Organisms
pharyngula | August 24, 2011Both Jerry Coyne and Larry Moran have good write-ups on the recent discovery of what are purportedly the oldest fossil cells, at 3.4 billion years old. I just have to add one little comment: a small, niggling doubt and something that bugs me about them. All the smart guys are impressed with this paper, but this one little thing gives me pause.
I'm a microscopist — I look at micrographs all the time, and one of the things I always mentally do is place the size of things in context. And I was looking at the micrographs of these fossils, and what jumped out at me is how large they are. They're…
pharyngula | August 24, 2011There was a little earthquake on the east coast yesterday, which shook up the Washington Monument and may have caused some damage to it. But you know what still stands unharmed: the cherry trees.
(via National Geographic)
(Also on FtB)
pharyngula | August 22, 2011These frogs are found on the island of Sulawesi, the same place as that giant-mandibled wasp. I think I sense a theme developing.
(via National Geographic)
(Also on FtB)
pharyngula | August 20, 2011I vividly recall the first time I encountered a cicada killer, the amazing huge solitary wasp. I was in eighth grade; I was bumming about in our backyard, not doing much of anything, when I heard this loud clattering buzz overhead, looked up, and saw this giant beast slowly cruising towards our apple tree. It looked like something that ought to be accompanied by Flight of the Valkyries, an armored predatory monster determinedly homing in on its helpless prey. It disappeared into the foliage and then reappeared a moment later carrying a cicada that looked to be twice its size, and it landed on…
pharyngula | August 14, 2011It turns out to be true, at least for bustards, that the fast, flashy life leads to earlier burnout. So what's my excuse? I dunno.
(Also on FtB)
pharyngula | August 14, 2011This is one beautiful plesiosaur, Polycotylus latippinus.
(Click for larger image)
(A) Photograph and (B) interpretive drawing of LACM 129639, as mounted. Adult elements are light brown, embryonic material is dark brown, and reconstructed bones are white. lc indicates left coracoid; lf, left femur; lh, left humerus; li, left ischium; lp, left pubis; rc, right coracoid; rf, right femur; rh, right humerus; ri, right ischium; and rp, right pubis.
The unique aspect of this specimen is that it's the only pregnant plesiosaur found; the fore and hind limbs bracket a jumble of bones from a juvenile…
pharyngula | August 10, 2011Tomorrow, I'll be on a plane for Norway, and I'll be spending the weekend in urban Oslo. Wouldn't it be nice if the World Humanist Congress could be held in Kongsvinger Forest?
(via National Geographic)
(Also on FtB)
pharyngula | August 9, 2011Start your day with a gallery of images of the Colossal Squid.
(via Offshore Fishing Videos and TONMO)
(Also on FtB. Maybe. If the damned thing is working for you yet)
pharyngula | August 8, 2011My wife sent me this photo, and was intrigued. The water boatman sings through its penis, and sings very loudly — 105 decibels from an animal that's only a few millimeters long (no word on the length of its penis). I have received subtle signals that I am…inadequate. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I get an implant of one of those mini-iPods? Or perhaps even an iPod Touch?
(via National Geographic)
(Also on FtB)
pharyngula | August 6, 2011Have you ever witnessed a cat in heat? Yowling, hissing, screaming, tearing at each other…or at best, moping about the house, trying to get intimate in unseemly ways with you, pressing their butts up against everything and responding to every touch with lordosis. They are tacky and obnoxious. It's no wonder that pet owners get the randy little beasts neutered — it's not just to prevent them spawning more of their creepy kind, but to suppress their repulsive sexual demonstrations.
Now molluscs, on the other hand — if we had them as pets, we'd be putting hormones in their food to induce more…
pharyngula | August 3, 2011These wasps are homing in on that orchid for…well, decorum forbids. Use your imagination.
(via National Geographic, which has a whole gallery of orchids)
pharyngula | July 29, 2011Finally. Sorry, gang, I was stuck in a hotel with bad wifi this morning, then traveled all day, so finally, here you go.
(via The Node, which also has awesome desktop calendars to download)
pharyngula | July 28, 2011A lovely new dinosaur fossil from China is described in Nature today: it's named Xiaotingia zhengi, and it was a small chicken-sized, feathered, Archaeopteryx-like beast that lived about 155 million years ago. It shares some features with Archaeopteryx, and also with some other feathered dinosaurs.
(Click for larger image)a, b, Photograph (a) and line drawing (b). Integumentary structures in b are coloured grey. cav, caudal vertebra; cv, cervical vertebra; dv, dorsal vertebra; fu, furcula; lc, left coracoid; lfe, left femur; lh, left humerus; li, left ilium; lis, left ischium; lm, left manus…
pharyngula | July 27, 2011
This is the traditional ivy-covered teepee at the Morris Horticulture Gardens, which is having an event tomorrow night.
Pack up the whole family and come to the Garden for the 41st annual Horticulture Night at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) in Morris on July 28 from 5 to 9 p.m. This yearly event has something for everyone: garden tours, horticulture demonstrations, educational displays, kids activities; plus food, fun, and entertainment.
This year, there are more than 11 different demonstrations and garden tours. They include: Annual Flowers,…