83 posts · 36,011 views
this blog covers evolution, ecology, animal behavior, genetics, ornithology, parrots and birds in general along with stories about other animals, mental illness, atheism and politics.
GrrlScientist
83 posts
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- March 12, 2010
- 12:59 PM
- 29 views
Gender-Bending Chickens: Mixed, Not Scrambled
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, evolutionary biology, gynandromorph, bilateral gynandromorph bird, half-sider, mixed-sex chimaera, sex determination, molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, endocrinology, birds, chicken, Gallus gallus, ornithology, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper, journal club
Half-sider.
Almost exactly one year ago, hundreds of American birders
were thrilled by sightings and photographs of this remarkable
Northern Cardinal, or Redbird, Cardinali........ Read more »
Zhao, D., McBride, D., Nandi, S., McQueen, H., McGrew, M., Hocking, P., Lewis, P., Sang, H., & Clinton, M. (2010) Somatic sex identity is cell autonomous in the chicken. Nature, 464(7286), 237-242. DOI: 10.1038/nature08852
- March 10, 2010
- 03:50 PM
- 40 views
Ancient DNA Isolated from Fossil Eggshells May Provide Clues to Eggstinction of Giant Birds
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, evolutionary biology, ancient DNA, aDNA, molecular biology, molecular ecology, archaeology, paleontology, fossil eggshell, extinct birds, giant moa, Dinornis robustus, elephant birds, Aepyornis maximus, Mullerornis, Thunderbirds, Genyornis, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper, journal club
Elephant bird, Aepyornis maximus, egg
compared to a human hand with a hummingbird egg balanced on a fingertip.
To conduct my avian research, I've isolated and........ Read more »
Charlotte L. Oskam, James Haile, Emma McLay, Paul Rigby, Morten E. Allentoft, Maia E. Olsen, Camilla Bengtsson, Gifford H. Miller, Jean-Luc Schwenninger, Chris Jacomb, Richard Walter, Alexander Baynes, Joe Dortch, Michael Parker-Pearson, M. Thomas P. Gilb. (2010) Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA. Proc. R. Soc. B. info:/10.1098/rspb.2009.2019
- February 12, 2010
- 02:30 PM
- 104 views
Faith-Based Birding 201: Fraudulent Photos and Federal Funding
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: faith-based birding, mass hysteria, endangered species, extinct species, conservation, politics, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Campephilus principalis, IBWO, ornithology, birds, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has posted a reward of $50,000
to be given to anyone who can provide "video, photographic, or
other compelling information and lead a project scientist to a
living wild Ivory-billed Woodpecker."
Mass hysteria is that........ Read more »
Dalton, R. (2010) Still looking for that woodpecker. Nature, 463(7282), 718-719. DOI: 10.1038/463718a
- February 8, 2010
- 03:10 PM
- 96 views
Racehorse Research Identifies Speed Gene
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, molecular biology, Thoroughbred race horses, horses, aerobic capacity, muscle development, myostatin, MSTN, myostatin-suppressing C variant, myostatin-suppressing T variant, Horse Genome Project, Equinome, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Emerging from the mist is Rachel Alexandra, a champion American Thoroughbred who excels at winning both long and short distance races.
Image: Rob Carr, 2009, Associated Press [larger view]
If you'........ Read more »
Hill, E., Gu, J., Eivers, S., Fonseca, R., McGivney, B., Govindarajan, P., Orr, N., Katz, L., & MacHugh, D. (2010) A Sequence Polymorphism in MSTN Predicts Sprinting Ability and Racing Stamina in Thoroughbred Horses. PLoS ONE, 5(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008645
- February 5, 2010
- 10:10 AM
- 131 views
Fossil Feather Colors Really ARE Written In Stone
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, paleontology, taphonomy, plumage color, feathers, color, melanin, eumelanin, phaeomelanin, dinosaurs, theropod, paravian, avialae, fossils, Anchiornis huxleyi, ornithology, birds, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
New research reveals that recently-described 155-million-year-old Anchiornis huxleyi,
a woodpecker-like dinosaur the size of a modern-day domesticated chicken,
had black-and-white spangled wings and a rusty red crown.
