Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
December 3, 2006
Darwin's Evolution of Man.
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Richard Leakey, the famous paleoanthropologist, is battling with powerful evangelical church leaders in Kenya. These fundamentalist wingnuts are pressuring Kenya's national museum to hide its world-famous collection of hominid fossils that detail the evolution of…
December 3, 2006
Male monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus,
on its host plant, Asclepias curassavica.
Notice the pheromone glands in the two dark spots,
one on each hindwing near the abdomen.
This Monarch was in very good condition so it is difficult
to know whether it was migrating since there is a small,
nearly-…
December 3, 2006
Bush/Cheney have managed to torpedo the GOP's credibility for the most part, so I am thinking of the Democratic possibilities for the presidential run in 2008. So far, we have;
Clinton -- I'm still waiting to be impressed by her
Edwards -- quiet, a true class act, there's nothing wrong with him…
December 3, 2006
Fifteen years after most scientists have discounted the validity of "Gulf War Syndrome", which was first observed after the Iraq-US war I that ended in 1991, Epidemiologist Robert W. Haley has been trying to prove that thousands of troops were poisoned by a combination of nerve gas, pesticides,…
December 2, 2006
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black night, lightning bugs
singing cicadas, warm air
i see, inhale, stars
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December 2, 2006
Crystal Methamphetamines compared to a dime.
Image: www.streetdrugs.org.
Hey! These guys stole my money-making idea!
Seriously, though .. now I am worried about what my neighbors might be brewing in their apartments, considering that I live half a block away from an infamous "drug alley" where…
December 2, 2006
Because I like to read about First Amendment Law and wish to write about this issue on my blog with a little more authority, I have fervently wished to take a class on First Amendment Law at Columbia University, where one of the foremost scholars of First Amendment Law teaches. But, as you might…
December 2, 2006
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus,
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 2, 2006
I do want to say something important to all of you as well, amigos bonitos.
I am overwhelmed by what so many people are doing to help me. I truly thought I was friendless and alone in this mess, but you all have demonstrated otherwise and have done so in such a beautiful way -- and there are so…
December 2, 2006
Things are looking better and better. First, I have the ultimate power to rescind my "72 hour letter" that led to the court date, so the psychiatrists here are willing to negotiate an agreement with me for outpatient care such that I can be discharged when those goals have been met. As you might…
December 1, 2006
The Tree of Life
Click image for larger view.
This tree is constructed from an analysis of small subunit rRNA sequences sampled from approximately 3,000 species from throughout the Tree of Life. The species were chosen based on their availability, but most of the major taxonomic groups were…
December 1, 2006
Here is a sweet kitty, sunning itself, for you to look at,
just in case that spider scared you all, as it did me.
Image: Hanneke.
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…
December 1, 2006
Banded Argiope, Argiope trifasciata.
Photographed in the "Spider Ranch" part of my gardens here at my farm in eastern Ontario.
Image: Bev Wigney.
I know this will amuse many of you dear readers, because I am a zoologist, but I am terrified of spiders -- and I once kept spiders as pets when I was…
December 1, 2006
The importance of learning how to spell correctly.
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tags: ten commandments, misspellers' anonymous
December 1, 2006
Water Lillies.
Claude Monet.
Silent Heroes
by GrrlScientist
My world is flled with
heroes in waiting -- artists
whose masterpieces
are brushstrokes in other
people's lives -- my true wealth is
my silent heroes.
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I couldn't have done it without you.
December 1, 2006
Would you want to choose your next national leader using a reality TV show instead of an election by the people? Well that's what Canada is doing. Even though I am no fan of reality TV, I am captivated by this interesting idea. They certainly couldn't do a worse job than what has already transpired…
December 1, 2006
Every morning, when I wake up, I give thanks to the great spaghetti monster that I am not waking up as George Bush. After all, I might be a failure, but that's to be expected when you consider all the odds I've faced. However, George Bush has always had everything handed to him on a silver platter…
December 1, 2006
I wonder how many takes it took for singer to complete this song. My tongue would get a charlie horse.
And my name's Albert Andreas Armadillo.
(No relation to the Sarsaparillas.)
Because of pronouns, I can say:
"I wish SHE would find a rhinoceros for ME, and WE'd be happy."
You see, a pronoun…
December 1, 2006
An orca, commonly known as a "killer whale", at San Diego's Sea World twice dragged its trainer underwater and attempted to pin him against the bottom of the enclosure, park officials said on Thursday. The show's finale called for the orca to shoot out of the water so Peters could dive off her nose…
November 30, 2006
Do you need a little laughter in your life, especially after the recent election and because the holidaze are bearing down upon us like a runaway locomotive? Well, look no further because the carnival of satire is available for your reading pleasure.
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tags: blog carvinal, satire
November 30, 2006
Mary Ann at Five Wells is hosting the current issue of I and the Bird, issue #37. This is a blog carnival that celebrates the best writing about birds in the blogosphere.
Do you write about birds or birding? Don't keep your passion to yourself. The next I and the Bird will be hosted by none other…
November 30, 2006
Three NYC High School Students were invited to attend the 2006 Nobel Prize Ceremony Honoring Six American Nobel Prize Winners. The students, known as The Laureates of Tomorrow, were chosen on the basis of an essay contest.
Three New York City high school juniors will join the six American Nobel…
November 30, 2006
Billions of people could be wiped out over the next century because of climate change, according to James Lovelock, a leading expert who pioneered the idea of the Earth as a living organism. Lovelock warned that as the climate warms, the global population which is currently around 6.5 billion, may…
November 30, 2006
Everyone feels badly when their kid doesn't "make the cut" for a sports team. But in Castro Valley High School, in Castro Valley, California, angry parents decided to take the matter into their own hands. They appointed a six-person panel to choose who would play on the basketball team.…
November 30, 2006
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Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
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tags: finland, donald+duck. weird facts
November 30, 2006
Stinkhorn Mushroom, Clathrus crispus??.
Click each picture for a truly large mage and then
feel free to correct me on the scientific name of
this mushroom, since I am not a mushroom expert
and need some help from those of you who are!
Images: Todd Smith.
The photographer, Todd, writes;"Here are…
November 30, 2006
I remember this fine word from the GRE exam from a dozen years ago, but I haven't seen it since, until now, thanks to The Republican War on Science, by my friend and fellow SciBling, Chris Mooney. This book was recently released in the more affordable trade paperback. If you haven't read this book…
November 30, 2006
Benjamin Franklin.
Image: source.
I admire Benjamin Franklin for many reasons. But I never knew that in 1726, at the age of 20, while on an 80-day ocean voyage from London back to Philadelphia, Franklin developed a "Plan" for regulating his future conduct. He was partially motivated by…