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- October 5, 2011
- 10:39 PM
- 251 views
A Moral Gene?
by Christie Wilcox in Science Sushi
If our moral psychology is a Darwinian adaptation, what does that say about human nature? About social policy, which always presupposes something about human nature? About morality itself? - Steven Pinker Morality is often considered to be the domain of philosophers, not biologists. But scientists have often wondered what role our genomes play in directing [...]
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Marsh, A., Crowe, S., Yu, H., Gorodetsky, E., Goldman, D., & Blair, R. (2011) Serotonin Transporter Genotype (5-HTTLPR) Predicts Utilitarian Moral Judgments. PLoS ONE, 6(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025148
- October 3, 2011
- 08:03 PM
- 200 views
Observations: Reverse Bestiality
by Christie Wilcox in Science Sushi
The submissions are now in for The Open Laboratory 2011, an anthology of the best science blogging of the year. There are 721 great science posts in the chase for 52 slots in the anthology! I’m more than flattered that four of my posts were nominated. Three of them are already here on the Scientific [...]
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Brian Bowen. (2007) Sexual Harassment By A Male Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Marine Turtle Newsletter, 10. info:/
- September 16, 2011
- 02:18 PM
- 404 views
Observations: Why do women cry? Obviously, it’s so they don’t get laid.
by Christie Wilcox in Science Sushi
This week, a paper came out looking at testosterone levels in fathers. A whirlwind of poor journalism followed, which was beautifully smacked down by William Saletan over at Slate (aslo: see this great post on the topic by our very own Kate Clancy). But it reminded me of a similar kerfluffle that occurred this past [...]
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Gelstein, S., Yeshurun, Y., Rozenkrantz, L., Shushan, S., Frumin, I., Roth, Y., & Sobel, N. (2011) Human Tears Contain a Chemosignal. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1198331
Haga S, Hattori T, Sato T, Sato K, Matsuda S, Kobayakawa R, Sakano H, Yoshihara Y, Kikusui T, & Touhara K. (2010) The male mouse pheromone ESP1 enhances female sexual receptive behaviour through a specific vomeronasal receptor. Nature, 466(7302), 118-22. PMID: 20596023
Fleming, A. (2002) Testosterone and Prolactin Are Associated with Emotional Responses to Infant Cries in New Fathers. Hormones and Behavior, 42(4), 399-413. DOI: 10.1006/hbeh.2002.1840
Storey AE, Walsh CJ, Quinton RL, & Wynne-Edwards KE. (2000) Hormonal correlates of paternal responsiveness in new and expectant fathers. Evolution and human behavior : official journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 21(2), 79-95. PMID: 10785345
Burnham, T. (2003) Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone. Hormones and Behavior, 44(2), 119-122. DOI: 10.1016/S0018-506X(03)00125-9
Zak, P., Kurzban, R., Ahmadi, S., Swerdloff, R., Park, J., Efremidze, L., Redwine, K., Morgan, K., & Matzner, W. (2009) Testosterone Administration Decreases Generosity in the Ultimatum Game. PLoS ONE, 4(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008330
HERMANS, E., PUTMAN, P., & VANHONK, J. (2006) Testosterone administration reduces empathetic behavior: A facial mimicry study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31(7), 859-866. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.04.002
- September 1, 2011
- 12:00 PM
- 241 views
Mythbusting 101: Sharks will cure cancer
by Christie Wilcox in Science Sushi
Sharks are incredible animals. They’re some of the world’s most well known creatures, popular enough to get entire weeks of television dedicated to them. They hold a special place in our hearts and minds. Whether you fear them or love them, or a bit of both, they’ve dominated our oceans for hundreds of millions of [...]