Image:........ Read more »
Li, Q., Gao, K., Vinther, J., Shawkey, M., Clarke, J., D'Alba, L., Meng, Q., Briggs, D., Miao, L., & Prum, R. (2010) Plumage Color Patterns of an Extinct Dinosaur. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1186290
Vinther, J., Briggs, D., Clarke, J., Mayr, G., & Prum, R. (2009) Structural coloration in a fossil feather. Biology Letters, 6(1), 128-131. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0524
- February 1, 2010
- 01:19 PM
- 115 views
Fetid Fish Revise Understanding of Fossil Formation
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, paleontology, fossils, fossilization, fossil forensics, Taphonomy, taxonomy, zoology, deep time, paleoceanography, amphioxus, Branchiostoma lanceolatum, lamprey, Lampetra fluviatilis, chordates, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Three rotting Amphioxus heads.
A sequence of images showing how the characteristic features of the body of amphioxus, a close living relative of vertebrates, change during decay. Colours are caused by interferen........ Read more »
Sansom, R., Gabbott, S., & Purnell, M. (2010) Non-random decay of chordate characters causes bias in fossil interpretation. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature08745
Donoghue, P., & Purnell, M. (2009) Distinguishing heat from light in debate over controversial fossils. BioEssays, 31(2), 178-189. DOI: 10.1002/bies.200800128
- January 30, 2010
- 02:45 PM
- 133 views
Newly Described Bird-like Dinosaur Predates Archaeopteryx by 63 Million Years
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, convergent evolution, paleontology, taxonomy, zoology, basal birds, theropods, dinosaurs, ornithology, birds, Alvarezsauroidea, Haplocheirus sollers, Maniraptora, Archaeopteryx, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
A Newly Discovered Basal Alvarezsauroid Theropod from the Early Late Jurassic.
Artwork: Portia Sloan [larger view]
DOI: 10.1126/science.1182143
A long-standing scientific debate focuses on the origins of birds: did they evo........ Read more »
Choiniere, J., Xu, X., Clark, J., Forster, C., Guo, Y., & Han, F. (2010) A Basal Alvarezsauroid Theropod from the Early Late Jurassic of Xinjiang, China. Science, 327(5965), 571-574. DOI: 10.1126/science.1182143
- January 28, 2010
- 02:39 PM
- 140 views
Orange Stripey Dinosaurs? Fossil Feathers Reveal Their Secret Colors
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, fossils, feathers, plumage color, color, dinosaurs, theropods, Sinosauropteryx, Sinornithosaurus, birds, Confuciusornis, melanosomes, phaeomelanosomes, eumelanosomes, keratinocytes, SEM, scanning electron microscopy, 10.1038/nature08740, bpr3.org/?p=52, peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Reconstruction of two Sinosauropteryx, sporting their orange and white striped tails.
Artwork by Chuang Zhao and Lida Xing [larger view]
DOI: 10.1038/nature08740
........ Read more »
Zhang, F., Kearns, S., Orr, P., Benton, M., Zhou, Z., Johnson, D., Xu, X., & Wang, X. (2010) Fossilized melanosomes and the colour of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature08740
- January 26, 2010
- 08:59 AM
- 155 views
Migratory Monarch Butterflies See Earth's GeoMagnetic Field
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, biochemistry, biophysics, magnetoreception, photochemical mechanism, cryptochromes, geomagnetic fields, butterflies, Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus, birds, migration, Cryptochrome, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, each weighing less than one gram (one US penny weighs 2.5 grams), migrate nearly 4000 kilometers (3000 miles) between their summer bree........ Read more »
Gegear, R., Foley, L., Casselman, A., & Reppert, S. (2010) Animal cryptochromes mediate magnetoreception by an unconventional photochemical mechanism. . Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature08719
- January 22, 2010
- 11:51 AM
- 173 views
Colorful Tits Produce Speedier Sperm
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, evolutionary biology, evolutionary ecology, plumage color,carotenoid-based colour, carotenoids, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, sperm motility, sperm quality, sperm velocity, birds, ornithology, Great Tit, Parus major, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Great Tit, Parus major.
