Posts
March 21, 2013
+
3:57 PM | We're Moving!
I am excited to announce that TODAY Dog Spies has moved to the Scientific American Blog Network! Link to Dog Spies new home on Scientific AmericanMost importantly, the dogs have been notified. All of them. And they are okay with it. The reason the dogs are okay with it is that Scientific American has a vast network of blogs and bloggers who cover everything from the mind and the heart to literary psychology, and slime, slime molds and nanothingamabobs. Jesse Bering and Becky
[…]
+
SUMMARY: I am trying to learn the truth regarding a published piece that caused at least one reader to ask: "Is this really true??? If it is not true how can they get away with saying this???" This is what my two companion Congo African grey parrots think of the story I am responding to in this piece. Image: GrrlScientist, 29 January 2013. All rights reserved. Early this morning, I was suddenly jolted out of sleep deprivation after reading this... Read more
Melo M. & O’Ryan C. (2007). Genetic differentiation between Príncipe Island and mainland populations of the grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), and implications for conservation, Molecular Ecology, 16 (8) 1673-1685. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03128.x
Blackburn T.M., Harvey P.H. & Pagel M.D. (1990). Species Number, Population Density and Body Size Relationships in Natural Communities, The Journal of Animal Ecology, 59 (1) 335. DOI: 10.2307/5176
Citation
March 20, 2013
+
9:54 PM | Building on Experience
This move from my old site to the Scientific American network has also coincided with my own physical move from the UK to the USA to start some new research. Given this is the closing of a chapter of my life (or rather, my PhD thesis, which will now no doubt sit on a dusty [...]
+
6:50 PM | Link Stack
Lately, I came across some other interesting links, so I thought I’d share them here >> Test your patterns of unconscious thought (biases) = http://www.the-twist-project.eu/en/iat/intro/?embed >> ’10 tips when asking for a letter of recommendation’ by Chris Buddle >> Super sweet article … Continue reading →
+
It’s hard to feel strong and confident when asking for recommendation letters leaves you feeling like this. Photo by Jan Mehlich at Wikimedia.You’re applying to graduate schools and you’ve been fretting about your grades, your test scores, and your essays for months. And then you remember about the recommendation letters – How many did they want? Three?! Ugh… Why do they make people jump through these hoops, anyway? Turns out, the recommendation letters are a critical
[…]
+
Though it has been beautiful out in Raleigh recently, it got quite cold several times this winter. Coming as I did from several years of living in Arizona, I’m not used to cold, particularly cold with any sort of moisture … Continue reading →
March 18, 2013
+
Biodiversity matters when it comes to susceptibility to disease. A recent study shows a richer assortment of amphibians in a pond means more protection against the spread of a parasite that causes limb deformities. The findings support the long-held theory that biodiversity in an ecosystem dampens the spread of pathogens, and may also apply to [...]
+
In this bizarre video footage, a female Indo-Pacific dolphin is seen exhaling or leaking air from her left eye socket. In case you might not be familiar with dolphin anatomy, dolphins aren’t meant to breathe through their eyes. In your traditional dolphin body, there is only one connection from the lungs to the outside world, [...]
March 15, 2013
+
Hey Julie, All those conferences sound completely AMAZING! I love that both dog urine and poo are totally appropriate topics for us to discuss in our conversations. All the other scientists are so jealous right now!I hope you've been well since getting home again. We've just been through the longest heatwave ever recorded in Melbourne over the past fortnight (9 days over 30oC / 90oF in a row) and today it's finally cooled off, hooray! I haven't posted you the TimTams I promised you on
[…]
Fratkin J., Sinn D., Patall E. & Gosling S. (2013). Personality Consistency in Dogs: A Meta-Analysis., PloS One, 8 (1) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054907
Gosling S.D., Augustine A.A., Vazire S., Holtzman N. & Gaddis S. (2011). Manifestations of Personality in Online Social Networks: Self-Reported Facebook-Related Behaviors and Observable Profile Information, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14 (9) 483-488. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0087
Seligman M.E.P., Ernst R.M., Gillham J., Reivich K. & Linkins M. (2009). Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions, Oxford Review of Education, 35 (3) 293-311. DOI: 10.1080/03054980902934563
Citation
+
We all know that different breeds of dogs elicit different perceptions about their personalities from the general public: Border Collies are all “smart,” and Golden Retrievers are all “friendly.” These perceptions are sometimes based on facts that are generally true. Border Collies are indeed often clever, and many Golden Retrievers are extremely friendly. However, we all also know that, although, breed stereotypes often have some basis of truth in them, they are just as […]
+
1:56 PM | This Is What A Scientist Looks Like
This Is What A Scientist Looks Like = Check out this cool blog! claimtoken-5148618d024a2 Filed under: Miscellaneous Tagged: Links, Science
+
The Russian news agency that first broke the story of escaped killer dolphins (RIA Novosti) has, as of this morning, run an article suggesting that the news story is entirely bogus. According to the report, Ukrainian military officials traveled to the State Oceanarium and saw the supposedly “escaped” dolphins with their own eyes. The director [...]
March 14, 2013
+
Today’s date is 03/14 (that is, in the foolish countries that put the month number first), so it has become ‘Pi day‘. Few realise that it’s also Albert Einstein‘s birth date… and mine! To celebrate, I’ve decided to write about … Continue reading →
+
Every day we infer mental events from the behavior of others. We assume other people have minds and mental experiences that resemble our own and we use our understanding of mental processes to try to predict their behavior. This is known as having a theory of mind. In a new experiment, Eurasian jays pass a [...]
