grrlscientist | February 27, 2007This is a humorous look at the ease with which people can smuggle themselves, along with some grass and coke across the Mexican-American border.
grrlscientist | February 27, 2007One of the problems with not owning a TV is that I am probably the last person on the planet to see most programs, but thanks to one of my readers who shall remain anonymous here, I now have seen the entire 10-episode series, The Life of Birds on DVD by David Attenborough (British Broadcasting Corporation; 1998). In short, this 550 minute-series is superbly done; it is educational, entertaining and awe-inspiring, and it relies on spectacular footage that leaves the viewer asking "how on earth did they get that on film?"
Each disc contains three or four episodes from the series. The series…
grrlscientist | February 27, 2007
The photographer writes; Alpenglow on "Big Butte" which seems to float in the Arco desert [above] a distant layer of fog. .
Image: James Neeley.
As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the natural world and that there is a world out there that is populated by millions of unique species. We are a part of this world whether we like it or not: we have a choice to either preserve these species or to destroy them in search of short-term…
grrlscientist | February 26, 2007
Have you heard about the amazing ice fish? One of the extraordinary evolutionary adaptations found in the extreme Antarctic cold is found in the ice fish. The fish has no red blood cells and no hemoglobin, so its blood plasma flows more freely. The oxygen that its muscles need simply dissolves in the plasma. [photo source: BBC News]
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tags: ice fish, Antarctica
grrlscientist | February 26, 2007Below the fold is a video that is meant to be provocative. On one hand, I agree with what the kid is saying, but on the other hand, I find it repulsive that the adults involved with the making of this video are comfortable with using a kid to say such things. Why hide behind a kid? Why not take credit for your own opinions and words?
Rhetorical response from Bill O'Reilly ... *yawn* .. why wouldn't he just ignore this, instead of drawing more attention to the video by ranting about it?
grrlscientist | February 26, 2007
Old shack in a snow field in Swan Valley, Idaho 7xp hdr.
Image: James Neeley.
As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the natural world and that there is a world out there that is populated by millions of unique species. We are a part of this world whether we like it or not: we have a choice to either preserve these species or to destroy them in search of short-term monetary gains. But if we decide to destroy these other life forms…
grrlscientist | February 26, 2007
European Robin, Erithacus rubecula, grabbing a mealworm.
Birds in Science
Scrub jays can plan on saving tasty treats for the future and do it in a way that shows they are truly planning ahead, British researchers reported. They set up a careful experiment to allow the birds to cache food in a certain way if they were indeed planning, and found the birds were up to the task. Their study, published in the journal Nature, adds to several others that show animals such as great apes and certain birds can plan ahead in much the same way as people do. "Knowledge of and planning for the future is…
grrlscientist | February 25, 2007
Tree over Bryce Canyon.
Image: James Neeley.
As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the natural world and that there is a world out there that is populated by millions of unique species. We are a part of this world whether we like it or not: we have a choice to either preserve these species or to destroy them in search of short-term monetary gains. But if we decide to destroy these other life forms, the least we can do is to know…
grrlscientist | February 25, 2007Ever had your beach picnic spoilt by seagulls trying snatch your sarnies? Or been ambushed by the birds while quietly minding your own business? Well here's an opportunity to get your own back and have a bit of fun with this interactive game. See if your score makes the grade. (Click play on the lower left side -- it's a little difficult to see).
I didn't do very well with this game -- only scoring 102.
grrlscientist | February 25, 2007This is a fun quiz to play with and I think it is reasonably accurate, although rather singular in its focus (I think it should give percentages as to what your different intelligences are), but what do you think?
Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence
You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.
You would make…
grrlscientist | February 24, 2007
Fence along Big Sur, California. Light hdr and Orton processing.
Image: James Neeley.
As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the natural world and that there is a world out there that is populated by millions of unique species. We are a part of this world whether we like it or not: we have a choice to either preserve these species or to destroy them in search of short-term monetary gains. But if we decide to destroy these other…
grrlscientist | February 24, 2007
Try this online sheepdog trial game and see how good you are at preventing those pesky sheep from escaping! Get a high enough score and you can challenge a friend.
grrlscientist | February 24, 2007Tiger, Tiger, burning bright
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And, when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?
What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He…
grrlscientist | February 24, 2007Below the fold is video from 1933 of the last Tasmanian tiger, the thylacine. Thylacines, now extinct, were carnivorous marsupials that inhabited Tasmania until they were wiped out by a human campaign of extermination that lasted through the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries, although thylacines were never a threat to anyone. You can learn more about them at the Thylacine Museum.
grrlscientist | February 23, 2007Ecosystems along the continental shelf waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from the Labrador Sea south of Greenland all the way to North Carolina, are experiencing large, rapid changes. While some scientists have pointed to the decline of cod from overfishing as the main reason for the shifting ecosystems, a recent paper emphasizes that climate changes are also playing a big role.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems are being tested by climate forcing from the bottom up and overfishing from the top down," said Charles Greene, director of the Ocean…
grrlscientist | February 23, 2007... especially in America.
Governor Rick Perry angrily defended his relationship with Merck & Co. and his executive order requiring that schoolgirls receive the drugmaker's vaccine against the sexually transmitted cervical-cancer virus. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Perry's chief of staff had met with key aides about the vaccine on Oct. 16, the same day Merck's political action committee donated $5,000 to the governor's campaign.
Despite the donated money, I still think the governor did the right thing, that Gardasil (or an equivalent anti-HPV vaccine) should be mandatory,…
grrlscientist | February 23, 2007
Sunrise over the Grand Tetons.
Image: James Neeley.
As long as you send images to me (and I hope it will be for forever), I shall continue to share them with my readership. My purpose for posting these images is to remind all of us of the grandeur of the natural world and that there is a world out there that is populated by millions of unique species. We are a part of this world whether we like it or not: we have a choice to either preserve these species or to destroy them in search of short-term monetary gains. But if we decide to destroy these other life forms, the least we can do is to…
grrlscientist | February 23, 2007Although the government has approved meat and milk from cloned animals while it conducts further studies, the nation's largest milk company, Dean Foods Co. of Dallas, said recently that its customers and consumers won't purchase milk from cloned animals. The $10 billion company owns Land O'Lakes and Horizon Organic, among dozens of other brands.
"Numerous surveys have shown that Americans are not interested in buying dairy products that contain milk from cloned cows and Dean Foods is responding to the needs of our consumers," the company said in a statement.
Well, what about milk and other…
grrlscientist | February 23, 2007tags: Gardasil, gay men
Gardasil is a newly released vaccine that protects against the four most common forms of the sexually transmitted infection, human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. It can also cause anal and penile cancer, and men argue that receiving the vaccine would guard against these as well. As a result, many private clinics are offering the vaccine to men. One clinic in London says it has immunised dozens of men in the last six weeks.
As in America, Gardasil has caused controversy since it was launched in the UK because it is designed to…