Image: Luc Viatour, Creative Commons/Wikipedia [larger view]
In some species of birds, males are more brightly colored than females. This phenomenon is due to female ........ Read more »
Helfenstein, F., Losdat, S., Møller, A., Blount, J., & Richner, H. (2010) Sperm of colourful males are better protected against oxidative stress. Ecology Letters, 13(2), 213-222. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01419.x
- January 15, 2010
- 04:59 PM
- 183 views
Doing It For the Kids: The Evolution of Migration
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, life history, migration, long-distance migration,birds,ornithology,bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
White-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis, chicks on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada.
Image: Laura McKinnon [larger view]
I recently told you about research that used new microtechnology to document the incredible journey of Arctic Terns, a small bird species that annually migrates from its wintering area in Anta........ Read more »
McKinnon, L., Smith, P., Nol, E., Martin, J., Doyle, F., Abraham, K., Gilchrist, H., Morrison, R., & Bety, J. (2010) Lower Predation Risk for Migratory Birds at High Latitudes. Science, 327(5963), 326-327. DOI: 10.1126/science.1183010
- January 13, 2010
- 04:55 PM
- 154 views
Fly Me to the Moon: The Incredible Migratory Journey of the Arctic Tern
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, migration, microtechnology, geolocator, natural history, biological hotspots, longest migration, seabirds, Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea, Iceland.
Image: Arthur Morris, Birds as Art, 2007 [larger view].
Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens (handheld) with the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 200. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Manual ........ Read more »
Egevang, C., Stenhouse, I., Phillips, R., Petersen, A., Fox, J., & Silk, J. (2010) Tracking of Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea reveals longest animal migration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0909493107
- January 7, 2010
- 07:59 AM
- 202 views
Darwin's Finches Develop Immunity to Alien Parasites
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, immunology, immune response, antibodies, parasite, avian pox virus, Poxvirus avium, nest fly, Philornis downsi, birds, ornithology, Darwin's Finches, Medium Ground Finch, Geospiza fortis, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
A male Medium Ground Finch, Geospiza fortis, sits on a tree branch in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.
Image: Jen Koop.
People often view the Hawaiian islands as a tropical paradise, the ide........ Read more »
Huber, S., Owen, J., Koop, J., King, M., Grant, P., Grant, B., & Clayton, D. (2010) Ecoimmunity in Darwin's Finches: Invasive Parasites Trigger Acquired Immunity in the Medium Ground Finch (Geospiza fortis). PLoS ONE, 5(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008605
- June 2, 2009
- 09:09 PM
- 505 views
Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder: The Newest Mental Illness?
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Adaptation disorder, stress reaction, Adjustment disorder, Negative life events, psychology, behavior, psychiatry, peer-reviewed paper
[larger view]
In this economy, nearly everyone has experienced unemployment, bankrupture, foreclosure, divorce, or some combination thereof. But roughly 1-2% of these people become so stressed out by these losses that "they can barely function other than to ruminate about their circumsta........ Read more »
Linden, M. (2003) Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 72(4), 195-202. DOI: 10.1159/000070783
- April 5, 2009
- 10:06 PM
- 480 views
Human Eyes Speak Volumes to Birds
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: Eurasian Jackdaw, Corvus monedula, body language, behavior, peer-reviewed paper
Eurasian Jackdaw, Corvus monedula.
This is the smallest species of corvid (crows and ravens).
Image: Wikipedia [larger view].
Those of you who go birding will know what I am talking about when I say that birds are so capable of reading human body language that they know when we are looking at them, which frequently causes them to hide from our gaze. However, this capacity has never before been scientific........ Read more »
Auguste M.P. von Bayern, & Nathan J. Emery. (2009) Jackdaws Respond to Human Attentional States and Communicative Cues in Different Contexts. Current Biology, 19(7). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.02.062
- March 25, 2009
- 03:15 PM
- 548 views
Evolution of Squeaker Catfishes in Africa's Lake Tanganyika
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, speciation, species flocks, molecular phylogeny, behavioral ecology, Synodontis species, squeaker catfish, cuckoo catfish, Lake Tanganyika, peer-reviewed paper
False Cuckoo Catfish, also known as the Dwarf Lake Synodontis, Synodontis lucipinnis [Siluriformes: Mochokidae]. Endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Zambia.
