grrlscientist | June 8, 2006My favorite blog carnivals were published on the same day (well, more or less) for the first time ever!
The Tangled Bank, issue 54, is now available. There are lots of contributions for you to read, including three from me!
I and the Bird, 25th edition, has been published by Rob's Idaho Perspective. There are a lot of wonderful essays and photos here for those of you who love to look at and read about birds. In addition to my contribution to I and the Bird, Rob also generously mentions my weekly link harvest, Birds in the News. This recognition is much appreciated because each edition of…
grrlscientist | June 7, 2006In April 2006, to celebrate naturalist Sir David Attenborough's 80th birthday, the public were asked to vote on their favorite of his television moments. This clip of the superb lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae, from his ten-part series, The Life of Birds, was voted number one.
(video below the fold because there is no "start" button; it begins downloading as soon as the page pops up) [3:34]
There are two species of lyrebirds that are endemic to Australia. They are ground-dwelling birds that are most notable for their extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2006
Although these fish look similar and have the same genetic makeup, they
produce very different electrical signals (right) and will only mate with fish that produce
the same signals. Cornell researchers believe that these different electrical signals are the
fishes' first step in diverging into separate species. [Image: Carl Hopkins.]
The fishes depicted in the picture above are several types of mormyrids that are endemic to some tributaries of the Ivindo River in Gabon, Africa. These fishes produce weak electrical signals from a battery-like organ at the base of the tail to communicate…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2006The Mothership asks;
Question: Do you think there is a brain drain going on (i.e.; foreign scientists not coming to work and study in the U.S. like they used to, because of new immigration rules and the general unpopularity of the U.S.) If so, what are its implications? Is there anything we can do about it?
The short story: From my own personal experience, approximately half of my scientific colleagues at the postdoc level are foreigners, and I have never in my life, worked in a lab that was monolingual (and honestly, I cannot imagine working in such a boring environment ever again as those I…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2006
ApatheticAgnostic
So .. are you still here? Well, so am I, dammit. I guess none of us were good enough to be sucked up into god's mouth like an overcooked spaghetti noodle during this so-called "Rapture".
Since I had already been enduring some rather serious tribulations of my own for the past two years, in the form of unhappy unemployment punctuated with several brief bouts of underemployment (combined with liberal quantities of abuse so I would not forget the general misery of my existence), I was truly ready for a rapturous moment. Oh yes, a rapturous moment such as learning that I…
grrlscientist | June 5, 2006
666? The Mark of the Beast? The End Times? Or is 666 the emergency number for the local fire department?
My neighborhood is going crazy tonight, setting off a gazillion firecrackers -- they're burning up more firecrackers than they do even on Independence Day or New Year's Eve, in fact. Nevermind the fact that fireworks are illegal in NYC, but firecrackers, being comprised of a much greater amount of dynamite, are even more illegal, if that's even possible.
And this stuff is really expensive, too. At least half of my neighbors are unemployed (including me), so where did they get all this…
grrlscientist | June 5, 2006A new blog carnival is available for your reading pleasure -- the first one of the week! This one, the Literature Carnival, is relatively new to me but it is already in its 13th edition. It includes a collection of links to essays about reading, writing, and the world of literature that you might enjoy reading.
grrlscientist | June 5, 2006
Female thorn bug or thorn treehopper, Umbonia crassicornis (Insecta: Hemiptera: Membracidae).
Have you ever seen an insect evolved to look like a thorn? This not-quite-sharp photo is one I took during the 2004 NABA biennial meeting in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Image (resized): by frequent reader, Biosparite.
This is a group-living herbivorous insect that lives in the southern USA. They communicate with each other using vibrations and females provide parental care (predator defense) for their nymphs.
If you are interested to learn more about communication in this, and other,…
grrlscientist | June 5, 2006
Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis.
Image: Bob Miller/Southwest Birders.
People Hurting Birds
Scottish scientists say global warming's first major British wildlife victim is the ring ouzel, Turdus torquatus (pictured) -- a close relative of the blackbird, Turdus merula. Researchers from the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, said the bird, which lives in cool mountain and moor areas, suffered a nearly 60 percent reduction in its population during the past decade, and this decline is linked to rising temperatures. Scientists said they fear higher temperatures in…
grrlscientist | June 4, 2006
Gastonia burgei,
an "armored tank" dinosaur, so named in 1995 for Don Burge, the founding director of the
CEU Prehistoric Museum, and for amateur rock hound, Robert Gaston, who co-discovered
the species. This species appears to be a close relative to the newly discovered dinosaur
featured in this story, which has yet to be named.
Image: CEU Prehistoric Museum. (image resized).
