Uncategorized – Science Sushi

The Kitchen Is Closing

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My very first blog post was September 2008. A lot has changed since then—I started and completed a PhD program at the University of Hawaii (where I met my partner and now baby-daddy), did a post-doc, wrote one book (that you should really read—just ask Amazon or Smithsonian) and edited another (on science blogging!), and started a new full-time editing job with the YouTube science channel SciShow. And over those ten years, I have written more than 800 blog posts, my blog has gone from being called Observations of a Nerd to Science Sushi, and it’s moved from Blogspot to Science Blogs to Scientific American to Discover—and now, it’s making one last move.

I started blogging because I wanted to share my passion for science with the world. And my posts have done that—they’ve also opened up new avenues for sharing my passions. I owe a lot to this online platform I started on a decade ago. If I hadn’t started blogging, I wouldn’t have the writing career I have now. Even my partner and I bonded over our mutual love of writing online (and I still think his blog is so much cooler than mine), so it’s impossible for me to imagine what my life would have been like had my friend Allie never suggested I try my hand at it. But now, I get to nerd out over awesome science every day in the scripts I work on for SciShow and through my freelance writing for places like National Geographic. So the time has come to close the book… or, the laptop, I guess.

It’s been a decade, and it’s time to move on. Since I’ll no longer be blogging regularly, Science Sushi is moving again—this time, to a permanent home, ScienceSushi.com. The archives will still be hosted here at Discover, as well as at my blog’s new home, but I won’t be updating the blog with any regularity. If I feel particularly moved to comment on the world of science, I reserve the right to post a new post every now and then at the new site, but this is my last post here at Discover.

Thank you to all of my regular readers—you have made the past decade truly wonderful. And to those of you who might just now be stumbling across this blog, don’t worry: I’m not going away. If you subscribe to SciShow and SciShow Psych, you’ll hear my words and the words I edit frequently, and you can keep up to date with any other freelance writing I do by following my Facebook page, Twitter, or periodically checking out my website. I’ll be somewhere on the interwebs, just not here—and I hope to see you around.

— Christie

Science Sushi: 2017 in Review

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It’s that time of the year again where I look back and see what has happened over the past 365 days in the life of this blog. So far in 2017…

…I have posted 31 posts

…that received over five hundred thousand views

…from 224 countries/territories

…with 227 comments

My most viewed post of the year was not actually mine—it was that wonderful guest post from Jake Buehler about how 30 Meters Down completely failed in its portrayal of dive science. Next in line was my Toxinology 101 post on what scientists mean when they use the words “venom” and “poison”. Some blasts from the past also performed well—y’all were curious whether dolphins really get high on pufferfish (probably not), what it feels like to die by boomslang bite, and whether mushrooms can make you orgasm (again, probably not). Other top ten posts include how the venom of brown snakes gets more potent as they age, how a shark survived with a hole through its body for over a year, and the curious science of dolphin sex.

My words also found their way across the interwebs to a whole suite of new outlets. You could find me talking about horny deaf toadlets (that can’t hear their own mating calls!) for Gizmodo, crab-mimicking cuttlefish for Hakai Magazine, and ravenous box jellies of the future for New Scientist. I admitted one of my dumbest lab mistakes in this piece for SELF on why you really, really shouldn’t look directly at an eclipse. I also wrote about the surprising way thorns may have evolved for Quanta, and speaking of pokey things, bioGraphic‘s design team turned my article about venomous weapons into a stunning work of art. I also dug deep into the debate about biodiversity’s benefits for Undark. But my personal favorite was my article for National Geographic on how some scientists in Mississippi used 6 tons of dead pigs to simulate mass extinction events, allowing them to study their effects on the ecosystem.

I also had a big year beyond the interwebs. I had a number of articles published in print-only magazines, with several pieces in Hana Hou!. And in August, my first book, Venomous, went to paperback!

2017 has been a rough year in many ways, but it’s also been one of trememdous joy. I embarked on a new adventure when I moved back to the mainland, trading the sunny shores of Oahu for the majestic forests of Washington. I started a new job working as an editor and writer for SciShow, which I am enjoying immensely. And, last but certainly not least, I got to meet my incredible daughter, Bianca, last June, and she has been bringing unbelievable amounts of joy into my life ever since.

Thank you to all of you who read this blog: let’s keep this bio-nerdy party going all through 2018!

Fireworks image (c) Mark Wooding, from Wikipedia

President Obama talks climate change and environmental stewardship – LIVE BLOG

LIVE coverage of President Obama’s address to the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders

5:50 PM: Aloha Discover readers! I’m here in the press pool at the University of Hawaii’s East West Center, ready to hear President Obama remark on the expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Stay tuned for live coverage of the event!

