Scientia Pro Publica

Science is for the people... so welcome, people, to the newest edition of Scientia Pro Publica! Sit down, buckle up, and get ready to be taken on a wild ride that includes everything from vampires to vegetarians, the dawn of the universe to current affairs, and anything in between!

While the ghosts and goblins may have gone back into hiding after this weekend's All Hallow's Eve, the debate still rages at Southern Fried Science as to whether vampires can survive a zombie apocalypse. So if you haven't had enough Halloween, be sure to weigh in your $0.02!

The biosphere seems all shook up about this vegetarian spider that scientists recently found, but not the Bec Crew at Save Your Breath For Running Ponies. They explain how Bagheera kiplingi is really a vegetarian for all the wrong reasons.

This edition of Scientia is certainly for the birds - Roger from Birds and Science explains Bird moult allometry, while Jean Paul Perret talks about Second Chances: Rediscovering Lost and Extinct Birds I at Neotropical Birding. There's some fascinating photos and information about Grand Canyon Condors at Reconciliation Ecology. John at DC Birding also talks about his own eBird milestone - so be sure to check them all out!

We move out of the air and into the sea with a disgusting post by Kelsey at Mauka to Makai about big, slimy balls of Marine Mucilage. And once you're done grossing yourself out, you can travel back in time and learn why giant sea scorpions got so big thanks to a great post by Greg Laden. And while we're in the past, be sure to take a look at human origins with Reexamining Ardipithecus ramidus in Light of Human Origins by Eric from The Primate Diaries. Go waaaaay back and check out Greg Laden's explanation about the age of the universe in his post Universe lets age clue slip. You can bring yourself slowly back to the present by learning a bit more about the history of Botany and the role of Louis Trabut thanks to a nice historical narrative posted at vaviblog.

For those who are more sports-minded, Jackie has posted a great piece about where football and brain science collide (thanks to all those collisions) at New Voices for Research.

As scientists, though, it's not just about the science. We're play a large role outside the lab, and it's good for us to be reminded of our greater affect on society. Dan Vorhaus criticizes the UK's new genomics program while explaing Why the Errors of the Human Provenance Project Will Echo Beyond the U.K.âs Borders over at Genomics Law Report. The program seeks to use DNA and isotope analysis of tissue from asylum seekers to evaluate their nationality, which is a tough ethical issue that we now face thanks to advances in genetics research.

ScriptPhD reminds us that A Picture is Worth a Thousand Trees as we read about deforestation, climate change, and carbon emissions. This post is a deep and fascinating look into the science and policy of global warming.

Finally, we are reminded that we must be humble as we seek to understand the world around us through science. As Eric from The Primate Diaries points out, science is the worship of doubt far more than it is the worship of truth.

That's it for this edition of Scientia Pro Publica! Be sure to get your submissions in for the next edition! You can use this handy submission form. And if you're interested in hosting Scientia at your blog, be sure to get in touch with Grrlscientist ASAP!