grrlscientist | February 12, 2007
This is one of the photographer's favorite photos of a jumping spider. She discovered the spider inside of a cicada exuviae on the underside of a milkweed leaf. Again, the photographer is not certain of the species. Can anyone else identify this species?
Image: Bev Wigney.
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…
grrlscientist | February 12, 2007
Click for larger image in its own window.
This picture is a visualisation of the entire tree of life. The tree of life (cellular organisms) has three main branches;
The bacteria (unicellular organisms that lack a nucleus) which are in focus in this picture and represented by orange nodes.
The archaea are probably more closely related to the eukaryotes than they are to the bacteria even though they lack a cell nucleus and represent some of the most extreme forms of life on earth. They are represented by red nodes and near the top and in the background of the picture.
The eukarya (all…
grrlscientist | February 12, 2007The official God FAQ is now available for your reading pleasure.
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tags: godlessness, God FAQ, humor
grrlscientist | February 12, 2007
Charles Foley, a biologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), has been searching for a legendary white giraffe in Tarangire National Park, Africa, since 1993.
"By 1994 the sightings stopped coming in, so I assumed it had died, either at the hand of man or beast," Foley said in a WCS press release. "I never stopped looking though."
Foley's diligence paid off when he was conducting an aerial survey of the elephants earlier this month and saw a glimmer of white amid the trees. His photo, taken from a plane flying some 62 miles an hour (100 kilometers an hour), shows a pale giraffe…
grrlscientist | February 12, 2007
Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis.
Image: by kind permission of Seve Round.
People Helping Birds
In an innovative measure to save endangered vultures, Nepalese conservationists have set up clean feeding centres where the large fliers can have their favourite food that is free from killer toxins. The vulture restaurants are attracting the birds from distant places raising the hope that the uncontaminated diet would help recover the South Asian birds under critical decline. Three vulture species of Nepal, India and Pakistan were pushed to the verge of extinction due to the chemical…
grrlscientist | February 11, 2007
The photographer writes, "Shot from the hip in a flower patch in the aviary at Wickham Park. Most of the tulips had bloomed at this point, but this one was still a little shy. Because I'd been looking for birds, I had the 135 and the 2x TC on there, hence the lovely depth of field."
Image: grendelkhan.
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…
grrlscientist | February 11, 2007This streaming video is a variant of the old baseball joke, but it's still funny.
grrlscientist | February 10, 2007Researchers revealed that grocery store shopping cart handles are one of the worst public places for germs. How germy can shopping carts really be? Very, according to researchers at the University of Arizona who tested all kinds of public surfaces. They found that shopping carts were loaded with more saliva, bacteria and even fecal matter than escalators, public telephones, and even public bathrooms.
"Every kid in America teethes on shopping cart handles," said Dr. Chuck Gerba at the University of Arizona. "They don't have the best sanitary habits. ... I mean, you're putting your broccoli…
grrlscientist | February 10, 2007
Moon over Yosemite Valley.
Image: Jim Norton.
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 10, 2007I stumbled across a little test that diagnoses which world leader you are most like. Since I share my test results with you, (below the fold), I hope that you share yours with me. Yes, non-Americans can also take this test.
What Famous Leader Are You?personality tests by similarminds.com
grrlscientist | February 10, 2007Below the fold is an amusing video of what happened when Barbara Boxer tried to get an answer from Condoleezza Rice regarding how many casualties we can expect from the surge.
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tags: streaming video, condoleezza rice,humor, satire, politics
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007
This interactive game is a great educational tool, teaching you how various legal and illegal drugs work in the brain.
Have you ever wondered how various drugs work in the brain to produce the symptoms they do? Well, this wonderful interactive website, Mouse Party, shows you the molecular details of how heroin, exstacy, alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine and LSD work.
Note:
The simplified mechanisms of drug action presented in the game are just a small part of the story. When drugs enter the body they elicit very complex effects in many different regions of the brain. Often…
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007
This Southern Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix,
was basking in the late-afternoon sun on an unpaved road in the Big Thicket in Texas, in early April 2004.
Image: Biosparite.
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…
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007
Manduca sexta, the tobacco hornworm hawkmoth, in flight.
Image: A. Hinterworth.
Researchers have discovered that moth antennae have gyroscope-like sensors to help them control their flight through the air. Because they fly at night, the source of their smooth and graceful flight was a mystery because they could not rely on visual cues.
But a research team headed by Sanjay Sane, a biologist at the University of Washington, Seattle, found a structure at the base of the antennae that senses when the moth's body begins to pitch or roll, it relays this information to the brain, which causes the…
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that women who sniffed androstadienone (pictured, left), a chemical found in male sweat, experienced elevated levels of cortisol, an important hormone, along with higher sexual arousal, faster heart rate and other effects.
Androstadienone is a metabolite of testosterone that is found in male sweat as well as in saliva and semen. It smells somewhat musky.
This study compared the responses of 48 heterosexual women, with an average age of 21, to baking yeast, but found that yeast did not trigger any effects. They took approximately…
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007The Liverpool Women's Hospital in Britain has appealed for public help with knitting the "woolly breasts" that they use to show new mothers how to breastfeed and how to express milk, especially for premature babies that are in the hospital. These knitted versions are cheaper that the latex model that they were using.
"We've taken loads of calls with offers of knitting, which is brilliant, from Scotland, England, Ireland and the USA.
"The Lactation Consultants of Great Britain are happy to put the pattern on the website for free for people to download after the weekend.
"I'm accepting all…
grrlscientist | February 9, 2007The 11th edition of Mendel's Garden is now available. This blog carnival celebrates the best of genetics writing in the blogosphere.
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tags: blog carnival, genetics
grrlscientist | February 8, 2007I know that all my readers make frequent journeys to exotic places, so I thought I might suggest something that you can use to keep your cash and small valuables safe from theft -- in any country!
The "Brief Safe" is an innovative diversion safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands, both at home and when you're traveling. Items can be hidden right under their noses with these specially-designed briefs which contain a fly-accessed 4" x 10" secret compartment with Velcro closure and "special markings" on the lower rear portion…
grrlscientist | February 8, 2007Did you hear the one about the NYC cabbie who returned a suitcase full of diamond rings to a Texas woman who only gave him a 30-cent tip on a $10.70 fare?
No, I am serious. It really happened here in NYC. Then, after the cabbie went to some time and expense to return the loot, she gave him a check for $100, snort. Some people just don't get it do they??
Cited story.
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tags: NYCLife, cabbie, diamond rings
grrlscientist | February 8, 2007
Julia Longwing Butterfly, Dryas julia.
Image: Biosparite.
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…