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.”

“You’ll Do”: Lack of Choosiness in Female Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs

The “blue jeans” color morph of the strawberry poison dart frog, Oophaga pumilio, from Costa Rica.
Image from Wikimedia Commons user Pstevendactylus

Mate choice is one of the most well-studied aspects of evolution. To prove that they’re worth the effort, animals will do just about anything. They dance, prance, sing, bellow, and fight for attention. When you look around the animal kingdom, the wild results of mate choice boldly stand out, from the impractically beautiful tails of peacocks to the ostentatious antlers of elk and deer. With so much focus placed on quality, you might assume that every species has their own complex way of conveying their worth, and that all of the females of the world are finicky creatures.

But not so for the female strawberry poison dart frog — when she’s ready to mate, she doesn’t pick the strongest or the brightest guy around. She just goes for the closest. Continue reading ““You’ll Do”: Lack of Choosiness in Female Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs”

Eau de Manipulation: Malarial Mosquitoes More Attracted To Human Scent

An Anopheles gambiae mosquito gorging herself on blood. Photo by Jim Gathany, from the CDC’s Public Health Image Library

By the time you realize what has happened, it’s too late. An Anopheles gambiae mosquito can land on your skin completely unnoticed. While you continue unaware, she stealthily walks over your exposed flesh, searching, probing the surface of your skin with her proboscis until she finds a blood vessel. She then situates her body perfectly at just the right angle, hunches down, and plunges her needle-like mouthparts into your skin. Tiny pumps pull the warm, protein-rich blood into her mouth.

With every millisecond increasing her chances of exposure, she drinks as quickly as she can. Your hand isn’t the only obstacle she faces: even as she sucks, your body senses the wound and attempts to plug the hole by forming a clot. She needs your warm, nutritious blood for her eggs, so she’s not about to let your protective mechanisms interfere. To ensure her meal keeps flowing, she pumps saliva laden with anti-coagulants and vasodilators  into the wound — and that’s when it happens. That’s when the Plasmodium falciprum sporozoites that have been waiting patiently in her salivary glands enter your bloodstream. Dozens can hitch a ride in her saliva, but it only takes one to cause malaria. One single, microscopic protozoan is enough to kill you. Continue reading “Eau de Manipulation: Malarial Mosquitoes More Attracted To Human Scent”

Science Seeker Award Winners Announced!

  X2!

The winners of the inaugural Science Seeker Awards have been announced! My posts got nods as finalists in two categories: Best Biology Post and Best Life-in-Science Post. Thank you so much to the judges for these honors, and a huge congrats to all of the winners and other finalists. I strongly suggest reading through the list of winners and finalists, and checking out all of the fabulous posts!

Musical Monday: Gambler


Welcome to Musical Monday, where I feature an original song just for the heck of it. Want to hear more? Check out my previous musical posts, Time – And Brain Chemistry – Heal All Wounds, Biochemically, All Is Fair, and Taking Einstein’s Advice, and previous Musical Mondays Stay Near Me and As Hard As It Is.

I’ve had a song banging around in my head for awhile, and finally this weekend I took the time to get a very rough draft out. When it comes to love, everything is a gamble. So, enjoy!

    (lyrics) Continue reading “Musical Monday: Gambler”

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”