Posts

May 06, 2013

+

The past few weeks have been eventful. A lot is going on. Sometimes it feels a bit like I’m running in circles. First, it’s the end of the semester. Last Wednesday was the last day of classes, during which I … Continue reading →

May 05, 2013

+

8:22 PM | An expected journey

Well I’m back from my trip to the Tyrrell to do the research part of Project Daspletosaurus. I’ve had a great time and been extremely busy, but in addition, barely had any internet access or there would have been more blog posts. Now I have to claw my way through mountains of built up e-mails, [...]

+

8:01 PM | Strophodonta Brachiopod from Wisconsin

This is an updated posting of a fossil I have already listed. It is a Strophodonta brachiopod fossil found in the Milwaukee Formation of Wisconsin. It is from the Middle Devonian Period.The fossil has now been cleaned to reveal more of its detail including a coral colony (possibly some sort of Aulopora). The matrix was a little stubborn and it took some time to remove it. I think the canister was refilled three times before I finished working on it. Some the fossil may have […]

+

4:32 PM | Papers of the Week: 30.04 – 05.05.2013

Papers from this week. [OA] indicates open access, and all are discussable on request. General Interest, Important: Charles Darwin’s Mitochondria. [OA] After he came back from the Beagle voyage, Darwin never set foot on a boat again, and he became a sort of recluse, using a mysterious illness as an excuse to avoid excessive socialising. [...]

+

5:28 AM | Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An asaphid trilobite from the Middle Ordovician of the Leningrad Region, Russia

This weathered trilobite is nothing like the gorgeous specimens of this genus you can buy at various rock shops around the world and on the web, but it has sentimental value to me. I collected it on an epic field trip in Russia in 2009. We hacked our way through the woods to an exposure [...]

+

3:52 AM | Osteoderm Microstructure of “Rauisuchian” Archosaurs from South America

Cerda, I. A., J. B. Desojo, T. M. Scheyer and C. L. Schultz. In Press. Osteoderm microstructure of “rauisuchian” archosaurs from South America. Geobios (accepted manuscript) doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2013.01.004Abstract - In this contribution we analyze and discuss the microanatomy and histology of postcranial osteoderms of a number of “rauisuchians” from different localities of South America (Argentina and Brazil). The studied sample includes osteoderms of […]

May 04, 2013

+

9:44 PM | The opportunity cost of paywalled research

My eye was caught by this tweet: I'd like to read papers from #chi2013. But I won't $15 each to do so. So there's a bunch of conversations that will never happen…— Greg Wilson (@gvwilson) May 04, 2013 And I found myself wondering how often this scenario plays out around the world every day. How [...]

+

12:00 PM | Stink Bug – Chapter 7

I walked a few paces behind K’eel. He – she – kept looking back at me, fluttering her wings with each hop. The sounds of squawking and clucking floated toward me, growing louder with each step. The light of day … Continue reading →

+

3:48 AM | Provincialization of Terrestrial Faunas Following the End-Permian Mass Extinction.

Sidor, C. A., D. A. Vilhena, K. D. Angielczyk, A. K. Huttenlocker, S. J. Nesbitt, B. R. Peecook, J. S. Steyer, R. M. H. Smith, and L. A. Tsuji. 2013. Provincialization of terrestrial faunas following the end-Permian mass extinction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (advance online publication) doi: 10.1073/pnas.1302323110 Abstract - In addition to their devastating effects on global biodiversity, mass extinctions have had a long-term influence on the history of […]

May 03, 2013

+

1:53 PM | Reading List: Primary Endosymbiosis

This morning, I was tasked with leading an e-discussion session for a colleague’s MSc. botany course in the UK, by Skype. It lasted around 1.5 hours, the students were fairly hardy. Topic was primary endosymbiosis, which is the process of engulfing a bacterium and incorporating it into the cell, a process most famous for having [...]

+

12:00 PM | Friday Headlines: 5-3-13

Friday Headlines, May 3, 2013 THE LATEST IN THE GEOSCIENCES FIRST LAND ANIMALS KEPT FISHLIKE JAWS FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS, SAYS BIOLOGIST First, I want to clarify, that this refers to land vertebrates, not to land animals. There were most … Continue reading →

+

11:00 AM | Billowy-Pillowy

National Blog Posting Month – May 2013 – Comfort Prompt – Which would you rather have: a super-soft pillow or a warm, fuzzy blanket? —— Blankets are nice, but frankly I’d rather have a big, soft, cuddly, not-snoring, and not-covered-with-sneeze-inducing-hair, … Continue reading →

+

7:14 AM | Peer review does not mean we can trust a published paper

“The benefit of published work is that if they have passed the muster of peer review future researchers can have faith in the results”, writes a commenter at The Economist. Such statements are commonplace. I couldn’t disagree more. Nothing is more fatal to the scientific endeavour than having “faith” in a previously published result — [...]