Continue reading “President Obama talks climate change and environmental stewardship – LIVE BLOG”

When you’ve been stung more than 1,000 times, it’s only sensible to write a book about stinging insects.

Schmidt and I have very different definitions of "gentle giant". — Schmidt and I have very different definitions of “gentle giant”.

You can tell a lot about an book by the author’s photo. My author photo for Venomous, for example, paints me as the intrepid explorer; I look adventurous and daring as I smile unabashedly through the legs of a large tailless whip scorpion (amblypygid). But while the photo is startling, it’s not as bold as it seems. It’s a facade of bravado, not real bravery, as the menacing-looking animal on my cheek is actually harmless. Meanwhile, in his author photo for Sting of the Wild, Justin Schmidt shows that he’s far more daring: on his nose crawls a large Dinoponera ant.

Schmidt probably would laugh at my assessment of the image; after all, he refers to the Dinoponera, the largest ants on Earth, as the “gentle giants of the ant world.” But I went with a non-stinging amblypigid rather than an ant for a reason. According to Schmidt’s own colorful and cheeky index detailing the pain of insect stings, the ant crawling across his face possesses “A pulsing sting with some flavor.” Sure, it only scores a 1.5 out of 4.0 on his pain scale—but that’s 1.5 more painful than any species I would place on my snout.

It’s a photo befitting the book of a man who has been stung by more than 1000 times by some 80+ different species. As an entomologist who studies the Hymenoptera—bees, wasps and ants—Schmidt has a lifetime of experiences to draw upon for Sting of the Wild, his first book, which which hit shelves May 15th. Continue reading “When you’ve been stung more than 1,000 times, it’s only sensible to write a book about stinging insects.”

Powerful Short Video Highlights The Global Burden of Snakebite

The global problem of snakebite goes unnoticed by most of us in developed countries. We have good access to medical care, abundant antivenom to treat what few dangerous bites occur, and snake species whose venoms are often manageable. In the U.S., for example, bees and wasps kill over ten times as many people as snakes do. But in other countries, snakebite is a real and neglected problem. Worldwide, snakes claim more than one hundred thousands lives annually, and leave countless more disabled and disfigured. This powerful, heartbreaking seven and a half-minute video is one that everyone should see:

Continue reading “Powerful Short Video Highlights The Global Burden of Snakebite”

Science Sushi: 2015 in Review

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It’s that time of the year again where I look back and see what has happened over the past 365 days in the life of this blog. So far in 2015…

…I have posted 46 posts

…that received over five hundred twenty-five thousand views

…from 217 countries/territories

…with 260 comments

The most viewed post of the year was about hypodermic flatworm penises, which won the title by a landslide (never underestimate the popularity of penises, I guess). Stories on parasitic wasp viruses and the spread of invasive lionfishes were the closest runners up. Y’all loved the news this year, and my top ten was littered with breaking news pieces about everything from species discovered on Facebook to the future of GMOs. Critiques also did very well (as they usually do), as my comments on why it’s still a bad idea to give birth amongst dolphins and why we shouldn’t respond to shark bites by killing sharks also landed in the top ten. Other popular posts included what it feels like to die by boomslang, using genes to change eggs into sperm, and how lemurs can tell a baby’s sex by its mother’s smell.

My words also reached beyond the boundaries of this blog. Some of the best include why we’re obsessed with bacon for Yahoo! Health, why focusing entirely on fins won’t save sharks for The Washington Post, the race for the $2 million Ocean XPRIZE for Popular Science, and the biggest idea in marine ecology to emerge in 2015 for Quartz. However, my favorite piece of the year was my longread for Mosaic on how we’re turning dangerous venoms into life-changing pharmaceuticals.

I'M GOING TO BE A REAL AUTHOR AND EVERYTHING! 2016 is gonna be great! — I’M GOING TO BE A REAL AUTHOR AND EVERYTHING! 2016 is gonna be great!

It’s been an incredible year, and next year looks to be even more amazing. In March, my first foray into editing — Science Blogging: The Essential Guide — hits shelves. The volume, co-edited by Bethany Brookshire and Jason Goldman, brings together 27 of the biggest names in science blogging. Then in August, my first book, Venomous, releases. I traveled around the world and came face to face with some of the deadliest species on the planet (and the scientists that study them) to write Venomous, so you won’t want to miss the adventures!