Image: Destination Tanganyika [larger view].
One of the groups of fishes that I worked with as an aquarist for nearly my entire life are the synodontids, of........ Read more »
DAY, J., BILLS, R., & FRIEL, J. (2009) Lacustrine radiations in African Synodontis catfish . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22(4), 805-817. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01691.x
- March 22, 2009
- 09:52 PM
- 550 views
Genetic Compatibility Drives Mate Choice in Gouldian Finches
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolutionary biology, mate choice, sex determination, genetic compatibility, behavioral ecology, Gouldian Finch, Erythrura gouldiae, peer-reviewed paper
Image: Sarah Pryke, Macquarie University.
People often worry that our increasing medical and technological prowess will allow humans to routinely choose the sex of our babies, along with a suite of other characteristics. But according to a remarkable and elegant new study, female Gouldian finches, Erythrura gouldiae, have long been choos........ Read more »
Pryke, S., & Griffith, S. (2009) Genetic Incompatibility Drives Sex Allocation and Maternal Investment in a Polymorphic Finch. Science, 323(5921), 1605-1607. DOI: 10.1126/science.1168928
- January 27, 2009
- 03:09 PM
- 675 views
Meet the Great Speciators: The White-Eyes
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, speciation, diversification rate, Zosterops, White-eyes, ornithology, birds, molecular phylogeny, South Pacific Islands
The Splendid (Ranongga) White-eye, Zosterops splendidus,
endemic to Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago.
This species' home range is smaller than Manhattan Island.
Image: Chris Filardi [larger view].
For many decades, the white-eyes (Family: Zosteropidae) were known as the "Great Speciators" in honor of their apparent ability to rapidly g........ Read more »
Robert G. Moyle, Christopher E. Filardi, Catherine E. Smith, & Jared Diamond. (2009) Explosive Pleistocene diversification and hemispheric expansion of a ‘‘great speciator’’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(4).
- December 24, 2008
- 01:58 PM
- 643 views
What Parrots Tell us About the Origin and Evolution of Birds
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: parrots, Psittaciformes, evolution, molecular phylogeny, ornithology, Neornithes
Red-crowned Amazon parrot, Amazona viridigenalis, at Elizabeth Street Parrotry, Brownsville, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
One of the most contentious issues among scientists who study the evolution of birds is identifying precisely when the modern birds (Neornithes) first appeared. Thi........ Read more »
T. F. Wright, E. E. Schirtzinger, T. Matsumoto, J. R. Eberhard, G. R. Graves, J. J. Sanchez, S. Capelli, H. Muller, J. Scharpegge, G. K. Chambers.... (2008) A Multilocus Molecular Phylogeny of the Parrots (Psittaciformes): Support for a Gondwanan Origin during the Cretaceous. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25(10), 2141-2156. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msn160
- December 19, 2008
- 03:55 PM
- 634 views
Dinosaurs: A Bunch of Mister Moms
by GrrlScientist in Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
tags: evolution, behavioral ecology, parental care, egg incubation, dinosaurs, birds
The Oviraptorid dinosaur, Citipati osmolskae,
on a nest of eggs that was unearthed in the Gobi desert
of Mongolia by the American Museum of Natural History.
Image: Mick Ellison, American Museum of Natural History.
Oviraptors ("egg seizer") were given their name because their fossil remains were first discovered on top of a pile of eggs. Because of their close proximity to clutches of dinosaur eggs, it w........ Read more »
D. J. Varricchio, J. R. Moore, G. M. Erickson, M. A. Norell, F. D. Jackson, & J. J. Borkowski. (2008) Avian Paternal Care Had Dinosaur Origin. Science, 322(5909), 1826-1828. DOI: 10.1126/science.1163245
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