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Brem H, & Folkman J. (1975) Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis mediated by cartilage. . J Exp Med, 427-439. DOI: 10.1084/jem.141.2.427
Langer R, & et al. (1976) Isolations of a cartilage factor that inhibits tumor neovascularization. Science, 70-72. DOI: 10.1126/science.935859
Lee A, & Langer R. (1983) Shark cartilage contains inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis. Science, 1185-1187. DOI: 10.1126/science.6193581
Luer CA, & Luer WH. (1982) Acute and chronic exposure of nurse sharks to aflatoxin B1. Federal Proceedings, 925. info:/
Horsman MR, Alsner J, & Overgaard J. (1998) The effect of shark cartilage extracts on the growth and metastatic spread of the SCCVII carcinoma. Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden), 37(5), 441-5. PMID: 9831372
Miller DR, Anderson GT, Stark JJ, Granick JL, & Richardson D. (1998) Phase I/II trial of the safety and efficacy of shark cartilage in the treatment of advanced cancer. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 16(11), 3649-55. PMID: 9817287
Loprinzi CL, Levitt R, Barton DL, Sloan JA, Atherton PJ, Smith DJ, Dakhil SR, Moore DF Jr, Krook JE, Rowland KM Jr.... (2005) Evaluation of shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial. Cancer, 104(1), 176-82. PMID: 15912493
Lu C, Lee JJ, Komaki R, Herbst RS, Feng L, Evans WK, Choy H, Desjardins P, Esparaz BT, Truong MT.... (2010) Chemoradiotherapy with or without AE-941 in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase III trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 102(12), 859-65. PMID: 20505152
Vickers, A. (2004) Alternative cancer cures: "unproven" or "disproven"?. CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, 110-118. DOI: 10.3322/canjclin.54.2.110
Ostrander GK, Cheng KC, Wolf JC, & Wolfe MJ. (2004) Shark cartilage, cancer and the growing threat of pseudoscience. Cancer research, 64(23), 8485-91. PMID: 15574750
- July 18, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 253 views
Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture
by Christie Wilcox in Science Sushi
People believe a lot of things that we have little to no evidence for, like that vikings wore horned helmets or that you can see the Great Wall of China from space. One of the things I like to do on my blogs is bust commonly held myths that I think matter. For example, I [...]
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Gold, L., Slone, T., Stern, B., Manley, N., & Ames, B. (1992) Rodent carcinogens: setting priorities. Science, 258(5080), 261-265. DOI: 10.1126/science.1411524
Caboni, P., Sherer, T., Zhang, N., Taylor, G., Na, H., Greenamyre, J., & Casida, J. (2004) Rotenone, Deguelin, Their Metabolites, and the Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 17(11), 1540-1548. DOI: 10.1021/tx049867r
Bahlai, C., Xue, Y., McCreary, C., Schaafsma, A., & Hallett, R. (2010) Choosing Organic Pesticides over Synthetic Pesticides May Not Effectively Mitigate Environmental Risk in Soybeans. PLoS ONE, 5(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011250
Mukherjee A, Speh D, Dyck E, & Diez-Gonzalez F. (2004) Preharvest evaluation of coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in organic and conventional produce grown by Minnesota farmers. Journal of food protection, 67(5), 894-900. PMID: 15151224
Dangour, A., Lock, K., Hayter, A., Aikenhead, A., Allen, E., & Uauy, R. (2010) Nutrition-related health effects of organic foods: a systematic review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(1), 203-210. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29269
Rosen, J. (2010) A Review of the Nutrition Claims Made by Proponents of Organic Food. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 9(3), 270-277. DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2010.00108.x
Fillion, L., & Arazi, S. (2002) Does organic food taste better? A claim substantiation approach. Nutrition , 32(4), 153-157. DOI: 10.1108/00346650210436262
Mader, P. (2002) Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming. Science, 296(5573), 1694-1697. DOI: 10.1126/science.1071148
Fedoroff, N. (1999) Plants and population: Is there time?. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 96(11), 5903-5907. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.11.5903
Basker, D. (2009) Comparison of taste quality between organically and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 7(03), 129. DOI: 10.1017/S0889189300004641
- June 13, 2011
- 09:47 PM
- 795 views
Alien Invasions: Do They Deserve Their Bad Rep?
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Recently, in a post titled "Ecologists: Time to End Invasive-Species Persecution", Brandon Keim discussed a comment published in Nature which argued that the ecological community unfairly vilifies the various plants and animals we've transported around the globe. In some sense, the authors are right, at least as far as saying that not all alien species should be considered bad or needing removal.
Straight from the beginning, though, the authors attack a dichotomy that doesn't exist. They write that a "native-versus-alien species dichotomy" is counterproductive, and that new, pragmatic approaches are needed. This makes it sound like scientists and managers label every plant or animal as A or B, and those in A are allowed to stay and those in B are eradicated. To an ecologist, though, there is no "dichotomy" - there are a range of labels that apply to a variety of situations. Specifically, there is already a strong distinction between invasive species and introduced, non-native or alien species - not to mention game species, fisheries species, etc.
I don't know of a single removal program that seeks to eradicate every species in an area that wasn't there 100 years ago. Removal programs don't target all "non-natives" - they target invasives.
Invasive species get their own category, as well they should. They are specifically defined by the US government as "alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health." Almost half of the threatened and endangered species are at risk due to the impacts of invasive species. In the US alone, invasive species cause an estimated $140 billion dollars in environmental damages and losses every year1.
