Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
July 12, 2007
tags: birds, blog carnival
The 53rd edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for you to enjoy. Even though they did link to a piece that I wrote (yippee!!), I was a bad grrl because they wanted me to write a 20 word descriptor about my blog, which I did not do because I was being a…
July 12, 2007
tags: creationism, creation story, humor, satire, streaming video
Richard Dawkins spent so much time crafting his arguments, but comedian Ricky Gervais did an even better job refuting the creation story simply by reading the Bible aloud. [9:57]
July 11, 2007
tags: religious, online poll
I have recently been conducting online polls on my left sideboard in an effort to learn more about my audience as a collective without putting any of you "on the spot". The first question that I asked seems rather obvious, but I thought I got some surprising answers…
July 11, 2007
tags: Richard Carmona, Surgeon General, Bush Administration, Henry Waxman , politics
Bush and his cronies have been caught at their old tricks yet again! This time, they have been weakening or suppressing important public health reports written by Dr. Richard H. Carmona, who served as the nation's…
July 11, 2007
tags: courtship dance, bird of paradise, ornithology, birds, avian, streaming video
Every time I see this clip on The Life of Birds Planet Earth, I am impressed and amused. [0:48]
July 10, 2007
tags: electric fish, Brienomyrus brachyistius, mormyrids, fish, behavior, evolution
Image: JEB Biologists
As they swim through their muddy riverine homes in east Africa, the African elephantfishes use a special organ at the base of their tail to produce weak electrical pulses that enable them to…
July 10, 2007
tags: recurve-billed bushbird, Clytoctantes alixii, ornithology, birds, avian, endangered species
Chris Sharpe, an Associate Researcher with ProVita in Venezuela, contacted me (initially through my friend, Ian) regarding this entry about the "smiling bird" that I wrote and he would like to clarify…
July 10, 2007
tags: creationism lies, fossils, ordovician, avian, streaming video
A streaming video revealing that the Creationist museum was built upon a huge layer of Ordovician fossils, including brachiopods, trilobites, and bryozoans [10:11]
July 9, 2007
I always find it interesting that people try to hide their likenesses from their blog and then spend the rest of their blog careers trying to recreate an icon or avatar that looks just like them.
Anyway, here's my avatar (it's not a very good likeness), thanks to a fellow SciBling.
Create your own…
July 9, 2007
tags: pygmy hippo, hippopotamus, Choeropsis liberiensis, endangered species
A rare pygmy hippopotamus,Choeropsis liberiensis, was born in a zoo near Paris on 5 June 2007. Named Aldo, this pygmy hippo is approximately the size of a human baby. He is one of only a few dozen born in Europe, bred by…
July 9, 2007
tags: snow leopard, kitten, Image of the Day
Askai, a 10-week-old snow leopard kitten, Panthera uncia, hisses at photographers during his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo, Germany.
Image: BBC News.
July 9, 2007
tags: books, blog carnival
The Books Blog Carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. If you love books, and I know that most of you do, then this is the blog carnival for you!
July 9, 2007
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A forest that is home to nearly one-third of Uganda's bird life, including the great blue turaco, is under threat, says the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There are plans to change laws protecting the Mabira…
July 9, 2007
tags: cat, humor, streaming video
This hilarious video looks like it will become a YouTube classic. I hope you enjoy it [5:44]
July 8, 2007
tags: DNA, genetics, blog carnivals
The 16th edition of Mendel's Garden was published today for you to read and enjoy.
July 8, 2007
tags: recurve-billed bushbird, Clytoctantes alixii, ornithology, birds, avian, endangered species
This male Recurve-billed Bushbird, Clytoctantes alixii, was recently photographed by ProAves staff, Adriana Tovar and Luis Eduardo Uruena. This is the first time this globally endangered species has…
July 8, 2007
No doubt thinking I'd enjoy it, a reader sent this image to me. [larger]
Worth1000.
July 6, 2007
tags: Keith Olbermann, politics, political opinion, streaming video
By pardoning commuting Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, Bush ignored the rule of law so he could do what is best for his cronies, NOT what is best for this nation. Expressed verbally, the real message Bush was sending to the…
July 6, 2007
tags: iPhone, humor, streaming video
This hilarious video shows what can happen when you count your chickens before they've hatched, so to say. It also has a nice soundtrack. [3:41]
July 6, 2007
This is for my Australian readers out there, especially those of you who are seeking to improve your resume .. the Australian division of Durex condom makers is seeking 200 men and women to test their condoms and to provide honest feedback regarding the performance of the condoms. To select their…
July 6, 2007
tags: skeptic, online quiz
You Are Very Skeptical
Your personal motto is: "Prove it."
While some ideas, like life after death, may seem nice...
You aren't going to believe them simply because it feels good.
You let science and facts be your guide... Even if it means you don't share the beliefs…
July 5, 2007
tags: chatterbox, talkative, behavior, gender studies
Contrary to the commonly accepted urban myth that claims that women talk more than men, a recently published study has instead found that men talk as much as women do, and both sexes speak about 16,000 words per day.
Originally, the researchers…
July 5, 2007
tags: zorse, zebroid, zebra-horse hybrid, Eclyse
This equid with distinctive markings is a zorse -- the hybrid offspring of a female zebra and a male horse.
Eclyse (Ek LEE za) is the latest addition to the German safari park, Schloss Holte Stukenbrock. Eclyse is also special as zorses, or…
July 4, 2007
This image was sent to me by an overseas reader.
Image: FreakingNews.com [screensaver size]
Okay, since Gordon Brown has chosen today to announce that he wants to draw up a Bill of Rights for Great Britain (why announce it today?), this has made me wonder about our own Bill of Rights and…
July 3, 2007
tags: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, birds, ornithology, Mauritius
Dodo reconstruction reflecting new research at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Image: Ballista. [larger]
The most complete skeleton of an extinct Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, ever found was discovered recently in the…
July 3, 2007
tags: writing, monomyth
As you know, I have been doing a tremendous amount of reading these past six months, which is one reason I have not published as many book reviews as usual on my blog. But throughout this intensive crash course in reading, I have noticed that there is truly nothing new under…
July 3, 2007
Wow, the entire library system in Manhattan (where I hang out) was blown off the air for two long, agonizing hours. Our internet service was just restored moments ago, thank goodness, because I was ready to have a nervous breakdown.
Okay, just kidding about that. Sorta.
Anyway, I just had to gloat…
July 3, 2007
tags: blog carnival, health
The 13th edition of the Healthy and Fit Family blog carnival is now available for you to enjoy. Be sure to go there to give them some support!
July 2, 2007
tags: science, religion
You all know that scientists are less religious than the general population, but contrary to most people's assumptions, the reason for this has little to do with either the study of science or with peer pressures to conform.
"Our study data do not strongly support the idea…