July issue of Scientific American will feature a cover story on the evolution of cooperation
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0Scientific American July issue
A Minor Post, CooperationWho is the bigger bioterrorist, man or nature?
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0Nature “Engineering H5N1 avian influenza viruses to study human adaptation” I think that the most interesting idea expressed by this article is: In considering the threat of bioterrorism or accidental release of genetically engineered viruses, it is worth remembering that nature is the ultimate bioterrorist. There is so much in this single statement, so many Read More
A Minor Post, Cultural Evolution, ParasitismThere is no doubt that there are conservation trade-offs associated with the proliferation of wind power
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0Nature News “The trouble with turbines: An ill wind” What is particularly scary about this story is the targeted effect that wind turbines can have on particular species who gravitate to the very wind corridors that are ideal for efficient power generation.
A Minor Post, Articles, Biodiversity Loss, Birds, Sustainable EnergyIs a comic movie about getting a Ph.D. revealing of some scientific tragedies?
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0Nature “Piled too high“
A Minor Post, Science as a career, WebSelf-castration sometimes turns out to be good for reproductive success
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0Biology Letters “Emasculation: gloves-off strategy enhances eunuch spider endurance” Nature Research Highlights “Castration boosts spider stamina“
A Minor Post, Articles, Sex and ReproductionKandyan dwarf toad removes itself from the IUCN Red List
Posted 21 Jun 2012 / 0New Scientist “Lost toad comes back from the dead” ScienceShot “‘Vanished’ Toad Sighted“
A Minor Post, Conservation Biology, Extinction, WebLonger telomeres imparted by older fathers may forestall senescence
Posted 20 Jun 2012 / 0Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “Delayed paternal age of reproduction in humans is associated with longer telomeres across two generations of descendants” Science Daily “Offspring of Older Fathers May Live Longer” What I find fascinating here is the hypothesized adaptive value of this genetic discovery: telomeres may be a molecular mechanism by which Read More
A Minor Post, Articles, Genetics, Human Evolution, SenescenceBrian Czech warns ecologists against drinking the “sustainable growth Koolaid”
Posted 20 Jun 2012 / 0Steady State The Daly News “Real Dichotomies Are Not Made ‘False’ by Soft Science or Political Pandering” What’s really valuable here is the clarification of what is cultural construction (‘there does not have to be a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection’) and what is scientific reality (‘there is actually an empirically-demonstrable conflict between Read More
A Minor Post, Anthropogenic Change, Conservation Biology, Economics, Ethics, Sustainability, WebHoney bees harbor a remarkably diverse community of mutualistic gut microbes
Posted 20 Jun 2012 / 0Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “Functional diversity within the simple gut microbiota of the honey bee“
A Minor Post, Articles, Coevolution, MutualismLyme disease extensification may have more to do with foxes than deer
Posted 20 Jun 2012 / 0Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “Deer, predators, and the emergence of Lyme disease“
A Minor Post, Articles, Parasitism