laelaps | December 25, 2008
A Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 24, 2008
A California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 23, 2008
An orangutan skull (Pongo pygmaeus), photographed at the American Museum of Natural History.
laelaps | December 22, 2008more animals
It doesn't quite beat creationism as the most tiresome topic on science blogs, but the regular argument over whether mainstream science journalism or science blogging has more of "teh awesum" comes pretty close. We science bloggers try to focus on how we're making a difference in science communication, while every now and then another MSM article or editorial comes out assuring us we're just taking part in a passing fad.
In a show of snarkiness that had me going "Not this again...", science journalist George Johnson recently went on a rant about my Sb colleagues Ed Yong and…
laelaps | December 22, 2008The National Academy of Sciences wants to know what you care about when it comes to science, medicine, and technology. They've devised a 2-minute survey, which you can take here, which also puts you in the running for an NAS tote bag. Your responses will help the NAS produce new educational materials about science, so if you've got a moment to spare, head on over and take the survey!
laelaps | December 22, 2008
A California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 21, 2008I've been waiting for this day all month. My article "Predatory Intelligence," which considers the beauty and ugliness of spotted hyenas, is now available for free in the journal Antennae. For some reason it is not listed in the table of contents, but it is in there, sure enough. Just scroll down to page #23. I hope you enjoy it!
laelaps | December 21, 2008
If you have never heard of sexual selection, if "evo-devo" sounds like the name of an 80's new wave band, if you believe in evolution but don't understand it, Jerry Coyne's forthcoming book Why Evolution is True isn't a bad place to kick off your intellectual journey. There is no one book that can encompass everything that is important to understand about evolution, but Why Evolution is True makes an admirable attempt at surveying the intertwining lines of evidence scientists follow to determine how life came to be as it is. Indeed, Coyne's book follows in the long tradition of popular books…
laelaps | December 21, 2008My wife and I have our own little Christmas tradition; every year I read Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather aloud in the week leading up to the holiday. I had mixed feelings about the film adaptation, but I did enjoy this particular scene (which I coincidentally just got to today in the book);
laelaps | December 20, 2008Happy Caturday! Here are a few pictures of the cats that have visited over the past two months. Feel free to suggest captions in the comments;
Dublin
Todd (white & grey) playing with Charlotte.
Spooky (left) and Dublin (right)
laelaps | December 20, 2008
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 19, 2008When the topic of creationism in science classrooms comes up these days, the 2005 Dover trial inevitably comes up, but earlier that same year everyone was worrying about science standards in Kansas. This earlier confrontation is the focus of a documentary film released onto DVD, Kansas vs Darwin, which takes a look at the controversy that erupted over science in that state. Here's the trailer;
I haven't seen it yet (I only just found out about it a few moments ago!), but it looks pretty good. It seems similar to the PBS special on the Dover trial, particularly in terms of focusing on the…
laelaps | December 19, 2008
A keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 18, 2008
Many science bloggers, myself included, have plans to write a book. Of that creative pool few actually bind their ideas in a volume and get it onto shelves, but new self-publishing services like lulu.com have made it easier for writers to publish and sell their books. This service allowed Ed to bring us the best of Not Exactly Rocket Science, the Digital Cuttlefish to collect its poetry in ink, and Blake Stacey to bring us his new SF novel Until Earthset. Here is the synopsis;
1968.
The Protectorate has fallen.
The nation of Andalus is rebuilding after a bloody civil war, their efforts…
laelaps | December 17, 2008
I haven't written any book reviews in a while, primarily because I have not had the time, but when I was offered a review copy of Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True I couldn't resist. It is slated to be one of the first titles out of the gate in 2009, the Year of Evolution, and many similar books are due to be released to commemorate the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth.
I am sad to say, however, that I hope Coyne's book does not represent the best of what we can expect next year. While the book is not without its virtues, at…
laelaps | December 17, 2008
A Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 16, 2008
A California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
laelaps | December 15, 2008I'll soon be off to take my math exam (at least I get it over with early...), so in honor of the occasion, here are a two snippets of comedic confusion over arithmetic;
And in a similar vein;