered fritillary, Boloria selene, Image of the Day
Britain's population of pearl-bordered fritillary, Boloria selene, has fallen by two-thirds over the past 30 years, according to Butterfly Conservation. At the start of its Save Our Butterflies Week, the charity has announced the…
July 28, 2007
You Are An Atheist
God? No thanks. You're not buying into any religion.
They're all bunk to you. You rather focus on what you know is true.
You may be a passive non-believer or a rabid atheist activist.
But one thing is for sure... no one's going to make you go to church!
Are You an Atheist…
July 27, 2007
tags: writers, writing, book reviews, blog carnivals
The July 26th edition of the Writers from Across the Blogosphere is now available for your reading pleasure. Be sure to check it out and give them some support!
July 27, 2007
tags: researchblogging.org, animals, predict death, Oscar the cat, New England Journal of Medicine
Oscar the cat provides comfort to the dying.
According to an article that was just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a two-year-old cat that lives in Steere House Nursing and…
July 27, 2007
tags: AOU, American Ornithologists' Union, ornithology, checklist supplement
The new AOU checklist update has been published and is available as a free PDF. The only major split that is obvious to a quick inspection is that the Bean Goose is now split into two species.
July 27, 2007
tags: Falcon Fascination, peregrine falcon, streaming video
Powerful and fast-flying, the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, hunts medium-sized birds, dropping down on them from high above in a spectacular stoop. Virtually exterminated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning in the…
July 27, 2007
tags: birds, blog carnivals
For those of you who love birds, you will be pleased to know that the 54th issue of the blog carnival, I and the Bird is now available for your enjoyment. This was a graded assignment for those of us who contributed pieces to this carnival so be sure to go there to see…
July 27, 2007
I have been having a rough time this past month. Besides my usual (and sometimes dramatic) shifts in mood, I have been suffering from an eye infection. This eye infection started out where it felt as though I had road salt in my eyes but it progressively worsened to the point where it has driven me…
July 27, 2007
tags: Mother's Day, humor, streaming video
This is a little late for Mother's Day but I watched this video while sitting in the library and was laughing so hard (and silently) that tears were coming out of my eyes. [2:08]
July 26, 2007
tags: Gaillardia pulchra, Image of the Day
This is a small Gaillardia pulchra bloom from a young plant I grew from wildseed and then placed in the W. 11th St. Park butterfly and pollinator garden. This is a long bloomer that will keep pushing out flowers even when one is neglectful of deadheading…
July 26, 2007
tags: salt water fuel, streaming video
While seeking a cure for cancer, a researcher accidentally discovers that burning salt water acts as a fuel -- will it revolutionize the world? [2:56]
July 25, 2007
tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, books
It finally arrived!
The last time I had heard anything about my copy of the Harry Potter book that was supposed to be delivered to me last Saturday was when United Parcel Service (UPS) called me Saturday morning to inform me that they don't deliver…
July 25, 2007
This week's reader poll results are posted below the fold. These results were not at all surprising to me, although I am interested to read your comments. As always, I'd like to thank you for taking these polls, they are very informative.
I also include a link to a new poll that you can take, or…
July 25, 2007
tags: nuke Iran, humor, Jon Stewart, streaming video
This video nearly got me thrown out of the library because I was laughing so much -- and to think that we were a sixth rectal polyp away from World War III! [3:06].
July 25, 2007
tags: Texas bluebonnets, Image of the Day
This is the Texas bluebonnet, star of the Texas springtime wildflower bloom.
Image: Biosparite [larger]
July 25, 2007
tags: horses, blog carnivals
Surprisingly, this is the first time anything I've written has appeared in the Horse Lovers' Blog Carnival, so you should check it out!
July 25, 2007
tags: squirrel, spy ring, espionage, Iran, weird news, humor
Image: Freaking News.
In one of the more amazing stories I've read, it was recently reported that Iranian police jailed 14 squirrels -- for spying.
Yes, you read that right; spying. It seems that the fluffy rodents, who weigh…
July 25, 2007
tags: crow, cat, animal friendship, streaming video
One of those sweet animal stories where two animals that are supposed to be enemies become friends. This time it is a cat and a crow. [2:04]
July 24, 2007
tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, humor, streaming video
This is what the A train looks like when I ride it;
July 24, 2007
tags: nestling, Image of the Day
No it's not a golf ball with feathers but I bet many birders won't be able to identify this bird. Give up? Tune in tomorrow for the answer!
Image: Bob Levy [larger]
24 hours later, the answer is below the fold;
Bob Levy, the photographer, writes;
It is a newly…
July 24, 2007
tags: mastodon fossils, Greece
AMNH 9951, skeleton of the American mastodont, Mammut americanum, Newburgh, NY.
Image: AMNH (American Museum of Natural History, NYC, NY) [larger]
In an astonishing discovery, a three million year old "fossilized zoo" was discovered by Greek geologists yesterday in…
July 24, 2007
tags: Medicine, Grand Rounds, blog carnival
After being a regular contributor for over one year, I somehow stopped submitting entries to Grand Rounds, which was one of my favorite blog carnivals. But after a long (two year) absence, I am back because they included one of my entries in this week's…
July 24, 2007
tags: Chickenhawk, streaming video
Roy Zimmerman sings a song that he wrote that emphasizes the carelessness with which our so-called leaders are willing to kill off our country's troops. [3:21]