The biggest armored dinosaur to be discovered so far was recently found in southern Utah, in a rugged badland just south of Green River.
"It's built like a tank," stated Reese Barrick of the new dinosaur. Barrick is…
grrlscientist | June 3, 2006
It's true that I've recently been feeling somewhat depressed about my future (well, honestly, in my place, what sane, rational person wouldn't feel bad?). Inspired by that education (unemployment) cartoon I just posted, a reader, named "Concerned Muggle", wrote one of the funniest, most thoughtful and entertaining comments that I've read in a long time, and of course, I had to share it with you all .. (below the fold);
Although Dumbledore is dead, Voldemort is back, Ollivander's and Fortescue's have both closed their doors and Hogwarts may not reopen for the fall term either, I still…
grrlscientist | June 3, 2006I know this sounds somewhat unbelievable, but there are some people out there who have taught their horses to play soccer. The game is somewhat unconventional (the ball is a little bit bigger than your typical soccer ball, for example), but it appears that the horses enjoy it. The linked website includes video.
After horse trainer Renee Miller noticed that one of her skittish beasts enjoyed kicking her children's 50-inch rubber ball, she came up with an idea: horse soccer.
Miller began inviting fellow equine lovers to her Rockin' Double R ranch for matches and then launched a league. "I…
grrlscientist | June 2, 2006
Are you an amateur satirical cartoonist? Are you seeking greater exposure for your editorial cartoons about science and scientific integrity? Never fear, there now is a new contest especially for you.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today announced that they are teaming up with leading editorial and strip cartoonists to present an editorial cartoon contest. The goal? To draw attention to political meddling in science while simultaneously bringing together aspiring cartoonists to compete for a number of prizes, including an all-expenses paid trip to meet the celebrity judge of…
grrlscientist | June 2, 2006
The NYTimes has an interesting article by Charles Morris about the parallels between (and the likely underpinnings of) the current state of American consumer confidence and consumer confidence experienced in this country in the late 1870s. Morris observes of the 1870s (and today);
Employment grew strongly, faster than the rate of immigration; consumption of food and other goods rose across the board. On a per capita basis, almost all output measures were up spectacularly. By the end of the decade, people were better housed, better clothed and lived on bigger farms. Department stores were…
grrlscientist | June 1, 2006
Several times in the past, I've linked to Kim Bostwick's research with South American manakins from Birds in the News, but now there is a streaming slow-motion video of her moonwalking manakins (click for alternate video source), complete with music. At certain times of the day, there is high demand for this video, so you might have to return later to view it.
Hattip: Dawn.
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tags: streaming video, moonwalking bird, Manakin
grrlscientist | June 1, 2006Do you remember the amusing anecdote, "Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it!" Well, one could also say something similar about helping birds that are in trouble. Until now, that is. While the rest of us were talking, Laura Erickson went to work researching and writing a book about this topic; 101 Ways to Help Birds (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2006).
This attractive and affordable 284-page trade paperback is engaging and educational, balancing important information with relevant and interesting personal anecdotes about birds. It is well-researched with an…
grrlscientist | May 31, 2006Lack of sleep can affect your reaction times. This is a cute online game that tests how alert you are and also reveals the impact of a cup of tea or coffee on your performance. What was your reaction time? Did it improve after a cup of coffee or tea?
I have not tried this after a cup of coffee or tea. Yet.
Update 1: okay, after one cup of black tea, my reaction times are improving: 0.2042 seconds and counting (down), although I still rank as a bobbing bobcat. Next experiment: coffee.
Update 2: after a decent night's sleep and one vente iced latte, my reaction times have improved. I am now a…
grrlscientist | May 31, 2006I am sorry for my relative silence, but I have been experiencing several troubles recently. First, and worst, a stranger on the sidewalk bumped into me and knocked my laptop out of my hands such that it fell to the pavement, where it dented one corner and compromised the structural integrity of the metal case. It still functions, but I have to get it repaired. Besides the fact that my laptop is only six months old, it is the most expensive object I've ever owned, so I am just sick about this. I am heavily dependent upon my laptop for nearly everything from writing, communication and job…
grrlscientist | May 30, 2006This is an interesting story from my favorite part of the world: why did this lake at the top of a once-dormant volcano suddenly turn red? Is this the result of a chemical reaction? (That's my guess).
Volcanologists were puzzled today about why a lake atop a rumbling volcano on the South Pacific island of Ambae has changed color from blue to bright red.
Mount Manaro, one of four volcanos currently active in the island nation of Vanuatu, has been showing signs of erupting for only the second time in 122 years.
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tags: vanuatu, volcano, red lake, South Pacific Islands