Category: Biology

Conservation Success To Boy’s Club: The Hawaii Creeper In Danger Of Extinction

The beautifully diverse honeycreepers. Cover art for Current Biology, volume 21, issue 22

Though most people focus on Darwin’s famous birds, I would argue that the Hawaiian honeycreepers are the most dazzling example of adaptive radiation, especially by a finch. From a single finch ancestor arose a stunning diversity of honeycreepers, from the brilliant red I’iwi with its long, curved bill to the small, rotund ʻAkikiki. Over 50 species of these colorful forest birds once brightened the islands from Hawaii to Laysan, putting the 14 Galapagos finches to shame. Their tale is not just one of rapid evolution, though; it’s one of a brief and fleeting existence on this planet. All but eighteen are extinct, and of those that remain, ten are endangered or critically endangered and five are listed as vulnerable, leaving only three species that seem to be holding their own against the every-growing list of threats to their survival. Continue reading “Conservation Success To Boy’s Club: The Hawaii Creeper In Danger Of Extinction”

Over at Slate, more Scientist in vivo

“Do you know what this is?” James Morris looks at me, eyes twinkling, as he points to the guts of a dissected lionfish in his lab at the National Ocean Service’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C. I see some white chunky stuff. As a Ph.D. candidate at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, I should know basic fish biology literally inside and out. When I cut open a fish, I can tell you which gross-smelling gooey thing is the liver, which is the stomach, etc.

He’s testing me, I think to myself. Morris is National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s pre-eminent scientist studying the invasion of lionfish into U.S. coastal waters. He’s the lionfish guy, and we met in person for the first time just a few days earlier. We’re processing lionfish speared by local divers, taking basic measurements, and removing their stomachs for ongoing diet analyses. Not wanting to look bad, I rack my brain for an answer to his question. It’s not gonads. Not spleen. I’m frustrated with myself, but I simply can’t place the junk; I’ve never seen it before. Finally, I give up and admit that I’m completely clueless.

Learn what I learned: head over to Slate to read the rest!

Scientist in vivo lets you peek behind the scenes at what my life is like as a researcher so you can learn more about what I actually do for a living and what makes my job so rewarding. 

More info on the lionfish invasion:

The Sweet Taste of Conservation | Scientist in vivo

Do not try this at home.
This is not the right way to eat lionfish!

According to many biologists, you don’t really know your research inside and out until you’ve tasted what you study (there is, quite literally, a badge of honor for it). I’ve known biologists who have chugged shots of plankton, taken bites from agar plates, and some have even drank water that’s a billion years old to attain the dubious honor. You’d be surprised* just how many times I’ve gotten into conversations about my research and my study organisms only to be interrupted by “that’s great and all, but have you eaten them?” And every time, I had to hang my head in shame and confess that, alas, I had not. Now, I’m thrilled to report that while I was in Beaufort, NC to collect samples, I finally joined the cool biologists club. I ate my study species.

And they are delicious.

Continue reading “The Sweet Taste of Conservation | Scientist in vivo”

On The Danger Posed By Non-Expert Critiques Published To Large Audiences

Geoffrey North, the editor of Current Biology, has written a critical editorial that questions the role of social media in science (which I strongly suggest you read before continuing). In it, he refers to blogs as “”vanity publications”,” written by those “prone to self-indulgence”. He warns that blogs can be dangerous, that their speed and virality pose a serious risk to the foundations of peer-review and the scientific process. While many were taken aback by his bold claims, I think he makes a lot of very astute arguments.

First, of course, he’s correct in saying not all blogs are bad. The case of arsenic life and Rosie Redfield may go down in history as the first great example of blogging truly blending with and supporting research, changing the way we view peer review and the overall system of science publication and communication. It validated the beliefs of many that social media was not the enemy of science but instead its under-utilized ally. Shortly after, even major journals began to see the merits of these new media platforms for research and outreach.

Continue reading “On The Danger Posed By Non-Expert Critiques Published To Large Audiences”

Why did the chicken cross the road? Maybe it was looking for its penis.

Warning: the following may be considered NSFW, particularly if your employer finds avian genitalia inappropriate. 

Thanks to the detailed research of Patricia Brennan and the fluent coverage of it by Ed Yong and Carl Zimmer, a lot of people have not only heard of the impressive duck penis, they’ve seen it in all its explosive glory (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a moment to click on the links above — trust me, it’s worth it).