May 02, 2013

+

8:44 PM | 59th Carnival of Evolution up at DNA Barcoding

Clicky here. Lots of interesting stuff, with a Dr. Who theme to boot. Reminds me of those times when I taught biology of fantasy and sci fi movies, except the cultureless students didn’t recognise most of the movies and series I was talking about. Anyway, my post on randomness in evolution is in there too, [...]

+

7:00 PM | Recognition and the Liebster Award

It seems I’ve been nominated for a “Liebster” Award. It’s a way to recognize new and less well-known blogs and help get them some exposure. The rules are simple: The rules have changed over the years, but it seems to … Continue reading →

+

5:44 PM | Social Media for Science Outreach – A Case Study: That social media thang

This was initially posted at: http://www.nature.com/spoton/2013/04/social-media-for-science-outreach-a-case-study-that-social-media-thang/ as part of a series of case studies exploring how academics use social media. Jon began university life as a geologist, following this with a treacherous leap into the life sciences with a course in biodiversity … Continue reading →

+

11:04 AM | Phenotypic Plasticity

Some organisms can change their appearance, physiology, and development in response to changes in the environment. This is called phenotypic plasticity, and some examples of phenotypically plastic organisms include the Junonia octavia butterflies described in my natural selection lecture, or water fleas that develop a spiny helmet in the presence of predators, as shown in [...]

+

11:00 AM | Senor Frog

National Blog Posting Month – May 2013 – Comfort Prompt – Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal now? —— One stuffed animal that frequently finds himself in bed with me is Biff, my stuffed bass. My mother made … Continue reading →

+

7:18 AM | What specimen is this — the reveal!

Yesterday I asked whether anyone could identify this specimen: There was an interesting range of suggestions, but I suppose no-one will be surprised to hear that Darren Naish was the first to make real progress, saying “Hey, that’s a loooong pelvis… I smell macropod.” From there it was a short leap to William Miller asking [...]

May 01, 2013

+

9:18 PM | How did sperm and egg evolve?

Sex comes at a large cost: a sexual female is only half as fertile as an asexual individual, because the sexual female has to divide her offspring into males and females. So when an asexual organism can produce 50 offspring capable of reproducing, the sexual one can only produce 25, since the males and females [...]

+

3:16 PM | Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie

Ceratopsia triumphant! The international trailer for Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie is here, giving us our first good look of what to expect. Pachyrhinosaurus takes center stage here, and among the supporting cast are mighty Edmontosaurs, feathered Troodons, and a few big nasty theropods. No Wittonesque shaggy coats or bristly bits on the Pachyrhinosaurs, but it's going to look mighty pretty. Guess I'll have to get over my aversion to 3D. I'm feeling pretty stoked. This is exactly the […]

+

2:34 PM | Reflections on the A to Z Blogging Challenge

In April, that just ended yesterday, I participated in the A to Z blogging challenge in which for 26 of the 30 days of April I prepared a blog post on a topic beginning with a different letter of the … Continue reading →

+

11:00 AM | Deppo-Deppo-Doo and Other Clever Songs

National Blog Posting Month – May 2013 – Comfort Prompt – Did you have a favourite stuffed animal or lovey as a child? Tell us about it. —— Did I have a favorite stuffed animal? Clearly a rhetorica question. He-he. … Continue reading →

+

9:00 AM | Episode 16: Multicellularity in cyanobacteria

One of the most significant events in Earth’s history has been the oxygenation of its atmosphere 2.45–2.32 billion years ago. This accumulation of molecular oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere was so significant that it is now commonly known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). The long-reaching effects of the GOE were literally world-changing; the compositions of the atmosphere and hydrosphere were altered,

+

8:08 AM | What specimen is this?

A quiz. What is this? Here it is in close-up: (Click through the pictures for full resolution.) Anyone know?

+

3:28 AM | Whenever I visit the Co-Op Bookshop...

Image courtesy of [...]

April 30, 2013

+

3:17 PM | Fluctuating selection, canalisation, and evolvability: Why macroevolution is not “microevolution writ large”

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say that macroevolution is just “microevolution writ large”; this is a common saying especially among the creationist-debunkers to counter the claim that microevolution happens but macroevolution doesn’t. It infuriates me to no end, particularly because one of my biggest research goals is to identify the factors [...]

+

1:59 PM | A Beautiful Day at Fern Valley

A large crowd of community members congregated on Saturday to show their appreciation for the donation of Fern Valley to The College of Wooster as its new field station. Betty and David (retired French Professor) Wilkin donated the tract of land located in northern Holmes County that includes a gorge and a stream (Wilkin Run [...]

+

11:00 AM | “Z” is for Zanycteris

“Z” is for Zanycteris This is it! The last Paleocene mammal of the month. One that starts with the letter “Z.” Zanycteris is a member of the Family Picrodontidae, which is in turn a member of the group of mammals … Continue reading →

+

10:30 AM | Kingena wacoensis Brachiopod

Here are some pictures of some Kingena (Waconella) wacoensis brachiopod fossils. These fossils were found in the Main Street Limestone of Denton County, Texas. They are dated to the Cretaceous Period.