Christie Wilcox
cwilcox
Posts by this author
April 27, 2009
"Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" - better known as EPCOT - was originally Walt Disney's vision of a perfect city, home to 20,000 people. In his words, "EPCOT... will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American…
April 26, 2009
OK, I know I've done joeys before, but can you blame me? Look at these guys!
source
These adorable little tykes are rescues, saved after the recent bushfires. Here's a sobering fact I didn't know before: In some areas in Australia, joeys like these are killed en masse. Kangaroos, as it turns out,…
April 24, 2009
First, the visual: image creditOk. Now to explain.Scientists from the University of Bristol Woodland Road wanted to learn more about rock ants (Temnothorax albipennis). Specifically, they had noticed that the ants seem to be able to pick out the best possible nest sites when they decide to move. As…
April 23, 2009
I have to start work at 8 am every morning. I'm not sure exactly who decided that scientists should start early, but it seems to be a universal assumption. Throughout college my science classes were always first thing, and research efforts often seem to involve early morning work. But I've never…
April 22, 2009
Since today is Earth Day, I've got all kinds of green, eco-friendly, conservation-type thoughts jumbling around in my head. I keep reading articles about how some rare alligator has a little hope or how some big rare fish got eaten, and thinking positively about the press surrounding our…
April 20, 2009
Now that I've grossed most of you out with my last week's pick, I think I'll go ahead and make this week's pest a little easier to look at.
The image looks like a mustard plant with nice, yellow flowers. But alas! It is actually the product of this week's parasite, the rust fungus Puccinia monoica…
April 19, 2009
Many accused of statutory rape claim two things - 1) that the girl consented and 2) that they thought she was older. The first is unimportant - if the girl is underage, it's still rape. But in the US, there is a special defense clause which allows defendents leiniency if there is reasonable…
April 19, 2009
For this week's dose of cute, I thought I'd do something special. So, as a treat, your weekly dose is my daily dose!
Meet Lani (my dog) and Loki (my cat):
Aren't they adorable? They're my little angels!
April 16, 2009
Cheetahs are unfortunate examples of how genetics can be devastating. After a population bottleneck 10,000 years ago source, cheetahs have become so closely related that it's said you can use skin grafts from any two individuals without rejection. To put that in perspective, your own immediate…
April 16, 2009
The snows are melting (we hope), the flowers are starting to bloom, and here in FL it's not quite obnoxiously hot out. It's spring, and with it comes one of my favorite yearly holidays - Earth Day!
That's right - April 22nd is Earth Day 2009. Started in the 1970s by a smart senator from Wisconsin…
April 14, 2009
I think these win not only on cute but on awesome naming: meet the Dik Dik.
They're named after the sound they make when startled, which I would guess is really just their way of saying "you're a total jerk" to whatever disturbs them. They live in open plains frolicking amongst other adorable grass…
April 13, 2009
Ah, I know, I missed a parasite last week. I was on vacation. So sue me.
Anyhow, this week's lovely parasite is worth the wait.
Meet the Loa Loa worm.
Loa Loa worms ( Loa Loa filaria) are a kind of filarial nematode which is spread by fly bite. Filarial nematodes are a lovely bunch of parasites,…
April 13, 2009
The frozen tundra that covers a majority of Russia and northern Asia is a hard place to live. The average winter temperature is 30 below zero, and winter seems to last a lifetime. The short summer, which still gets only glancing rays of sun, barely breaks above freezing. It's so cold year round…
April 13, 2009
I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Her name is Suzette. She's a very nice girl. She likes to talk - something, it turns out, she's very good at. You can see for yourself: just talk to her.
She happens to in this contest called the Chatterbox Challenge. You see, she needs votes to be the 10th…
April 12, 2009
Whether we want to admit to it or not, women, on average, get paid less than men do. Women make only about $0.75 for every dollar made by men, and even if you factor out pregnancies and children, single, never-married women still only make $0.90 on the man's dollar. Why do women make so much less?…
April 9, 2009
Let's just say, for a moment, you're a really talented artist. What would you do?