+
2:30 PM | Jays Know What a Girl (Jay) Wants
Eurasian jays pass a test of theory of mind, showing they understand that other birds have different desires and beliefs. Based on what they'd observed, male jays knew what food their mates would want.
read more
+
The killer Ukrainian dolphin story has now been declared a hoax by the media (e.g.,Salon, MSN, Outside). An initial news report from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti suggested that Ukrainian military dolphins, trained to attack enemy swimmers, swam away from their handlers and were roaming the Black Sea. This became an instant internet sensation, [...]
+
6:13 AM | An exciting announcement
A few months ago I was given the exciting offer of joining the team over at Scientific American on a new blog network, Scientific American MIND. From now on, all my articles will be over there at my new website. … Continue reading →
March 13, 2013
+
Do you dream about a career of studying animals? Image by freedigitalphotos.net.So you want to go to grad school to study animal behavior… Well join the club! It is a competitive world out there and this is an increasingly competitive field. But if every fiber of your being knows this is the path for you, then there is a way for you to follow that path. With hard work, dedication and persistence, you can join the ranks of today's animal biologists to pursue a career of trekking to wild places
[…]
+
1:34 PM | An Introduction
I remember a moment I had in high school where a friend of mine told me that she was going to become an animal behaviour scientist. I had a feeling of shock at the notion that this was actually a job. Growing up as many of us did watching David Attenborough reveal the wonders of [...]
+
Yesterday’s story about killer Ukrainian dolphins on the loose appears to have gone viral, with a handful of news agencies and blogs citing my blog entry as the basis for the story (e.g., The Atlantic, BoingBoing). It’s fun to hear folks at the Huffington Post Live mention my name (even if tainted with sarcasm – [...]
+
One of my coworkers, an archivist for the museum where I work, is super crafty and a wonderful cook. She works at the field station one day a week most weeks and brings delicious food to share. Sometimes it’s something … Continue reading →
March 12, 2013
+
10:23 PM | “The Etymology of Entomology”
“The Etymology of Entomology” This time I have a deadline and a presentation pending. So, sorry about the lack of original finks this evening. However, I will leave you in the capable hands of Dr George McGavin, who I have been fortunate enough to meet and whose fascination with all things creepy and crawly is [...]
+
9:11 PM | PhD position – Reindeer/Caribou Ecology
To start in September 2013 at the earliest. Financial support available for 3 years. In Robert B. Weladji’s lab at Concordia University, Canada. Project includes GPS data analysis and field work in northern Finland (man I’d love to go there…). … Continue reading →
+
12:35 PM | Killer Ukrainian dolphins on the loose
Uh oh – it seems the Ukrainian Navy has a small problem on their hands. After rebooting the Soviet Union’s marine mammal program just last year with the goal of teaching dolphins to find underwater mines and kill enemy divers, three of the Ukrainian military’s new recruits have gone AWOL. Apparently they swam away from [...]
March 11, 2013
+
9:20 PM | Why I conference
(Source)Hi Mia!Would you agree that you and I spend a lot of time researching and writing, two incredibly solitary activities?And given that we both have the social butterfly gene (I just got our DNA tests back, I’ll send you yours), conferences are incredibly important for our health and well-being; a time where we can run amok with people exuberant about the field of dog behavior, cognition and welfare.In some ways, conferences are akin to summer camp. Smores by the campfire become happy
[…]
Rice E.S., Silverman J. & Gordon D.M. (2013). Propagule Pressure and Climate Contribute to the Displacement of Linepithema humile by Pachycondyla chinensis, PLoS ONE, 8 (2) e56281. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056281.t002
Lisberg A.E. & Snowdon C.T. (2009). The effects of sex, gonadectomy and status on investigation patterns of unfamiliar conspecific urine in domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, Animal Behaviour, 77 (5) 1147-1154. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.12.033
Lisberg A.E. & Snowdon C.T. (2011). Effects of sex, social status and gonadectomy on countermarking by domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, Animal Behaviour, 81 (4) 757-764. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.01.006
Citation
+
2:31 AM | Why I’ve Been Gone
Hi everyone. Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything for over a week, but I had a reason for that. I got a call late last week that my dad was very sick and in the … Continue reading →
March 09, 2013
+
9:29 PM | Thinking of coatis
As the weather here, in the Geneva region, laboriously exits its I-don’t-care-I-want-to-be-cloudy stage, I attempt to escape it by dreaming of my past – a time when I could enjoy at least a little bit, sometimes a lot, of sunshine. … Continue reading →
March 08, 2013
+
11:08 PM | Response to New Topics Request
Seek and ye shall find. What a great list of topics that blog and Facebook readers came up with! There were over 100 topics suggested, many of them addressing excellent questions. For example: What does it mean if a dog greets other dogs with a high head and tail, and yet lets all the other dogs rule the roost? Why do dogs mount other dogs–is it really just about social status? Do dogs learn best through a particular sensory modality, given that people tend to ... Read the Rest
March 07, 2013
+
SUMMARY: how The Royal Society is helping me indulge my inner child and my passion for books Today is World Book Day so it seems like the proper time to tell you that I have been chosen as one of the judges for the Royal Society's Young People's science book prize. As a judge, my job is to read all the nominated books and to help my fellow judges choose the shortlist. This shortlist -- six out of the more... Read more
March 06, 2013
+
4:20 PM | Hey Hey! We’re The Monkeys!
A tamarin rock star (photographed by Ltshears at Wikimedia)Our moods change when we hear music, but not all music affects us the same way. Slow, soft, higher-pitched, melodic songs soothe us; upbeat classical music makes us more alert and active; and fast, harsh, lower-pitched, dissonant music can rev us up and stress us out. Why would certain sounds affect us in specific emotional ways? One possibility is because of an overlap between how we perceive music and how we perceive human
[…]
Snowdon, C. & Teie, D. (2009). Affective responses in tamarins elicited by species-specific music, Biology Letters, 6 (1) 30-32. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0593
Citation
