-
Science
Signs of Spring: Hummingbirds
Finally, signs of spring are beginning to show here in New England. Birds are singing, and hopefully some of our tiny, shiny little migrants will be returning soon. There is a Citizen Science project you can participate in that will help document the migration of hummingbirds in the spring: Starting March 15, 2013, the Audubon Society needs citizen scientists to…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition
AI: National Day of Unplugging
I’d like to claim there was no post yesterday because we were observing the National Day of Unplugging. Um, did you even know there was a National Day of Unplugging this weekend? “The National Day of Unplugging is a 24 hour period – running from sunset to sunset – and starts on the first Friday in March. The project is…
Read More » -
Science
Spider-Man’s Penis and Science Communication
Last year I wrote a post about Spider-man, and how his anatomy may not be…err, as PG as one might wish. In less than 500 words, I tried to write an entertaining post about how actual spider anatomy is not analogous to Spider-Man the superhero’s anatomy. I did not expect to enrage Fanboys all over the internet quite as much…
Read More » -
Anti-Science
Sasquatch Genetics! Or…Not.
You might have seen some news coverage of a Sasquatch genome paper recently: “A team of eleven scientists with expertise in genetics, forensics, pathology, biochemistry, and biophysics has sequenced three whole nuclear genomes from a novel, contemporary species of hominin in North America. The study, “Novel North American Hominins, Next Generation Sequencing of Three Whole Genomes and Associated Studies,” which analyzed DNA from a total…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition
AI: Tea made of Insect Poop
You might have heard of Kopi Luwak or Cat Poop Coffee, an Indonesian coffee made from beans digested and excreted by civet cats. I love coffee. I mean, I LOVE COFFEE. I would inject it if I could. But…no. No to civet cat poop, for a wide variety of reasons. But insect poop tea? Well, actually, that sounds pretty interesting.…
Read More » -
Science
How to make a giant aluminum ant nest
The internets have been abuzz with this photo today (Click for the full size version). It’s a photo of an aluminum cast of an ant nest made by Walter Tschinkel, a Florida entomologist–but there haven’t been a lot of additional details. The nest you are looking at is one of a Florida harvester ant, and appeared with many other photos…
Read More » -
Featured
Pubic Lice are NOT going extinct
Argh! I woke up to 20 emails asking for my opinion on pubic lice. How did your Monday Morning coffee go? Alas, this story is making the rounds again: Brazilian Bikini Waxes Make Crab Lice Endangered Species Pubic lice, the crab-shaped insects that have dwelled in human groins since the beginning of history, are disappearing. Doctors say bikini waxing may…
Read More » -
Science
What is Evolution?
I am a huge fan of Bird and Moon Comics, so I was super excited to see this video with illustrations used to explain evolution! Enjoy.
Read More »