laelaps | May 21, 2009The good news: Earlier today I had the pleasure of participating in an interview about "Ida" on the BBC4 program Material World. I was a little nervous (this was my radio debut), but it was a lot of fun. I just wish we had some more time! You can check it out here (if you're in the UK) and here (if you're not).
The bad news: Over at the Disco Institute-run Evolution News & Views blog Robert Crowther praises my critique of the Darwinius paper for not "toeing the line" about this fossil being the "missing link." I would have hoped that Crowther would have learned that science-savvy folks…
laelaps | May 21, 2009
The skull of the marsupial predator Thylacoleo, photographed at the AMNH's "Extreme Mammals" exhibit.
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laelaps | May 20, 2009Many thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and promoted my posts on "Ida", the 'missing link' that wasn't. I have been floored by the response - over 25,000 visits in the last 24 hours; being mentioned on Wikipedia; being quoted on Slashdot; and being picked up by blogs on the Guardian, the New York Times, the Times online (twice!), Popular Science, and New Scientist websites. And to think I was worried that no one would pay attention to my little 'ol blog amongst all the hype...
I think the prize for the best response has to go to Ed of Not Exactly Rocket Science, though. Ed writes;…
laelaps | May 20, 2009
The skull of the giraffid Bramatherium, photographed at the AMNH's "Extreme Mammals" exhibit.
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laelaps | May 19, 2009
A restoration of the extinct adapid Darwinius, known popularly as "Ida." From PLoS One.
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So the big day is finally here. "Ida", a 47-million-year-old primate skeleton from Messel, Germany has finally been unveiled on PLoS One and in a flurry of press releases, book announcements, and general media hubub. Under different circumstances I would be happy to see an exceptional fossil receiving such treatment, but I fear that Ida has become a victim of a sensationalistic media that values audience size over scientific substance.
Before I jump into my criticisms of the paper describing…
laelaps | May 19, 2009
From PhD Comics.
It's just like a game of telephone! While it doesn't exactly fit, this cartoon reminded me of the hubub over the announcement that will CHANGE EVERYTHING that is going to be made this morning.
laelaps | May 19, 2009
The skull of a crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus), photographed at the AMNH's "Extreme Mammals" exhibit.
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laelaps | May 18, 2009Late last week I received a rather curious e-mail. It read;
WORLD RENOWNED SCIENTISTS REVEAL A REVOLUTIONARY SCIENTIFIC FIND THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING
Ground-Breaking Global Announcement
What: An international press conference to unveil a major historic scientific find. After two years of research a team of world-renowned scientists will announce their findings, which address a long-standing scientific puzzle.
The find is lauded as the most significant scientific discovery of recent times. History brings this momentous find to America and will follow with the premiere of a major television…
laelaps | May 18, 2009
The skull of Arsinoitherium, from A preliminary note on Arsinoitherium zitteli.
As spectacular as the extinct Eocene mammal Arsinoitherium was, many scientists were not all that interested in it. Its size and weapons were certainly impressive, but it appeared to sit on a difficult-to-define side branch of mammalian evolution. This made it a less attractive subject of study than some of its close relatives among the paenungulata, the elephants, whose evolutionary history could be traced in greater detail. As H.R. Knipe wrote in his Evolution in the Past, Arsinoitherium just seemed to be…
laelaps | May 18, 2009Over at the Inverse Square blog author Tom Levenson has just started a multi-part blog series on the evolution of his forthcoming title Newton and the Counterfeiter. It is an extension of a session on writing a pop-sci book he lead with Dave Munger at ScienceOnline'09 last January, and the posts provide an excellent opportunity to see how a book goes from an idea to a volume sitting on the "New Arrivals" display at B&N. So far he has posted parts 0.0 and 1.0.
I can't match Tom's experience as an author, but I will be contributing my own perspective on writing a pop-sci book based upon…
laelaps | May 18, 2009
The skull of a spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), photographed at the AMNH's "Extreme Mammals" exhibit.
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laelaps | May 17, 2009
The skull of Arsinoitherium, photographed at the AMNH's "Extreme Mammals" exhibit.
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laelaps | May 15, 2009
Paraceratherium greets you as you enter the new Extreme Mammals Exhibit.
My laptop is running a little slow, but here I am at the American Museum of Natural History's new "Extreme Mammals" exhibit. The selected casts, sculptures, and interactive displays live up to the exhibition's name. To my right is a life-sized cast of Puijila darwini, the transitional pinniped just announced a few weeks ago, and to my left is a reconstruction of the Arctic during the Eocene, complete with a Coryphodon munching on swamp plants.
The exhibit strikes a good balance between living mammals and bizarre…
laelaps | May 15, 2009
The giraffe-like restoration of Paraceratherium, from Natural History.
If I believed everything Hollywood told me I would accept that a paleontologist is someone who has a knack for finding numerous exceptionally-preserved, fully-articulated skeletons. The truth of the matter, however, is that most fossil creatures (at least as far as vertebrates are concerned) become known to science in bits and pieces. This was the case with the largest land mammal that ever lived, Paraceratherium.*
*[There is some controversy surrounding the name of this beast. At present paleontologists are still…
laelaps | May 15, 2009Things have been a little slow here during the last week or so, but for good reason. Between final exams, the in-laws stopping by for an extended visit, moving into a new apartment, and other miscellaneous events I have barely had time to sit down and write. After this weekend, though, I will be all set up in my new office, a separate room with a door! (It might not seem like a big deal to you, but if you lived where I have for the past three years, you would be thankful to have rooms actually separated by doors.) I can hardly wait to set up my library and start composing again! First up: a…
laelaps | May 15, 2009Yesterday the New York Times posted a review of the AMNH's new "Extreme Mammals" exhibition. The review pays more attention is paid to the evolutionary themes of the exhibit than to what is in it, but I will be bringing you a more detailed look at the displays during a special blogger preview early this evening (between 4 and 5:30 PM). I can hardly wait!
laelaps | May 14, 2009
A close-up of the rare, terrifying Montauk Monster, otherwise known as a raccoon. From Wikipedia.
Skeletons can be funny things. If you take a familiar animal like a horse, strip it of its flesh, and put the bones on display many people may have some trouble identifying what sort of animal it was. Skeletons can be even more unfamiliar when they are draped in the putrid and tattered remains of the soft parts of the animal, and it is no surprise that rotting carcasses of common animals are often said to be monsters.
Such was the case with the 'Montauk Monster', otherwise known as a raccoon (…
laelaps | May 13, 2009A little while back I posted a little teaser on Twitter (or a "tweezer", as BrianR aptly called it) that I had some exciting news about my book. Now I can finally share it. I am proud to announce that I will be working with literary agent Peter Tallack of The Science Factory on my book project. I still have a lot of work to do, but this is a major step towards producing an absolutely smashing book about evolution and paleontology for you all to enjoy!