Christie Wilcox
cwilcox
Posts by this author
October 1, 2008
One of the biggest claims of those who disagree with the 'theory' of evolution is that we can't see it happening. Therefore (so they say) it isn't any more valid than other 'theories' of how species came to exist. You know what I say to that? Spend some time watching cichlids in Lake Victoria.
That…
September 30, 2008
Rarely will you see a scientist get more riled up than when thrust into a debate of Nature versus Nurture. While the cliche term covers a lot of different aspects of science, the basic debate centers around exactly how much of who we are lies in our genes. A new study in the Journal of…
September 29, 2008
Two words: "Herpes Gladiatorium". To be accurate, it's really a reason not to come into any physical contact with rugby players or sumo wrestlers, but since sumo wrestlers don't tend to be tall, muscular men with sexy foreign accents and devilish grins, there's less need to be reminded to steer…
September 26, 2008
Green is the new black in American society, and one way to see how green you really are is to look at your carbon footprint. But do you ever wonder what the world's footprint looks like? I recently stumbled upon a really fascinating website by David Bleja and the designer of the Human Rights Arts…
September 26, 2008
I am all for animal rights, to an extent. I mean, fur is murder, and who needs fur anyway? And those Japanese should definitely stop slaughtering dolphins and whales. That's just wrong. However, there is a such thing as taking an issue a bit too far, and that is exactly what PETA has done...again.…
September 25, 2008
Scientists tend to get a bad rap. We're stereotyped to be workaholic, out-of-touch geeks who think a labcoat is fashionable and would rather spend a day in the lab than at the mall. O.K., some of it is true (dude, labcoats are TOTALLY sexy), but not all of us have no sense of fun or adventure. Just…
September 24, 2008
Ok, this isn't so much of interest to a biologist as it is to me - a current Florida resident. Two new studies today released by FSU and FAU begin to predict the toll of global climate change on Florida's economics, and the results aren't pretty.
"The impacts of climate change on Florida's coasts…
September 23, 2008
Just because we're uber-smart doesn't mean we're foolproof. Sadly, even scientists make mistakes. The most recent case of unfortunate events comes to us from Mallorca, where the captive breeding of the Mallorcan Midwife Toad, on the verge of extinction, has infected them with a fungus that might…
September 22, 2008
In the scientific community most people I know believe that global warming is a real phenomenon caused by humans starting with the industrial revolution. However, not everyone I know is in the scientific community, and many don't fully believe any notion of human-caused global warming. Well, we can…
September 22, 2008
Ever since scientists began experimenting with embryonic stem cells the blood of pro-life and other activists has been boiling, and a major ethical debate has ensued. Stem cell research could lead to some of the biggest medical breakthroughs since penicillin, but the destruction of embryos to…
September 21, 2008
Ok, my title may be going a bit too far, but new research coming out of Harvard University has found a fat, an omega-7 fatty acid called C16:1n7-palmitoleate, which does just that. The lipid is the first of its kind found to act as a hormone, signaling muscles cells to react better to insulin and…
September 19, 2008
It turns out that some really smart people at the University of Wisconsin have discovered a way to make sugar into gasoline, diesel, or even jet fuel. This discovery means that just about any plant can be turned into fuel - not ethanol, which would require designing and mass producing vehicles…
September 18, 2008
I've often been referred to as a nerd, dork, geek, etc, so I thought I ought to own up to it right away. I wouldn't want to give the impression that this blog is going to be written by someone with immaculate fashion sense and a keen eye for shoes. But which, pray tell, am I really? A nerd, a dork…
September 18, 2008
I've often been referred to as a nerd, dork, geek, etc, so I thought I ought to own up to it right away. I wouldn't want to give the impression that this blog is going to be written by someone with immaculate fashion sense and a keen eye for shoes. But which, pray tell, am I really? A nerd, a dork…
September 18, 2008
I just want to start this out by saying I am not a political person. Honestly, I just don't pay too much attention to the minor nuances that separate political candidates. I mean, let's be honest: how much difference does it really make on most issues? I simply don't have the fiscal understanding…
September 1, 2008
Here's a somewhat-comprehensive list of posts of mine that have been selected as Editor's Selections:
03.30.2011 Is Bigger Really Better? chosen by Dr. Peter Janiszewski
12.23.2010 Fish Have Feelings (And They Can Be Seen In Their DNA) chosen by Jarrett Byrnes
10.04.2010 The Ig Nobels Have Been…