Take the species I study: lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles). Lionfish were first sighted in the Atlantic in the late 1990s. In the past decade, they have become ubiquitous from Brazil to New York. They're a classic invasive species: they grow quickly, breed year round, have no natural predators or diseases in their invasive range, and they are causing serious ecological damage. Studies have found they reduce the recruitment of larval fishes by 79% on average2, and they are causing a shift from coral dominated to algal dominated ecosystems3. The lionfish hardly stand alone. Hundreds of species from rats and mice to cane toads cause serious damage to ecosystems on a daily basis.
So do we over-vilify invasive species? No, we don't.
The debate about invasive species really hits home in Hawaii, where 25% (maybe more) of the local flora and fauna aren't just native, they're endemic, which means they are found nowhere else in the world. It's estimated that somewhere around 25 new species are introduced to Hawaii every year, but thankfully, most of these do not become invasive. Indeed, of the 13,000 or so species of plants that have been introduced to Hawaii, only about 1% are considered invasive. Those that are deserve the title and the removal efforts that tend to go with it. When invasive species take over natural habitats in Hawaii, they very directly and quickly drive species towards extinction. Not surprisingly, Hawaii has a number of invasive species removal programs targeting species that are or might be a problem.
I couldn't believe the authors chose to picture Miconia (Miconia calvescens) removal in Hawaii as their lead image, especially since they then didn't even bother to talk about it. Yes, a lot of effort is spent preventing the spread of Miconia in Hawaii, but it's for damn good reason - all Hawaiian biologists and managers need to do is take a look at Tahiti, where it's referred to as "green cancer". A single Miconia was introduced to Tahiti in 1937. Within a half a century, the plant took over. By the 1990s, the plant had spread to 70% of the island's forested areas, over a third of which were near monotypic, meaning the Miconia had out-competed and overrun all the other native species of trees4.
On Oahu, Miconia has not had that kind of impact because we have actively prevented it. If we were to stop these removal efforts, there is little doubt that Miconia would spread. One study estimated that it would take less than a century for Micona to take over Oahu like is has Tahiti5. That study also estimated what would happen if we stopped control efforts for the next 40 years; the cost of doing nothing, based on loss of native habitat and species, changes in watershed properties, and other ecosystem damages would be $627 million.
This is the species that Davis and his colleagues chose as the front image for saying we unnecessarily persecute non-native species?
But, of course, the authors don't talk about Miconia, or any of the removal programs in Hawaii. They instead cherry-pick their examples, cite their own work, and ignore the vast majority of the science from the past ten years which supports invasive species management.
I wouldn't be so bothered by this short essay, except that more than ever, management programs need to be supported. If only the authors' claim that there is "a pervasive bias against alien species that has been embraced by the public, conservationists, land managers and policy-makers" were true. But sadly, many politicians and people just don't care. Just earlier today, my grandfather was watching a Fox News segment called "The Money Hole", in which John Stossel started ranting and raving about all the ways in which the US wastes tax payer money. One of his examples? The $500,000 spent on removing brown tree snakes from Guam - one of the nastiest invasive species around, responsible for the extinction of ten out of the twelve native bird species that once lived there as well as a slew of other damages.
I'm actually shocked this paper was published by Nature. I'm even more shocked such an essay wasn't peer-reviewed and the authors were paid for it. Of course, I generally would find it hard to trust an essay where the vast majority of the cited papers are written by the coauthors, and those that aren't are outdated by a decade. How can they deride the management plans currently in use when they don't actually evaluate the current efforts?
By dishing out blanket criticisms towards all invasive management programs, the authors provide fuel to the fire of those who attack environmental work on a daily basis. Conservation programs and scientific agencies which study the practicality, necessity, and effectiveness of them are already first on the chopping block when budgets are cut. They're struggling for funding in these harsh economic times, and articles like this one only seek to unfairly undermine their credibility when they need it most.