Why do chickens and other birds lack the fancy phalluses of their relatives? Good question. At least, now, we know how…
Image from Herrera et al., Fig 1.

But while ducks and their fellow water fowl boast these impressive, large penises, the penes of most birds are nothing to squawk about. Ninety-seven percent — over 10,000 species of birds — have either reduced or non-existant penises that are incapable of penetration. “One of the most puzzling events in evolution is the reduction and loss of the phallus in birds,” explains biologist Marty Cohn in a Cell Press Video Abstract. “It’s remarkable that a group of animals would eliminate a structure that is so important for reproduction.” Given that, like us, birds conceive through internal fertilization, you would think a penis would be essential. How else is the male’s sperm supposed to get all up in the female’s vagina?

While scientists still debate about why the chicken lost most of its penis, a new study published this week in Current Biology finally explains how it was lost, a crucial first step in unraveling this evolutionary enigma. Continue reading “Why did the chicken cross the road? Maybe it was looking for its penis.”

Dolphin-Assisted Birth—Possibly The Worst Idea, Ever.

I consider myself to be a fairly grounded person, so I’m rarely shocked by anything I see on the internet. But then, this tweet by Emily Anthes appeared in my stream:

O_o.

The couple planning to do this are entirely serious—and they won’t be the first to travel to Hawaii for a dolphin-assisted birth. My professional opinion: this has to be, hands down, one of the worst natural birthing ideas anyone has ever had (and that is saying a lot). Continue reading “Dolphin-Assisted Birth—Possibly The Worst Idea, Ever.”

Esteemed Journal Nature Dedicates Issue To GMOs, Defends Technology

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I have a big bone to pick with the organic movement, particularly with their constant attack on genetic engineering. I applauded when Prop 37 failed in California, and have put out post after post explaining why GMOs aren’t the root of all evil. That’s not to say I’m pro Monsanto, or think every GMO is science’s gift to humanity. But the universal fear and demonization of all genetic technology is, simply put, damaging and unfounded.
Turn that frown upside-down — the newest Nature issue defends GMOs. Cover image provided by Nature.

Now, the top-tier scientific journal Nature has weighed in. In their “GM Crops: Promise & Reality” issue this week, several articles explore “the messy middle ground.” With titles like “Tarnished Promise” and “A Hard Look At GM Crops,” you might think they attack genetic engineering, but in fact, the entire issue does the opposite, standing in support of crop genetic engineering technologies and pleading to rethink the knee-jerk reaction against them. Even the “Hard Look” concludes, “Tidy stories, in favour of or against GM crops, will always miss the bigger picture, which is nuanced, equivocal and undeniably messy. Transgenic crops will not solve all the agricultural challenges facing the developing or developed world… But vilification is not appropriate either. The truth is somewhere in the middle.”

Which is exactly what I’ve been saying all along.  Continue reading “Esteemed Journal Nature Dedicates Issue To GMOs, Defends Technology”

You Are What You Like: What Your Facebook Activity Says About You

Facebook gleefully reported earlier this week that their privacy practices are “A-Ok”, in response to the growing federal concerns that the company leaks too much personal information. While it’s all well and good that they are legally in bounds, users still worry about just how much is shared via the popular social networking site. After all, just what does your Facebook activity say about who you are?

A lot, actually. Continue reading “You Are What You Like: What Your Facebook Activity Says About You”

Pretty great tits make better mothers

The white cheeks & black chest bar of a great tit
[photo (c) David Jirovsky, provided by BioMed Central]

As anyone in Europe knows, pairs of great tits aren’t hard to find. They’re really everywhere, if you keep an eye out for them — great tits can be found from the northern coast of Africa all the way to western central Russia, and in between. Bouncing around without a care in the world, great tits are one of the most popular and well known birds in the world. Yes, I’m talking about the birds, guys. The pretty, charismatic, if not slightly murderous birds.

Great tits have become a wonderful research model for scientists, as their widespread distribution and general lack of fear of people makes them easy study subjects. There are literally thousands of published papers looking at their ecology, behavior, genetics, and evolution. But while scientists have been studying these colorful, engaging birds for about a century, there’s still a lot to discover. Just last month, scientists from Palacky University in the Czech Republic learned something new, and incredible, about female tits: the prettier the mother, the healthier the offspring. Continue reading “Pretty great tits make better mothers”