grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: book review, biotechnology, biomedicine, stem cells, ethics, Cloning: A Beginner's Guide, Aaron Levine
Would you drink milk from a cloned cow?
Should we clone extinct or endangered species?
Are we justified in using stem cells to develop cures?
When will we clone the first human?
Ever since Dolly the sheep was born, questions like these have been part of the public consciousness, and now, cloning is poised to revolutionize medicine, healthcare, and even the food we eat. Regardless of what certain politicians do to slow the progress of scientific research, cloning is here to stay, and…
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: art, Rufino Tamayo, Tres Personajes, discarded masterpiece
"Tres Personajes" (1970) by Mexican artist, Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991).
Oil on canvas with marble dust and sand worked into the paint.
Image: Sotheby's [slightly larger view].
I am one of those people who pokes through other people's garbage in search of treasures. This isn't difficult to do in Manhattan because people conveniently discard their trash on the sidewalk, where garbage men come to pick it up at some point during the day. My favorite place to look through trash is on Manhattan's Upper West Side (UWS) because the…
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius.
Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [larger view]
The photographer writes: Mix the face of an eagle with the legs of a stork, and you have the Secretary bird.
This peculiar bird could be seen strutting throughout Kenya's Masai Mara. It gets its name from the feathers sticking up from its head, which resemble quill pens. It is able to fly, but rarely does so, preferring to prowl the grassland looking for its favorite meal, snakes.
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: wildfire, California, aviculture, evacuation
Southern California state wildfires (red dots) as seen from a satellite. The smoke plumes are being blown out over the Pacific Ocean. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that 12 large, uncontained fires have burned over 335,000 acres in Southern California and these fires have continued to spread due to fierce, dry Santa Ana winds.
The first image was captured by NASA's Terra satellite at 2:25 p.m. EST on October 23, 2007. The second image was acquired by NASA's Aqua satellite at 5:40 p.m. EST, just over three hours later.
Image…
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: Tangled Bank, blog carnival
The 91st edition of my favorite blog carnival, Tangled Bank, is now available for your enjoyment. This blog carnival is devoted to linking the best blog essays about science, nature and medicine. The editor included two of my submissions, so you should go there to show them some support!
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: Carnival of the Feminists, blog carnival
The 46th edition of the Carnival of the Feminists is now available for you to read and learn from. In addition to all the other essays they linked to, I am pleased to say that the editor also included an essay that I wrote. So get on over there and give them some support!
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: oceans, shrimp farming, fish, streaming video
Gorgeous imagery of the planet's many oceans, interspersed with footage of humans overexpoiting them. Narrated by British actor Anthony May. Brought to you by GreenPeace [15:51]
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: cartoon, humor, cats, streaming video
Below the fold is an amusing streaming video. In this video, the mirror in the bathroom was replaced with a window pane, then a pair of identical twins stood in identical rooms opposite each other and proceed to prank everyone who walks in. Everyone, except the twins, have become vampires. The woman with glasses in the tan coat is especially hilarious [6:13].
grrlscientist | October 23, 2007tags: Black-necked weaver, Ploceus nigricollis, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Black-necked weaver, Ploceus nigricollis.
Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [Wallpaper size]
grrlscientist | October 23, 2007tags: microcosmos, sexy boy, snail sex, streaming video
This video shows some amazing footage of a variety of invertebrates as they go about their lives, including a snail sex scene. Footage: Microcosmos. "Sexy Boy" by Air sets the mood. (Safe for work) [4:58]
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: humor, cartoon, abortion, anti-choice, women, religion, blogging
Image: Jesus and Mo.
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: family life carnival, blog carnival
Is living with your family something like living at a carnival, you know, with the bearded woman and the sword-swallowing man? Well, you will probably enjoy the fall festival of the Carnival of Family Life, where they link to essays about well, um, family life. So go there and get in on the fun.
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: humor, cartoon, blogging
Image: Isabella Bannerman [slightly larger view].
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: Gene Genie, blog carnival
The 18th edition of Gene Genie is now available. This blog carnival links to essays about DNA technology. Interestingly, this carnival also includes a streaming video of the Personal Genomics (PG) Tips Chimp!
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: boxfish, fish, Image of the Day
This young boxfish was one of the specimens collected by a team of Filipino and US scientists during a survey of the Celebes Sea, Philippines, organised by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the National Geographic Society-led Inner Space Speciation Project (ISSP).
Image: WHOI/ISSP [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: books carnival, blog carnival
The 21 October issue of the Books Carnival is now available for you to read and enjoy. I am pleased to say that they included two pieces written by me!
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper right and lower left (upside down)), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (center; one bird is hanging upside down), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
Birds in Science
The ability to ramp up testosterone levels drives certain male sparrows to mate, but also makes them bad dads, a new study suggests. Researchers had thought that the total amount of testosterone might determine the…
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: cartoon, humor, cats, streaming video
Below the fold is an amusing video that shows you why cats are evil [1:26]
grrlscientist | October 21, 2007tags: Central Park turtles, reptiles, Image of the Day
Central Park Turtle performing the pencil pose.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [Wallpaper size]
The photographer writes: Here another practitioner demonstrates a position hitherto unknown to me. I bet you never saw it either. I will call it, appropriately enough, the Pencil Pose. The strategic placement of the yellow number two pencil is seemingly crucial to the performance of this pose though its precise purpose eludes me. If nothing else the yellow color brings a warmth to the visual enjoyment of the performance but…
grrlscientist | October 20, 2007tags: Central Park turtles, reptiles, Image of the Day
Central Park Turtle performing the Cat Stretch.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [Wallpaper size]
The photographer writes: After a few days of cool fall weather I found the Turtle Yoga classroom deserted for days. So I wondered if the recent warm spell would have a motivating effect on the Central Park Yoga enthusiasts. My investigation resulted in...Turtle Yoga: THE RETURN.
Experienced yoga enthusiasts of any species will immediately recognize this pose. It's a precisely performed version of a Cat Stretch. I wish my form were…