grrlscientist | September 20, 2008tags: political views, politics, physiology, threat response, psychology, philosophyfight or flight, nature versus nurture
Most Americans have been actively engaged in the frustrating sport of arguing about politics, which often leads to the common refrain; "You just don't get it!" So this made me wonder why people who seem to have similar life experiences can end up with such dramatically different personal philosophies -- philosophies that ultimately affect their political views and voting behavior. Apparently, I am not the only one to wonder about such things, because a paper was just…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2008tags: Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, photographed at the Texas City Dike, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Read and learn to ID this species from a detailed analysis below the fold ...
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
For 75 years, the Calidris sandpipers have labored under the reputation of…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, L>osing My Marbles, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Losing my Marbles (2003).
Artist: Lisa Dinhofer.
Losing my Marbles, image 1, Detail 1. Glass mosaics on mezzanine walls of the 42nd Street (Times Square) for the A, C and E trains. This mosaic was just installed since I photographed it as the adhesive was still drying and the workmen were sweeping up their mess!
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imaginations by playing with illusions that alter…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2008I just learned that Sarah "What would Todd do?" Palin, the darling of mindless right-wing robots in this country, is nothing more than a vindictive asshole who freely abuses her position of power, and apparently believes she should be able to get away with it. Seriously, do we REALLY want someone who behaves in such an arrogant, despicable and unethical (un-Christlike!) way representing our country to the world in the White House?
The Republican vice-presidential candidate is under investigation over allegations that she improperly fired her public safety commissioner in July after he…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2008tags: Western Sandpiper, Calidris mauri, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Western Sandpiper, Calidris mauri, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Quick: big or little? Even without careful measurement of the diameter of the surrounding water molecules, it's obvious that this is a small bird, compact, even stumpy, and I…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2008tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Give that bird a comb!!
Male Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, in moult.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer writes;
As a writer I am loathe to use an exclamation point so my carefully considered use of two should give you an indication of the strength of my reaction when Papa Museum came out of the shrubbery on a last August afternoon. Wooo. Give that bird a comb!! He has since improved in appearance and is enthusiastically tending to his three fledglings. It is…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2008tags: human anatomy, human bodies exhibit, forensic pathologist, Cyril Wecht, streaming video
This is an absolutely fascinating tour of the Human Bodies Exhibit by forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. This video will prove to be especially interesting to students of human anatomy and medical students [9:35]
grrlscientist | September 18, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, L>osing My Marbles, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Losing my Marbles (2003).
Artist: Lisa Dinhofer.
Losing my Marbles, image 1. Glass mosaics on mezzanine walls of the 42nd Street (Times Square) for the A, C and E trains. This mosaic was just installed since I photographed it as the adhesive was still drying and the workmen were sweeping up their mess!
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imaginations by playing with illusions that alter physical…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2008tags: Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 September 2008 [larger view]. [voice: mp3: Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Read and learn from a detailed ID diagnosis below ..
Rick Wright, Managing…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2008These blog carnivals are hot off the presses, just for you to enjoy;
Here's my other favorite blog carnival, Carnival of the Vanities, the 18 September issue. This blog carnival is all about recognizing writing -- excellent writing -- in the blogosphere.
And here's the latest issue of I and the Bird, issue #84: A Beginner's Guide to Bird Blogs. The title of this carnival says it all!
Carnival of Cities, 17 September edition. This blog carnival is all about cities -- whether you live in one or are visiting.
grrlscientist | September 18, 2008tags: ratite, tinamous, evolution, biogeography, phylogenomics, convergence, flightlessness, Paleognath, homoplasy, vicariance
White-throated Tinamou, Tinamus guttatus.
Image: Wikipedia.
New research suggests the ostriches, emus, rheas and other flightless birds known as ratites have lost the ability to fly many times, rather than just once, as long thought. Further, the ratites appear to form a group with the tinamous, a group of birds that can fly, while the ostriches are set apart as the "sister group" -- the closest relatives.
Birds are divided into two groups based on jawbone…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008tags: Cathedral Parkway, 110th street, Migrations, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Migrations (1999).
Artist: Christopher Wynter.
Detail 8 of the 110th street glass tile mosaic art as seen on the platform at Cathedral Parkway (Central Park West and 110th street) for the downtown-bound B and C trains (and the downtown-bound local A trains, which run nights and weekends). You cannot easily see this piece from the uptown-bound train platform.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
At Cathedral Parkway, Harlem's southern boundary, three large mosaic murals…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008tags: Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow] [voice mp3: Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD].
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1600s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Read and learn from a detailed diagnosis below ..
Rick Wright, Managing Director of…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008Blog carnivals that have recently been published include;
The newest installment of one of my favorite blog carnivals, Tangled Bank, issue 114.
Here is a new one for me; Business Books blog carnival, the 17 September edition. I see this carnival includes mention of that incredibly stupid book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad .. grr!
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008I am writing a piece for the print media about scientists and science blogs, and I am running across some interesting numbers that I thought I'd share with you (with many thanks to my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara, for his advice and help);
According to Technorati and Dave Sifry's reports, as of April 2008, 175,000 new blogs appeared in the blogosphere daily;
Image: Adam Thierer, based on Tachnorati data and data collected by Dave Sifry.
(I'll guess this rate of new blogs appearing has increased since then).
Here's an interesting counter; according to a running total, based on…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008What's on your mind these days? I'd like to read what you are thinking about these days, so feel free to share!
Added 11pm ET: Some of my random thoughts:
I need to open another Flickr account -- my fourth! -- to hold all my images so I can share them with you. This month, I filled up my two primary Flickr accounts, and opened a third, which I also filled up in just a few days. I guess this means I have an "image heavy blog."
I inexplicably lost all of my images from the afternoon and evening of the 29th of August -- when I was in London visiting the Natural History Museum behind-the-…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2008You are all invited to NYC's Apple Store (in Soho) for a free a "Pro Session" panel discussion with some of us ScienceBloggers. This session will be a conversation about the convergence of science, technology, and culture and will discuss how blogging is driving the global dialogue on scientific topics. We'll talk about what's top of mind from global warming to science education and why science literacy is more important than ever.
What: Apple Pro Session panel with ScienceBloggers
Date: Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Time: 7 - 8pm ET
Location: 103 Prince Street [map].
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: Cathedral Parkway, 110th street, Migrations, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Migrations (1999).
Artist: Christopher Wynter.
Detail 7 of the 110th street glass tile mosaic art as seen on the platform at Cathedral Parkway (Central Park West and 110th street) for the downtown-bound B and C trains (and the downtown-bound local A trains, which run nights and weekends). You cannot easily see this piece from the uptown-bound train platform.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
At Cathedral Parkway, Harlem's southern boundary, three large mosaic murals…
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008Here's a blog carnival that is hot off the presses for you to enjoy;
Festival of Frugality, 143rd edition. This is a huge blog carnival, and there's lots of great information there to help you trim your expenses (important now that so many Wall Street types are suddenly unemployed).
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008I just wanted to point you all to a new group blog that I am contributing to, A Vote for Science, that was started by Seed Media Group to provide readers with a one-stop blog for political coverage as it pertains to science, medicine and technology issues. I made an inaugural entry there that you might wish to read because it requires your vote within the next few days.