Comment in Question: Davis, M., Chew, M., Hobbs, R., Lugo, A., Ewel, J., Vermeij, G., Brown, J., Rosenzweig, M., Gardener, M., Carroll, S., Thompson, K., Pickett, S., Stromberg, J., Tredici, P., Suding, K., Ehrenfeld, J., Philip Grime, J., Mascaro, J., & Briggs, J. (2011). Don't judge species on their origins Nature, 474 (7350), 153-154 DOI: 10.1038/474153a
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Davis, M., Chew, M., Hobbs, R., Lugo, A., Ewel, J., Vermeij, G., Brown, J., Rosenzweig, M., Gardener, M., Carroll, S.... (2011) Don't judge species on their origins. Nature, 474(7350), 153-154. DOI: 10.1038/474153a
PIMENTEL, D., ZUNIGA, R., & MORRISON, D. (2004) Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States. Ecological Economics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.10.002
Albins, M., & Hixon, M. (2008) Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans reduce recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 233-238. DOI: 10.3354/meps07620
Lesser, M., & Slattery, M. (2011) Phase shift to algal dominated communities at mesophotic depths associated with lionfish (Pterois volitans) invasion on a Bahamian coral reef. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-0005-z
Meyer, J., & Florence, J. (1996) Tahiti's native flora endangered by the invasion of Miconia calvescens DC. (Melastomataceae). Journal of Biogeography, 23(6), 775-781. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.1996.tb00038.x
Kimberly M. Burnett, Brooks A Kaiser, & James Roumasset. (2007) Invasive Species Control over Space and Time: Miconia calvescens on Oahu, Hawaii. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics,. info:/
- June 9, 2011
- 03:21 PM
- 694 views
From the Archives: Reflections on the Gulf Oil Spill - Conversations With My Grandpa
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
If you didn't already know because, by chance, you missed my tweets, posts, and facebook updates, there is a science blogging contest going on RIGHT NOW. The 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Prize is currently narrowing down the top 20 posts from 87 nominees. To get through the gauntlet, a post has to get enough votes. Rather than remind you again to vote for Observations of a Nerd, I figured I'd show you why you should. Over the next 24 hours, I'll be reposting the three posts in the competition in case you missed them the first time. If you like them, and haven't already, cast your vote!
Oil supplies the United States with approximately 40% of its energy needs. Billions upon billions of gallons are pumped out of our wells, brought in from other countries, and shipped around to refineries all over the states. 1.3 million gallons of petroleum are spilled into U.S. waters from vessels and pipelines in a typical year. Yes, it would be great if we never spilled a drop of oil. No matter how hard we may try, though, the fact is that nobody is perfect, and oil spills are an inevitable consequence of our widespread use of oil. The question is, once the oil is out there, how do we clean it up?
Nowehere is this issue more glaring than in the Gulf of Mexico right now, where 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil are spewing out of the remains of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig every day. The spill has enraged an entire nation. But perhaps my grandfather put it best, when I asked him what he thought about how BP and the US is responding to the spill.
"They're friggin' idiots." Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
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Jonathan L. Ramseur. (2010) Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service , 7-5700 (RL33705). info:/
Paine, R., Ruesink, J., Sun, A., Soulanille, E., Wonham, M., Harley, C., Brumbaugh, D., & Secord, D. (1996) TROUBLE ON OILED WATERS: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 27(1), 197-235. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.27.1.197
SWEDMARK, M., GRANMO, A., & KOLLBERG, S. (1973) Effects of oil dispersants and oil emulsions on marine animals. Water Research, 7(11), 1649-1672. DOI: 10.1016/0043-1354(73)90134-6
- May 11, 2011
- 03:56 PM
- 947 views
Can we overfish the lionfish?
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Lionfish are one of my favorite animals (I study them, after all). They're stunningly beautiful. Of course, they're also a devastating invasive species. Though they've only been in the Atlantic Ocean for some 15 years or so, they've taken over reefs, eating everything in their path. They've been found to reduce the recruitment of native fish by 79% on average, and are occurring in densities 8 times higher than in their native range. To say they're bad is an understatement. The damage is so severe that they were listed as one of the top 15 threats to global biodiversity in 2010.
There's little hope that the reefs will adjust to their newest members on their own. Lionfish are armed with an array of venomous spines, and aren't known to have natural predators even in their native range. They spawn year round, producing millions of eggs each time. Estimates place the founding population in the Atlantic below 10 individuals; now, you can find that many on a single head of coral in the Bahamas. Though they've been invasive for less than two decades, the lionfish are already having ecosystem-level effects. The local reefs simply don't have time to figure things out for themselves.
So it's up to us to combat this invasion. Already, areas with high infestation rates like the Bahamas have launched a full-on assault. The goal: kill them. Every one of them. Period. So-called 'lionfish derbies' can round up thousands in an afternoon, and local communities have begun trying to eat the lionfish out of their reefs by promoting them as a delicacy. But the big question is, is such a plan going to work? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
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Barbour, A., Allen, M., Frazer, T., & Sherman, K. (2011) Evaluating the Potential Efficacy of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Removals. PLoS ONE, 6(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019666
- March 28, 2011
- 12:18 PM
- 981 views
Is Bigger Really Better?
