grrlscientist

Seung-hui Cho clearly was mentally incapacitated. He clearly was a menace to society and to himself, but who could have predicted that he would respond to his situation in the way he did? Even Cho's roommate was shocked and surprised by what transpired. So how do we decide who to haul away in…

In a remarkable turn of events, it seems that Chinese manufacturers may have intentionally added a lethal chemical to a protein-powder ingredient intended for pet foods, said FDA investigators. Melamine, an ingredient in plastics and fertilizers that could lead to kidney failure in animals and…

This charming video shows the birth of squid (be patient; it starts off slow but gets progressively more interesting). . tags: squid, streaming video

Some friends were saying they were going to engage in a drinking game where they would have one drink every time Alberto Gonzales said "I don't remember"or "I don't recall" or something to that effect during today's congressional heaaring. I have no idea if they have actually done this because I…

Despite the fact that native and migratory American birds are protected under law, it seems that people who kill them are rarely punished or they merely receive a perfunctory slap on the wrist. But this is will hopefully not be the case for "TernGate"; a mass killing of tern chicks in the Los…

Gulf Fritillaries, Agraulis vanillae, mating in Houston. The butterflies were swarming the garden at the W. 11th St. Park. Image: Biosparite, 2006. As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting…

I am not sure how many of you are listening to the Gonzales hearings, but you can pick them up, live and streaming, from WNYC-AM. Basically, as summarized in the below cited transcript, Gonzales is in trouble, and will either have to admit he is lying under oath or that he is an absentee/…

The 47th edition of the popular blog carnival, I and the Bird is now available. This is a huge blog carnival, full of birdie goodness to entertain you. . tags: blog carnival, birds, bird watching

Which towns in the USA have ordered the most copies of the latest book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? According to Amazon, the top ten "Harry-est" towns in the United States include 4 from Washington state, 3 from Virginia, 1 each from Texas, Pennsylvania and New York state. I guess it is…

Curiouser and curiouser: I ran across a disturbing news story today about the Virginia Tech gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, that boldly states; Some news accounts have suggested that Cho had a history of antidepressant use, but senior federal officials tell ABC News that they can find no record of such…

tags: cancer, chromosomes, aneuploidy There is an article about cancer in this month's issue of Scientific American written by pioneering the virologist, Peter Duesberg. For those of you to whom his name sounds vaguely familiar, Duesberg became famous by claiming that HIV doesn't cause AIDS.…

Cuban Tree Frog, Osteopilus septentrionalis from the photographer's back yard in Central Florida. The photographer writes; As you may or may not know, the Cuban Tree Frog is an invasive species in Florida, having worked (or hitchhiked) its way up from Cuba and/or other Caribbean islands. It is…

This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow [Bigger and more readable]. . tags: Modern World cartoon, politics, humor

The 22nd edition of the Carnival of Geneology has finally been published. They included a piece that I wrote in January and had subsequently forgotten about -- horrors, how could I forget a piece that I've written?? That is like forgetting a child. Anyway, this is a large blog carnival, full of…

This streaming video is a history of the USA in a nutshell .. sad, funny and unfortunately quite accurate. . tags: streaming video, politics, guns

These are from a 1988 trip to the Grand Canyon, taken by my father Charles. They rafted down the river -- mind you, they were 66 at the time! Image source: Charles, the father of a regular reader. As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share…

The strawberry poison frog, Oophaga pumilio, is one of the species of amphibians and reptiles declining in the lowland forests of Costa Rica. Image source: BBC News. The recent decline in frogs and other amphibians has been blamed on a deadly fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. However, a…

Wow, a new study by a group of Australian scientists has found that the national suicide rate increases when political conservatives are in power. They found that middle-aged and older people were most at risk, and that when Conservatives ruled both state and federal governments, men were 17% more…

I am sure that Gonzales is thankful today, despite the fact that a group of conservative Bush supporters are clamoring for his resignation. Why? Gonzo is being granted a reprieve from his coming congressional appearance due to the Virginia Tech shootings. Instead of appearing in front of congress…

tags: bees, cell phones, electromagnetic radiation I've heard a lot of strange hypotheses in my life, but this one is one of the strangest: mobile phones may be wiping out bees. How? According to the hypothesis, radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets interferes with bees'…

Tomorrow, Gonzales will be lying through his teeth to the American public, but today, on the eve before tomorrow's spectacle, a group of conservatives and longtime Bush supporters wrote a letter to the White House, calling for Gonzo's resignation. Will Bush ignore his own supporters' demands to…

Bumblebee in flight. Image source: Andreas Tille, 2002. I don't know about you, but I love bumblebees: they are one of my most favorite animals, in fact. So I find it very sad to know that bumblebee populations are declining around the world. But the British are doing something to help these…

Glasswing Butterfly .. can anyone give me it's scientific name? Image source: Orphaned. As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the…

Another edition of the Carnival of the Godless is now available for your reading pleasure. This one is a big one, with lots of thought put into it by the host. This is the 64th edition of this publication.

tags: Birds in the News, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter This ear-scratching egret was perfectly posed on a balcony in Cedar Key, Florida, framed against the background shadows. Love the feather. Image: Martin Richard. Birds in Science It was once thought impossible to obtain actual soft…

Edition 4.1 of the blog carnival, Oekologie is now available for your reading pleasure. I have a bunch of submissions that were accepted and listed by this blog carnival that you might be interested to read.

One of the first things that Paul Wolfowitz did upon entering into his new job as President of the World Bank was to cut a lucrative deal for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza. Riza was working at the World Bank when he arrived so, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, he arranged that she…

Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri. Summer 2004. Skylar, the photographer, wrote to say that "her" Steller's jay returned to her home yesterday, bringing his girlfriend with him. Hopefully, there will be plenty of chicks this season for Skylar and her family to enjoy feeding. Image source: Skylar…

A flock of Sandhill Cranes, Grus canadensis, taken from a blind at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary on the Platte River in NE, Saturday March 31. Every year, 500,000-600,000 Sandhill Cranes congregate along a 60 mile-long stretch of the increasingly de-watered Platte River, from late February to mid-…

I have been teaching my parrots a few tricks, but I haven't attempted anything like this (yet). I am not entirely sure how to train them to play basketball or golf, although the other behaviors are something I can train them to do. . tags: AJ, parrot, birds