Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
December 20, 2006
Flora the Komodo dragon has become pregnant without any male help. She is carrying seven baby Komodo dragons.
"We were blown away when we realized what she'd done," said Kevin Buley, a reptile expert at Flora's home at the Chester Zoo in this town in northern England. "But we certainly won't be…
December 20, 2006
Birds including robins, thrushes and ducks that would normally fly south from Scandinavia, for instance, have been seen in December -- long after snow usually drives them south. And Siberian swans have been late reaching western Europe.
"With increasing warmth in winter we suspect that some types…
December 20, 2006
I don't have kids, but every so often, I am tempted by a children's book, and this year, I found myself fascinated by one special book, Flotsam, by David Wiesner (New York: Clarion Books, 2006). This book uses incredibly detailed watercolor paintings to depict the delightful story of a young boy…
December 20, 2006
Male Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis.
Image: Bev Wigney.
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tags: birds, Northern cardinal, Aves, Ornithology, zoology
December 20, 2006
Is this a war on Christmas? Bikini waxing elves? Fruity drinks with umbrellas? A rainforest at the North Pole (nevermind that there is no land there)? Well, if these things interest you, then this, the 69th issue of Tangled Bank is for you.
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tags: blog carnival, Tangled Bank
December 19, 2006
Merganser family hitching a ride.
Orphaned Image. Please contact me for proper creditation.
I am receiving so many gorgeous pictures from you, dear readers, that I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the images and the creatures and places in them. If you have a high-resolution digitized nature…
December 18, 2006
Least Skipper, Ancyloxypha numitor.
Brazos Bend State Park SW of Houston, Texas, 24 May 2003.
Image: Biosparite.
This is another "Get Welll Soon" nature picture from one of my readers that I am sharing with all of you!
I am receiving so many gorgeous pictures from you, dear readers, that I am…
December 18, 2006
Speaking of legal mood-altering drug use, here's a new drug for you to use.
To view this ad, please click here.
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tags: demoglad, streaming video, politics, humor, satire
December 17, 2006
The Mothership posted a picture of all of her sciencebloggers here -- can you find me?
December 17, 2006
Well, I surprised myself by volunteering to host this upcoming issue of the Carnival of the Liberals. Since this will be the first issue of this carnival's second year, let's start with some important issues. According to the rules, I am allowed to choose the ten best recent blog essays that…
December 17, 2006
If you haven't read the front page (above the fold) of today's NY Times, well, take a peek: it's a rather long story about Eli Lilly's antipsychotic "wonder drug", Zyprexa (one of the drugs I am supposed to take but often don't because of its excruciating expense). Apparently, it causes nearly 1/3…
December 17, 2006
NGC 7635: The Bubble
What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind from a star, this tantalizing, ghostly apparition is cataloged as NGC 7635, but known simply as The Bubble Nebula. Astronomer Eric Mouquet's striking view utilizes a long exposure with hydrogen alpha light to reveal the…
December 17, 2006
It's been a rough week. I stopped taking Zyprexa a few days ago due to its expense, and went through some sort of withdrawal yesterday which nearly caused me to faint on several occasions. I also was unable to carry things in my hands. Additionally, I was wide awake all last night, wired, no doubt…
December 17, 2006
Another silly quiz, but taking this quiz might be a great distraction from holiday shopping, parties and other expensive pursuits that people generally find stressful.
You Are Dasher
You're an independent minded reindeer who never plays by the rules.
Why You're Naughty: That little coup you…
December 16, 2006
Ashy clubtail dragonfly, Gomphus lividus,
Lance Rosier Unit in the Big Thicket around 50 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico in Eastern Texas,
20 March 2004.
Image: Biosparite.
I am receiving so many gorgeous pictures from you, dear readers, that I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the images and…
December 16, 2006
Copy Cat, the world's first cloned cat had three kittens (pictured) in September -- and she even did it the natural way. Copy Cat was cloned by Texas A&M University researchers in 2001. Mother and kittens are doing well, said Duane Kraemer, an A&M veterinary medicine professor who helped…
December 15, 2006
Not exactly a nature image,
but someone out there (you know who you are)
is trying to cause me to laugh,
a rare feat in today's world.
Yes, you succeeded.
Orphaned image. Please contact me for proper credit and linkage.
December 15, 2006
Ben Morris stands next to the espresso stand he owns near Seaside, Ore., on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. The stand avoided the fall of a 60-foot tree during the storm. As an aside, I have purchased a latte from this espresso stand when I was out birding. They had decent coffee, especially in the…
December 15, 2006
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Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.
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tags: chocolate, dog. weird facts
December 15, 2006
Western Pygmy Blue, Brephidium exile
The smallest butterfly in the western United states, measing no more than 3/8".
Laguna Atascosa NWR, Texas, 24 October 2004.
Image: Biosparite.
I am receiving so many gorgeous pictures from you, dear readers, that I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the images…
December 15, 2006
This interesting report details how Americans live, although it also gives us information about more fearsome things that BushCo can add to their list of Things for Americans to Fear (forgive me my slight digression);
For example, more Americans are injured by wheelchairs than by lawnmowers.…
December 15, 2006
The newest edition of I and the Bird has me feeling fairly sentimental. Blame it on Duncan, the estimable host of this superb installment. Duncan was a part of the very first I and the Bird and has been an integral part of that community ever since, one whose continuing participation confirms that…
December 15, 2006
They say our solar system is not alone in space.
The Universe has endless mystery.
Some future astronaut
May find out that what he'd thought
Was a shooting star instead turned out to be...
Interplanet Janet, she's a galaxy girl,
A solar system Ms. from a future world,
She travels like a rocket…
December 14, 2006
Apparently, facts are getting in the way of BushCo. But does everything need to be cleared by the faith-based intitiatives office?
The Bush administration is clamping down on scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, the latest agency subjected to controls on research that might go against…
December 14, 2006
I thought I'd make a (humble) contribution to this administration's never ending quest to find new things for God-fearing Americans to fear, now we must be afraid to sleep on the beach.
A man was found dead at the south end of Ocean Beach this morning, after he apparently was smothered by sand…
December 14, 2006
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On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily
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tags: newborn, misidentification. weird facts
December 14, 2006
Horace's Duskywing, Erynnis horatius.
There is a possibility this could be a Juvenal's Duskywing, Erynnis juvenalis, This is probably a Horace's Duskywing from the appearance of the inner wings. The best field mark, being on the outer hindwing, is invisible in this photo. I like the spread-winged…
December 14, 2006
"...Michael Crichton, not content with making up science to debunk global warming, is now taking literary swipes at journalists who write stuff about him that he doesn't like. In his new book, Next, he introduces a character called "Mick Crowley" -- a Washington political columnist who rapes a two-…
December 14, 2006
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The world's tallest man (pictured) -- who also has the longest arms -- saved the lives of two captive dolphins by reaching into their stomachs and extracting pieces of plastic they had eaten.
Mongolian herdsman Bao Xishun was called in after the dolphins swallowed plastic used around their…