grrlscientist | February 3, 2009tags: Golden Rays, cow nosed rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, Sandra Critelli, image of the day
Golden (cow nosed) Rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, gathering off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, near the coast of Mexico. This spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
Image: Sandra Critelli [larger view].
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Ray s are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one…
grrlscientist | February 3, 2009tags: mystery bird, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
"What species of bird was in the shortest Superbowl commercial in history?"
[Mystery bird] Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens, an image grab from the television in Seattle during the Superbowl 2009 .. this bird was featured in shortest Superbowl commercial ever shown (0.5 sec) -- can you identify this mystery bird?
Image: a Tweeters list subscriber, 1 February 2009. [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Here's another look [0:03]:
And here's the original image…
grrlscientist | February 3, 2009tags: Luna the orca, Orcinus orca, orca, killer whale, wildlife, streaming video
This video is from my other home. This is footage of Luna, an orca ("killer whale") Orcinus orca, who was a southern resident (fish eating) whale who tragically died 10 March 2006 when she was hit by a large tugboat in British Columbia's Nookta Sound. Luna lived a solitary life after she found herself alone hundreds of miles away from her feeding grounds. Luna was lonely. She was very affectionate and social, making friends with boats, humans and other animals during her short and sad life [2:38].
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009Have you read the latest piece of anti-intellectualism to come out of the LATimes? Apparently, their so-called journalists are showing their ignorance by stating that Jill Biden, who earned her PhD in Education -- and who also happens to be the wife of Senator Vice President Joe Biden -- cannot be referred to as "Doctor Biden". What have they been smoking??
"My feeling is if you can't heal the sick, we don't call you doctor," said Bill Walsh, copy desk chief for the Washington Post's A section and the author of two language books. (He apparently agrees with the LATimes' stupidity, because…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, Fast Track and Speedwheels, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Fast Track and Speedwheels, 1990.
Mixed-media sculptures in the passageway between the S and 4, 5, 6 lines in NYC's Grand Central Subway station, detail 4.
Artist: Daniel Sinclair.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view].
Dan Sinclair's Fast Track and Speedwheels are assemblages crafted from bright metallic sections that include wavy aluminum sheets, steel wheels, brass disks, copper springs and wires. Installed within a long passageway between the subway…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009Here's the latest blog carnival goodness for you to enjoy;
The Carnival of Evolution, edition #8, has finally been published, after the host suffered the loss of a family member. Be sure to go there and offer your condolences and support.
This blog carnival is a collection of reviews .. I sent them book reviews to include in this blog carnival, but there are a bunch of other sorts of reviews to read in the 34th edition of the Review Bloggers Carnival.
Annnd here's the thirteenth edition of the Drug and Pharmacology blog carnival. This is a small but interesting blog carnival for you to read…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Masked Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus ridgwayi, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day
Masked Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi)
700 (Nearly extinct in the wild, some 700 captive).
Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view].
Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear here by permission…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Darwin Day, Idaho Museum of Natural History, Darwin's Green Side: Discoveries in Evolutionary Botany, evolution, education, teaching, public outreach
Here's some interesting news: the Idaho Museum of Natural History asked permission to use some of my images from Darwin's Garden and Greenhouse photoessays for their Darwin Day celebration! (Do you remember my wonderful trip to London that you paid for?) The museum is presenting a special exhibit, Darwin's Green Side: Discoveries in Evolutionary Botany [free PDF], that focuses on Darwin's work with plants. If you live in Southern Idaho…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Nonggang Babbler, Stachyris nonggangensis, a newly discovered bird species, is found only in southwestern Guangxi province, part of the south-east Chinese Mountains Endemic Bird Area.
Image: James Eaton; Birdtour Asia.
Birds in Science
For many decades, the white-eyes (Family: Zosteropidae) were known as the "Great Speciators" in honor of their apparent ability to rapidly give rise to new species while other birds in the same areas showed little or no diversification. But the Great Speciator hypothesis could only…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Adult male Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, in breeding plumage, photographed on the grounds of the USGS EROS Data Center in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 22 May 2008 [larger view].
Photo taken with Canon 40D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: glaciers, global warming, Alaska, environment, streaming video
Tom Gaylord's glacier photos tell a story, in pictures, about Alaska's beautiful but dwindling glaciers. These photos, along with a brief in-flight helicopter movie, were taken in June 2006. The rapid retreat of glaciers throughout the world is an undeniable observation, and that human activities are the major reason for this is a scientific fact. The world needs to move away from speculation and start taking steps to prevent even more devastation to the planet's life [3:02]
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, Fast Track and Speedwheels, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Fast Track and Speedwheels, 1990.
Mixed-media sculptures in the passageway between the S and 4, 5, 6 lines in NYC's Grand Central Subway station, detail 3.
Artist: Daniel Sinclair.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view].
Dan Sinclair's Fast Track and Speedwheels are assemblages crafted from bright metallic sections that include wavy aluminum sheets, steel wheels, brass disks, copper springs and wires. Installed within a long passageway between the subway…
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: David Attenborough, nature, evolution, environment, streaming video
David Attenborough is a reality-based person. For example, he sees evolution as the cornerstone of all the programs he has ever made. In this upcoming one-hour special that airs tonight at 9pm on BBCOne in the UK, David shares his personal view on Darwin's controversial idea. If you are one of the lucky ones to see this program (it airs in a few minutes, so turn on that TV!), please share your thoughts about it here, as I am sure us Americans would love to know a little more about what we've missed. [2:01]
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Picoides borealis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)
Estimated 12,210 breeding birds.
Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view].
Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear here by permission of National Geographic…
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which…
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: Surfbird, Aphriza virgata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Surfbird, Aphriza virgata, photographed at "Land's End", an area in San Francisco on the Pacific Coast. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 18 December 2008 [larger view].
Photo taken with Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 1, 2009tags: unusual pets, humor, Superbowl 2009 commercial, pedigree dog food, streaming video
Ever think about getting an unusual pet like a bison, a boar, an ostrich or a rhino? See what happens to the pet owners in our Super Bowl ad, and then you'll know why you should get a dog. [0:30]
grrlscientist | January 31, 2009
I just want to thank everyone again -- my readers, PZ (whom I think of as family) and his readers, and my fellow SciBlings -- for popping in to wish me a happy birthday. Your kindness has served to cheer me up since I have been having a rough time of it recently; so rough that it has been a battle just to get out of bed (one of the many perils of bipolar disorder). I am still feeling incredibly sad for reasons that completely elude me (I do have wacky brain chemistry afterall) but peeking in at my blog today and reading your comments and email (from all over the world!) has been like…
grrlscientist | January 31, 2009tags: Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, Fast Track and Speedwheels, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Fast Track and Speedwheels, 1990.
Mixed-media sculptures in the passageway between the S and 4, 5, 6 lines in NYC's Grand Central Subway station, detail 2.
Artist: Daniel Sinclair.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view].
Dan Sinclair's Fast Track and Speedwheels are assemblages crafted from bright metallic sections that include wavy aluminum sheets, steel wheels, brass disks, copper springs and wires. Installed within a long passageway between the subway…
grrlscientist | January 31, 2009
I have been making a lot of noise about science-y blog carnivals that were experiencing extinction events, but through our efforts, my wonderful colleague and friend, Kevin Zelnio, has stepped in to manage the Circus of the Spineless! So let's help Kevin by offering to host this blog carnival and by sending in our blog entries of "the other 95%" of earth's species: those without backbones! (Keep in mind that I am talking about species without backbones, not individual politicians, so please adjust your submissions accordingly).