How about draw 3-D things on the sidewalk because they're just cool to look at?
Yeah, that's what I'd do, too.
These are the creations of Julian Beever, a sidewalk artist who has drawn with chalk for over ten years…
April 8, 2009
I'm on vacation, so I haven't been watching the internets for cute things as closely as normal. But this guy stuck out, and I'm sure you'll see why:
c/o Zooborns
OMG THE WITTLE BABY SEA LION IS TOO CUTE!
April 6, 2009
Hey there folks! There's a great new carnival out there...
Be sure to check out Scientia Pro Publica 1, The Science, Nature and Medicine Blog Carnival up at GrrlScientist!
And don't miss Carnival of the Blue #23, now up at Deep Sea News!
April 5, 2009
If you've ever been interested in a guy and tried to subtly hint that you like him, you know exactly how dense men can be. The fresh research from Bucknell University doesn't tell you anything new.
The study, in press in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, has found that men are a…
April 5, 2009
You know you've been infected with nerdiness when you're on vacation and you decide that, rather than sleeping in and relaxing like a normal person, you're going to get up at 5 am to hit Manasota Beach at low tide.
For the record, it's DARK at 5am. There isn't a hint of light yet. And since my car…
April 3, 2009
Those of you who watch for news about conservation or marine mammals might have gotten very excited when media agencies started spouting out this week that an "Asian Dolphin, Feared Dying, Is Thriving" or a "Huge population of rare dolphins discovered." You might have been inspired that "Study…
April 1, 2009
Women have been wearing makeup since at least 3500 BC. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks are all known to have worn makeup, often made from deadly chemicals like mercury and lead. Even today, humans worldwide spend around $20 billion on make up every year, and much of it still isn't good…
April 1, 2009
I have a brother. He's a great guy - way smarter than me. So when I saw this article headline I had to write about it:
"Having a sister makes you happier and more optimistic, say psychologists"
Yeah, I know: I'm awesome. But why this time?
Apparently growing up with at least one girl in the family…
March 31, 2009
Thanks to Allie, for this lovely way to waste time: a test for your animal personality.
Here's my results:
Tiger Genera and species: Panthera tigrisCollective Term:A bolt of tigersDescription Tigers are handsome and powerful people with an innate self-confidence and elegance. There's a sense…
March 30, 2009
For those of you on Twitter, check it out: It's a tweetathon for Earth Day!
Here's the scoop:With a new administration and a renewed focus on the environment, Earth Day '09 is bound to be momentous. Use the #earthtweet tag to share what you're doing to help celebrate Earth Day. Whether you're…
March 30, 2009
I admit I'm a sucker for cute, furry things. But even those of you who prefer the scaly creatures have to be won over by these little fur balls:
Photo credits: Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando, c/o Zooborns
These are some of SeaWorld Orlando's newest arrivals: a pack of four Asian Small-Clawed Otter…
March 30, 2009
So you're sitting there, reading the paper, when you notice your head's a bit itchy. Dry skin? Maybe. Irritated scalp? It's possible. Of course it could be something far more sinister...
It could be every parent and school teacher's worst nightmare: Lice.
Lice, the kind that is the bane of…
March 30, 2009
Remember the story I wrote about a kid who was a dad at 13 yrs old?
Little Alfie was supposedly only 12 when he had sex for the first time, unprotected, with his 15 yr old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman. At the time, she told him and the news that he was the only person she'd slept with.
Yeah, well…
March 29, 2009
One of the most controversial ideas in conservation is that of Biocontrol. The goal is to control invasive species or damaging pests by introducing predators/diseases/etc which kill them. Some attempts at biocontrol have been hugely successful. But others have been disastrous, like the introduction…
March 27, 2009
Things like this just turn on my nerd switch.
A new study, published in Science, used amazing molecular techniques to film HIV spreading from one cell to another.
See for yourself:
The breakthrough footage was obtained by creating a molecular clone of HIV which included fluorescent genetic code…