Overall, it’s been an incredible year, and I look forward to the challenges, surprises, and joys of the year to come. Thank you to all of you who read this blog: let’s keep this bio-nerdy party going all through 2016!

Fireworks image (c) Mark Wooding, from Wikipedia

What It Feels Like To Die of a Boomslang Bite

The deadly boomslang, the snake fingered in the death of Karl Patterson Schmidt. Photo by William Warby — The deadly boomslang, the species of snake fingered in the death of Karl Patterson Schmidt.
Photo by William Warby

It’s estimated that somewhere between one and five million people are bitten by snakes every year, with around 1/5 of those resulting in death. That number is a lot lower than it once was — several decades ago, antivenoms for deadly snakes were few and far between, so people frequently succumbed to bites. One such victim was American herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt. Continue reading “What It Feels Like To Die of a Boomslang Bite”

Genetically Modified Moth Passes Greenhouse Testing With Flying Colors

Sure, he looks cute — just don't let him near your broccoli. Photo by J. Ogrodnick — Sure, he looks cute — just don’t let him near your broccoli. Photo by J. Ogrodnick

The diamondback moth catterpillar (Plutella xylostella) may not look like much, but don’t be fooled by its generic caterpillar-y appearance; these larval lepidopterans are one of the world’s worst insect pests. Diamondback caterpillars gorge their way through cabbages, canola, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, costing farmers $4-5 billion annually worldwide. The worst part is that these hungry beasts always seem to be a step ahead of pest management strategies, readily evolving resistance to every organic and synthetic chemical that farmers attempt to wipe them out with. But now, scientists have created a secret weapon that the bugs cannot resist: genetically modified males whose genes kill their female offspring. Continue reading “Genetically Modified Moth Passes Greenhouse Testing With Flying Colors”

Wandering Far From Home: Did Phoneutria Almost Get Introduced To Hawaii?

I don't mind catching up with Phoneutria in the Peruvian Amazon (where they are native) - but I have no desire to see them hanging under Hawaiian forest leaves. Photo by Aaron Pomerantz — I don’t mind catching up with *Phoneutria* in the Peruvian Amazon (where they are native) — but I have no desire to see them hanging under Hawaiian forest leaves. Photo by Aaron Pomerantz

Last week, agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection here in Honolulu caught an unwelcome stowaway in a container of granite and flagstone from Brazil: a 3.5 inch wandering spider (Phoneutria species). A second spider was found in another container from the same shipment four days later, and was likely another of the same species — though agents are not entirely sure because the worker unloading the container smashed the bugger beyond positive ID. One spider is not so big a deal, but two is dangerously close to an introduction, and the Plant Quarantine Branch is now working with the importer to get the entire shipment returned to sender. But the close call begs a frightening question: could wandering spiders invade Hawaii? Continue reading “Wandering Far From Home: Did Phoneutria Almost Get Introduced To Hawaii?”

Baby Snake Shows Why The Dead Can Still Be Deadly

Remember that story from last fall about the Chinese chef that died after being envenomated by the severed head of a cobra he was cooking? (Well, if not, here’s a good summary.) Many dismissed the tale outright, thinking a snake couldn’t possibly be lethal if it was no longer living. But a great photo taken this week by Lee Reeve shows just how dangerous venomous animals can be, even after death:

A drop of venom on the fang of a dead baby C. atrox. Photo by Lee Reeve — A drop of venom on the fang of a dead baby *Crotalus atrox.* Photo by Lee Reeve

Lee found this wee western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) dead this morning. It was the runt of a recent litter, and had struggled in spite of months of assisted feeding, so Lee wasn’t surprised the little guy didn’t make it. But just because the small snake was dead didn’t mean Lee could be carefree about handling it, as he explained in a Facebook post:

“Looked like he hadn’t been dead for very long, so I took the opportunity to show why they’re dangerous, even when dead. The liquid coming from the fangs is venom, and will be just as toxic as it was when the snake was alive. Prick your finger on and the fang (or even the bottom teeth), and you got yourself an envenomation.”

Even once dead, venom that is stored in the venom gland can be injected into an unsuspecting victim if pressure is applied. And snakes, like other animals (even us!), can exhibit muscle movements post-mortem, so even if the animal isn’t alive, you can’t be sure it won’t move unpredictably. As someone who has worked for years with venomous animals, I’ve had to be careful with my study organisms even months after their demise (frozen venom can stay potent for a long time!).

So should you come across a dead snake — or anything else with venomous fangs, spines, spurs, etc — be careful! Don’t assume the dead are harmless to the living.