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The Genetic literacy project continues to publish well-informed, science-based articles about plant genetics and farming. Here ist he latest: Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study | Genetic Literacy Project.
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Yesterday I got a call from the outside world but I said no in thunder. I was a dog on a short chain and now there’s no chain.–Jim Harrison (from “Barking”) This won’t be big news to you, but some people have dogs, in their houses. Dogs are domesticated wolves. They are wolves capable of spending long days inside on designer pillows, wolves often dressed in ridiculous outfits, wolves in civilization’s trampy clothing. They are no longer wild, yet capable, as anyone […]
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A new book from Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner tells the disheartening story of our country's ongoing failure to fully protect children from lead poisoning
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A few of us have started a Decision Theory journal club where we plan on reading papers from a variety of fields that examine how decisions are made. We have people from neuroscience, economics, and cognitive science participating (so far), including people participating through Google+ hangouts!, which will hopefully make lead to some productive discussions. […]
Brunton, B., Botvinick, M. & Brody, C. (2013). Rats and Humans Can Optimally Accumulate Evidence for Decision-Making, Science, 340 (6128) 95-98. DOI: 10.1126/science.1233912
Znamenskiy, P. & Zador, A. (2013). Corticostriatal neurons in auditory cortex drive decisions during auditory discrimination, Nature, 497 (7450) 482-485. DOI: 10.1038/nature12077
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2013 is the 40th anniversary of two important moments in wildlife conservation history. In 1973, Congress enacted and President Nixon sign into law the Endangered Species Act. The ESA has become the U.S.A.’s most important wildlife conservation law, helping rescue … Continue reading →
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Note: This is a Guest Post by Jim Godwin. Jim has spent decades working outside and conducting studies on the natural history and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. He has countless stories. I'm trying to convince him to contribute to this blog regularly; please help me encourage him in the Comments.
I have had a life-long interest in amphibians and reptiles
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A delightful partnership of science, poetry, photography and insects, this informative and witty book is an excellent introduction to common British minibeasts, intended especially for young naturalists. How can you introduce a young child to insects and give them a lifelong appreciation and respect for these important creatures? I think Anneliese Emmans Dean has found an appealing formula in her lovely children's book, Buzzing!: discover the poetry in garden minibeasts [Brambleby Books Ltd.,
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Did you know that today (May 22) is the International Day for Biological Diversity? To celebrate this holiday, we’re sharing a recent conversation we had with Dr. Julie Urban, our friend, collaborator and assistant director of the Genomics & Microbiology Lab at the Nature Research Center at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Julie studies the diversity of not one, but two of our favorite types of organisms: insects and bacteria! I sat down with Julie right before she jetted off on a […]
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The latest Plantwise newsletter is here. Click ‘Read more’ to find out about the launch of Plantwise in Ghana, discussions on greater collaboration between CABI and agricultural stakeholders in Myanmar, support for Plantwise from the European Union, and developments in the Knowledge Bank. Visit www.plantwise.org for more information. Filed under: Agriculture, Extension, Plant clinics Tagged: […]
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In a recent article in GRL, Emerging selection bias in large-scale climate change simulations, Kyle L. Swanson describes how experiments might go wrong as we seek a desired solution. He hypothesise a common wish to reproduce the recent warming in the Arctic, has lead to less diversity among models with convergence towards some common solution. [...]
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Join the Poo Crew as they guide you through time in this craptastic and pissarific children's book that tells you about the many amazing uses for poo and wee!After relocating to Germany, I was initially intrigued, then amused, by The Shelf that is built into many German toilets. This shelf is designed so Germans can carefully inspect their fæces before flushing. What are they looking for? I wondered. Let's face it, most people -- children and quite a few adults, too -- are fascinated by
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Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including farmers abandoning rice crops due to poor returns, crops in Bangladesh destroyed by a cyclone and trading conflict for coffee in Democratic Republic of Congo. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news! Genomics Reveals Great Famine Culprit Scientific […]
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Unmanned vehicles bring in the data By Liza Lester, ESA communications officer Earlier this month, a couple of environmental scientists from NOAA and WWF turned up at a symposium on drones in company with journalists, law & order types, engineers, gearheads and think tank fellows. The scientists were on the pro-drone docket. Drones can [...]
