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
Sexual Harassment From Males Prevents Female Bonding, Fish Study Shows:
The extent to which sexual harassment from males can damage relationships between females is revealed in a new study. Led by the Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter and published in Proceedings…
There are 24 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one…
Guam Rhino Beetles Got Rhythm:
In May 2008 the island of Guam became a living laboratory for scientists as they attached acoustic equipment to coconut trees in order to listen for rhinoceros beetles. A grant from USDA IPM allowed Richard Mankin, a recognized world-class expert on acoustic detection…
Few colors last; with their eternal thirst, time and light suck on them, and they bleach the black doctor's hat until it's grey like a dunce's cap.
- Franz Grillparzer
The UCLA Pro-Test is tomorrow. If you live there - go. If not, prepare yourself for inevitable discussions - online and offline - by getting informed. And my fellow science bloggers have certainly provided plenty of food for thought on the issue of use of animals in research.
First, you have to…
There are 18 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one…
Scientia Pro Publica #2 is up on Living the Scientific Life
Grand Rounds, Vol. 5, No. 31 are up on Diabetes Mine
Carnival of the Green #176 is up on Mother Nature Network
Lizards Bask In The Sun For A Vitamin D Boost:
Keeping warm isn't the only reason lizards and other cold-blooded critters bask in the sun. According to a study published in the May/June issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, chameleons alter their sunbathing behavior based on their need…
I know it's been a couple of months now since the ScienceOnline'09 and I have reviewed only a couple of sessions I myself attended and did not do the others. I don't know if I will ever make it to reviewing them one by one, but other people's reviews on them are under the fold here. For my…
Scorpion Biodiversity Seen In 'Evolution Canyon':
Scorpions possess resistance to high temperatures and the ability to conserve water for long periods of time, and as a result thrive in hot and arid parts of the world. But is this global distribution also seen at a more local level? Doctoral…
Italian scientist, turning 100, still works:
Rita Levi Montalcini, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said Saturday that even though she is about to turn 100, her mind is sharper than it was she when she was 20.
Levi Montalcini, who also serves as a senator for life in Italy, celebrates her 100th…
When reading fairy tales as a kid, I always wondered at the end how that 'happily ever after' looked like. I never imagined it, in my childhood innocence, that it would be like this:
Today (yes, I know, it was leaked last night), President Obama announced that the first nations' Chief Technology Officer will be Aneesh Paul Chopra.
The Silicon Valley folks are not pleased. Tim O'Reilly thinks he is an excellent choice. What do you think?
Scorpion Venom With Nanoparticles Slows Spread Of Brain Cancer:
By combining nanoparticles with a scorpion venom compound already being investigated for treating brain cancer, University of Washington researchers found they could cut the spread of cancerous cells by 98 percent, compared to 45…
Here are the submissions for OpenLab 2009 to date. As we have surpassed 100 entries, all of them, as well as the "submit" buttons and codes, are under the fold. You can buy the 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions at Lulu.com. Please use the submission form to add more of your and other people's posts (…
In today's PLoS Computational Biology: Adventures in Semantic Publishing: Exemplar Semantic Enhancements of a Research Article:
Scientific innovation depends on finding, integrating, and re-using the products of previous research. Here we explore how recent developments in Web technology,…
Stan Young of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences in RTP wants to help you sort junk science from the good stuff. (Remember that observational study that concluded that pregnant women who eat breakfast cereal are more likely to deliver baby boys, for instance?)
Young will give a talk…
Inbreeding Was Major Cause Of Fall Of Spanish Habsburg Dynasty:
The powerful Habsburg dynasty ruled Spain and its empire from 1516 to 1700 but when King Charles II died in 1700 without any children from his two marriages, the male line died out and the French Bourbon dynasty came to power in Spain…
Ask the pilot:
Ask yourself this: Whom would you prefer at the controls of your plane on a stormy night, a pilot who smoked a joint three days ago, or one who had six hours of sleep prior to a 13-hour workday in which he's performed half a dozen takeoffs and landings? The first pilot has indulged…
Since the last big site upgrade, the Trackbacks on PLoS ONE articles have been invisible. But our system saved them all and today, after another upgrade, they are visible again. So, if you have sent trackbacks from your blog recently, please check if they are on the paper (look under the "Related…
You may be aware that PLoS ONE has started creating Collections of articles in various areas of research. Two months ago we put together the first such collection - Stress-Induced Depression and Comorbidities: From Bench to Bedside and a month later, we unveiled our second collection - the PLoS ONE…
