grrlscientist | January 24, 2008tags: amphibians, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum (left) and
Fire salamander, Salamandra salamandra (right)
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | January 24, 2008tags: SEED magazine, sciencebloggers, Universe in 2008
Have you read your February 2008 copy of SEED magazine yet? I have received my copy and discovered that I have finally been published in a magazine after years of rejection letters (yippee) because the editor included a few of my responses to two questions they asked that were included in their "Universe in 2008" piece (p 69). The questions;
What would you like to be blogging about in 2008?
What do you fear you'll be blogging about in 2008?
My responses (only a very very few of which appeared in SEED) are below the fold;
In 2008, I…
grrlscientist | January 24, 2008tags: American robin, Turdus migratorius, birds, NYC, Central Park, Image of the Day
American robin, Turdus migratorius, among berries.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [larger size].
The photographer writes: A surprising number of people assume that all American Robins migrate south for the winter. We've all heard the expression suggesting that winter is over when we see the "first robin of Spring" when in fact a portion of the species remains with us all winter long. In Central Park, for example, every winter I find about two dozen robins foraging along the southern and western…
grrlscientist | January 24, 2008tags: politics, political opinion, cartoon, Tom Toles, washington post
Are you like me, without any clear preferences in the 2008 presidential race? If so, this 2008 presidential candidate guide by Tom Toles might be of use to you;
Image: Tom Toles, Washington Post.
grrlscientist | January 24, 2008tags: peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, diving peregrine falcon, streaming video
How fast can a peregrine falcon fly/dive? In this amazing video, one scientist aims to find out by skydiving along with a peregrine falcon. [2:59]
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Nature GeoScience, online access
The newest addition to the growing plethora of Nature journals, Nature GeoScience, is now available for free, although how long this will last is anyone's guess. I suspect that, like any good crack dealer, the Nature people will charge you a lot of money to access this journal's content after you're hooked. That said, the cover image for the first issue is really really nice, don't you think?
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Carnival of Feminists, blog carnivals
The 52nd edition of the blog Carnival of Feminists is now available for your reading pleasure. They included a piece that I wrote, so I am happy. Well, sorta. This carnival should be much MUCH bigger than it is, but .. whatevah.
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Observations on Life, blog carnivals
The 23rd January edition of the Observations on Life blog carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. It's a big one, so there's plenty there to read.
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Orpheus, hawk-headed parrot, red-fan parrot, Deroptyus accipitrinus accipitrinus, photography, parrots, pets
Orpheus, a six-month-old red-fan (hawk-headed) parrot, Deroptyus a. accipitrinus, who lives with me. (flash, ISO, no zoom).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008.
I managed to capture a few pictures of Orpheus last night which I would have shared with you then, except that my wifi connection disappeared (boo!), so I had to wait until tonight. This picture, like all of the pics I captured last night, are not very good because my parrots have gotten wise to the ways of photography and have…
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Eastern Screech-Owl, Megascops asio, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Eastern Screech-Owl, Megascops asio, in flight,
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Speciation in Birds, Trevor Price, book review, evolution, birds
The question of what is a species and how they arise has generated numerous discussions and tremendous controversy throughout the decades. This interest is more than academic, as any bird watcher will tell you since the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) routinely splits one species into two or lumps two species into one, thereby wreaking havoc with many birders' "life lists"; that master list of species seen that is kept by each birder. More than once, I have heard birders question the validity of one or another of the…
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, endangered species, birds, conservation, Image of the Day
The critically endangered Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, has had a very successful 2007 breeding season, say US Wildlife Biologists. Population numbers have quadrupled since 42 individuals were moved across the Pacific and released at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the US in 2004.
Image: JH Breedan, Rare Birds Yearbook [larger size].
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: ScienceDebate2008, AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science, presidential elections
Hey, everyone. I know I have told you several times that things are really gaining momentum with regards to the proposed ScienceDebate2008, an idea that originated here on ScienceBlogs by my SciBlings, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirschenbaum, but here is yet more proof that the idea is gaining more appeal: the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) today announced that it has joined our effort to mount a presidential debate on science, technology and the economy.
"…
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: ants, The Secret Megalopolis of the Ants, ant nest, streaming video
This is a video of scientists pouring ten tons of liquid concrete into an ant colony, waiting several weeks for it to set, then digging it up. In doing so, they learned that the structure covers 538 square feet and travels 26 feet into the earth. To build it, the ant colony moved 40 tons of soil -- billions of ant loads of soil were brought to the surface. Each load weighed four times as much as the worker ant, and in human terms, was carried over 1/2 mile to the surface. It's amazing what evolution can construct, don't…
grrlscientist | January 22, 2008tags: Madagascar Hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Madagascar Hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa,
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | January 22, 2008tags: Pale Male, red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, birds, NYC, Central Park, Image of the Day
Pale Male, a pale-morph red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, a few seasons ago as he appeared in the book, Club George.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [larger size].
I don't have a photo to show the actual event but I had a startling sighting in the park yesterday. Long story short: I whistled to attract one of "my" Northern Cardinal regulars but a group of eight White-throated Sparrows raced toward me instead. I thought it was neat that they had learned to recognize my sound the way…
grrlscientist | January 22, 2008tags: technology woes, humor, streaming video
Since you are all starting your work week after a wonderful football- and booze-filled three-day weekend, I thought I'd share this video of people who are really having a bad day -- thanks to technology. Music is "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter [4:16]
grrlscientist | January 21, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, Female Scientists, science publishing, science blogging, gender bias, sexism, feminism
A microbiologist at work.
Image: East Bay AWIS.
In the wake of the Science Blogging Conference in North Carolina, which I was unable to attend due to financial reasons, The Scientist's blog published a piece today that asks "Do Women Blog About Science?" This article was written partially in response to the kerfuffle that was triggered last year after The Scientist asked what were their readers' favorite life science blogs. Several women, including me, noticed that they only…
grrlscientist | January 21, 2008tags: hummingbird, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Hummingbird in flight,
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | January 21, 2008tags: bird tornado, flock of birds, birds, Image of the Day
Bird Tornado.
Image: Nuray Gonulalan.
This image has been receiving a fair amount of attention and discussion this past week (most people think it is photoshopped, for example), so I thought I'd post it here and share it with you. What do you think; is this the result of photoshop?