Brian Switek
Brian Switek is an ecology & evolution student at Rutgers University.
laelaps
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There is no time like the summer to make a dent in my reading list. I am by no means a speed reader, but during this time of the year I can usually get through the average trade book in about 2-3 days. This year is a little different, though. I am digging deep in my research for my book about…
A prickly pear cactus, photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
The Telegraph has just released the trailer for the forthcoming film adaptation of the book Annie's Box, which focuses on Charles Darwin's personal struggle with science and religion. It is called Creation;
What do you think?
[Hat-tip to Michael Barton for sending this along.]
The exceptionally preserved skeleton of Darwinius, known popularly as "Ida." From PLoS One.
Even though it has been about a month since Darwinius (or "Ida", if you like) hit the public scene there is still plenty to talk about. From uncertain evolutionary relationships to the interaction between…
An Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata), photographed at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware
It's a difficult time for paleontologists. Young scientists struggle to find a place in an ever-dwindling pool of jobs and academic positions, and established scientists can sometimes have the rug pulled right out from under them. This latter misfortune befell the paleontologists at the University…
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes), photographed at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware
A restoration of the skull of Thylacoleo. From The Ancient Life History of the Earth.
Without a doubt, the extinct marsupial predator Thylacoleo was one of the strangest carnivorous mammals ever to have evolved. This predator from ancient Australia did not have piercing canines but instead bit…
An Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata), photographed at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware.
Is intelligent design science, or not? Think carefully before you answer. The modern intelligent design (ID) movement is motivated by theological concerns and trades in on religious authority to meet its aims, but stripped of this background, can ID be relegated to the "junk science" bin? While…
In case you haven't heard, the latest edition of the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach is almost entirely about transitional fossils. There's something for everyone, from synapsids to onychophorans, so make sure you check it out!
My only complaint, though, is that there is not a paper about…
In the middle of August 2008 Matt Whitton, Rick Dyer, and "professional Bigfoot hunter" Tom Biscardi claimed to have found what so many had sought after: the body of a real Bigfoot. FOX News picked up the story, DNA tests were performed, and a grand unveiling was planned, but, as ever, it all was…
An eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
A dead summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), washed up at low tide at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware. Many of the crabs that were stranded on the beach, but still alive, dug themselves into the sand near the water to stay moist during low tide.
A pair of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
For some scientists, "blog" is one of the worst four letter words there is. Aren't science blogs pits of ill-formed opinions where the ignorant can post anything they like without fear of peer-review? Of course not, but unfortunately there are many professional scientists who consider blogging a…
Not so long ago it seemed that the "Lucy's Legacy" exhibit, which features the world's most famous fossil hominin, was coming to an end. The exhibition failed to bring in the crowds that were expected and there were doubts as to whether it would continue. According to a story about the…
Two horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) making their way down the beach towards the water. Photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
The face of Anoiapithecus. From Moya-Sola et al. (2009).
One of the most controversial aspects of the whole Darwinius kerfuffle has been the primate's proposed status as "the ancestor of us all." The fossil, named "Ida", has been popularly touted as the "missing link" connecting us to all other…
I haven't yet looked up the identification of this species, but this crab was clearing out its burrow at sunset at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
The exceptionally preserved skeleton of Darwinius, known popularly as "Ida." From PLoS One.
Last month an international team of paleontologists lifted the veil on one of the most spectacular fossils ever discovered; a 47-million-year-old primate they named Darwinius masillae. It was a major…
A male red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
Many thanks to everyone who has sent in material for the Ida carnival. There is plenty to post, but I have decided to delay the carnival by one day. Instead it will go up tomorrow afternoon, and I will be accepting entries until 9 AM tomorrow. Why? Because today is the Silence is the Enemy…
Voting for the new 3quarksdaily contest has recently opened up, and now you can vote for your favorite blog posts. I was glad to see that Laelaps is represented by four entries, although admittedly it was difficult for me to choose which one to vote for! If you want to give me a hand head over to…
In the summer of 1833 Charles Darwin was exploring the South American landscape when he came across the army of the Argentine general Juan Manuel de Rosas. Though Darwin admired the commander's horsemanship and leadership, the general was engaged in the bloody extermination of native people from…
A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) sculling about in the shallows at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
I just watched the BBC's documentary on "Ida" (Darwinius masillae), "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor", and to be honest I was not very impressed. Rather than dissect the show second-by-second, though, I will only discuss some of the main points that occurred to me while watching it. Heaven knows I…
Just a quick reminder: Tomorrow I will be posting a collection of links all about "Ida", from the hype surrounding her announcement to the actual science of the PLoS One paper describing her, sometime in the early afternoon. If you are interested in contributing please e-mail me at evogeek AT gmail…