My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. I am not an MD so I cannot diagnose and treat your sleep problems. As well as writing this blog, I am also the Online Discussion Expert for PLoS. This is a personal blog and opinions within it in no way reflect the policies of PLoS. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com
As the month of September is coming to a close, and the topic of the month in PLoS ONE is bats, we decided to end the focus with a Journal Club.
Starting today, and lasting a week, there will be a Journal Club on this PLoS ONE article - Bats' Conquest of a Formidable Foraging Niche: The Myriads of…
Meat-eating Dinosaur From Argentina Had Bird-like Breathing System:
The remains of a 30-foot-long predatory dinosaur discovered along the banks of Argentina's Rio Colorado is helping to unravel how birds evolved their unusual breathing system.
Discovering How Human-caused Sounds Affect Marine…
Nature Network will be much better represented this year than last year, I am happy to report. This early in the game, we already have four registrants, coming from four different countries and making our meeting very international!
Anna Kushnir came last year. This year, it is Dr.Anna Kushnir…
Under the fold:
Rebels? No, Simply Scientists:
The problem of creativity is common to the arts and sciences. What distinguishes geniuses from ordinary mortals? In the arts, from Mozart to van Gogh, creativity has frequently been associated with the artist's opposition to the society of their time…
Amanda is in the middle of reading Michael Kimmel's Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men and has posted the first, preliminary review, with some very interesting explorations by the commenters as well (I guess the MRAs did not get there yet to ruin the discussion). The review is…
Getting Lost: A Newly Discovered Developmental Brain Disorder:
Feeling lost every time you leave your home? You may not be as alone as you think. Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute recently documented the first case of a patient who,…
The Accretionary Wedge #13: Geology in Space - is up on goodSchist
Encephalon #55 is up on Neuroscientifically Challenged
Berry Go Round #9 is up on Gravity's Rainbow
Friday Ark #210 is up on Modulator
Carnival of the Green #147 is up on Confessions of a Closet Environmentalist
I always get excited when Paul Sereno publishes a paper in PLoS ONE and today is one such day - his third paper in this journal within a span of less than a year (the first was the paper with detailed description of Nigersaurus and the second was the article on Green Sahara cemeteries). Today's…
Once a year, I go back to my alma mater and do a guest lecture about biological clocks in an Anatomy & Physiology class. Knowing how many pre-meds are among the 200 students in the room, I try to start with some examples of rhythms in human physiology (and disease), and the first one is body…
You may remember how last two years I introduced all registrants for the blogging conferences, 2-3 people per day. I decided this year to do it less often, but to introduce more people in each post. Let me start with an easy group to gather - my Sciblings:
Brian will be there.
Grrrrl will be…
Acoustic Communication In Deep-sea Fish:
An international research team studying sound production in deep-sea fishes has found that cusk-eels use several sets of muscles to produce sound that plays a prominent role in male mating calls.
Helping Dogs With Cancer May Benefit People:
A new study…
It is rare that the public sentiment decides immorally or unwisely, and the individual who differs from it ought to distrust and examine well his own opinion.
- Thomas Jefferson
We are busy preparing for The Open Laboratory 2008. The submissions have been trickling in all year, and a little bit more frequently recently, but it is time now to dig through your Archives for your best posts since December 20th 2007 and submit them. Submit one, or two, or several - no problem…
Children will watch anything, and when a broadcaster uses crime and violence and other shoddy devices to monopolize a child's attention, it's worse than taking candy from a baby. It is taking precious time from the process of growing up.
- Newton N. Minow
So, let's see what was new in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Pathogens, PLoS ONE and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases last week. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. Here are my own picks for the week…
The PLoS ONE paper about the way shimmering wave behavior in honeybees repels hornets, as discussed by high-school students here, has an aaccompanying video of the behavior on YouTube:
Earth's Magnetic Field Reversals Illuminated By Lava Flows Study:
Earth's north magnetic pole is shifting and weakening. Ancient lava flows are guiding a better understanding of what generates and controls the Earth's magnetic field - and what may drive it to occasionally reverse direction…
If you really want to do something, you'll find a way; if you don't, you'll find an excuse.In times when the passions are beginning to take charge of the conduct of human affairs, one should pay less attention to what men of experience and common sense are thinking than to what is preoccupying the…