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
I have to confess, when I saw a global map of average penis size flying around twitter, I was like a eighth grade boy finding his first nudie magazine - I couldn't help but take a peek. After a brief heart attack (it's in cm, not inches), my inner scientist started asking silly questions. You know, the kind of things that would only occur to a scientist when looking at a map of penis size like, "is this just a stochastic distribution?" "is there any reason why this pattern would occur?" and of course, "does penis size even matter from an evolutionary perspective?!"
Turns out that inner scientist of mine is quite the nag. I couldn't get through the weekend without investigating her questions a little bit, just to shut her up.
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
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Lever, J., Frederick, D., & Peplau, L. (2006) Does Size Matter? Men's and Women's Views on Penis Size Across the Lifespan. Psychology of Men , 7(3), 129-143. DOI: 10.1037/1524-9220.7.3.129
Francken, A. (2002) What Importance Do Women Attribute to the Size of the Penis?. European Urology, 42(5), 426-431. DOI: 10.1016/S0302-2838(02)00396-2
Dixson, B., Dixson, A., Li, B., & Anderson, M. (2007) Studies of human physique and sexual attractiveness: Sexual preferences of men and women in China. American Journal of Human Biology, 19(1), 88-95. DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20584
Štulhofer, A. (2006) How (Un)Important Is Penis Size for Women with Heterosexual Experience?. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35(1), 5-6. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-006-8989-7
Eisenman, R. (2001) Penis size: Survey of female perceptions of sexual satisfaction. BMC Women's Health, 1(1), 1. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6874-1-1
Gallup, G. (2003) The human penis as a semen displacement device. Evolution and Human Behavior, 24(4), 277-289. DOI: 10.1016/S1090-5138(03)00016-3
Ponchietti R, Mondaini N, Bonafè M, Di Loro F, Biscioni S, & Masieri L. (2001) Penile length and circumference: a study on 3,300 young Italian males. European urology, 39(2), 183-6. PMID: 11223678
- February 3, 2011
- 10:54 AM
- 840 views
So that's why Flipper asked for pineapples...
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Peta recently stirred up quite a lot of controversy with their banned superbowl ad claiming that "studies have shown that vegetarians are better lovers." Of course, no such research exists, but somehow in trying find where that came from (no pun intended) I ended up in a twitter conversation about diet and sex. Anyhow, to make a long story short, after several converstaional tangents I found myself sifting through the scientific literature for anything containing "taste" and "semen."*
Sorry, folks: there's no scientific study of the effects of diet of human semen flavor. But what I did find was one obscure study, published in 1985 with the innocuous title "Chemoreceptively active compounds in secretions, excretions and tissue extracts of marine mammals." In it, the scientists explain that they sought to determine if there are compounds in dolphin semen that one "may be capable of tasting." Their abstract indicates success, as they found 22 compounds that "can be detected gustatorily... by humans."
I simply had to find out what they meant. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
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CERUTI, M., FENNESSEY, P., & TJOA, S. (1985) Chemoreceptively active compounds in secretions, excretions and tissue extracts of marine mammals. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, 82(3), 505-514. DOI: 10.1016/0300-9629(85)90424-4
Owen, D. (2005) A Review of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Human Semen and the Formulation of a Semen Simulant. Journal of Andrology, 26(4), 459-469. DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.04104
Moule, G., Braden, A., & Mattner, P. (1966) Effects of season, nutrition and hormone treatment on the fructose content of ram semen. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 17(6), 923. DOI: 10.1071/AR9660923
- January 28, 2011
- 05:33 AM
- 588 views
Reverse Bestiality: When Animals Commit Sexual Assault
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Sexual assault is no laughing matter - unless, of course, the would-be rapist isn't human. Who doesn't giggle when they see a small dog humping someone's leg? But what many people don't realize is that reverse bestiality - where an animal makes unwanted sexual advances on a person - is a true problem for scientists working in the field where the actions of wild animals are completely unpredictable.... Read more »
Brian Bowen. (2007) Sexual Harassment By A Male Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Marine Turtle Newsletter, 10. info:/
- January 27, 2011
- 01:28 PM
- 745 views
Citrus call for backup to fight root-destroying pests
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Citrus fruits are delicious. Their delicate balance of sweetness and tartness is a biochemical masterpiece. It's no wonder that they, of all nature's tasty options, are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade, with over 105 million tons produced annually. But these tempting produce face a persistant villain that seeks to destroy their roots; a menace known, cleverly, as the citrus root weevil.
The weevil's grubby larvae feed like maggots on the vital roots of citrus plants. Native to the Caribbean, this crop-destroying pest wreaks havoc on citrus farms in Florida and California, causing approximately $70 million in damage annually in the US. Farmers have tried a variety of control methods, including ants, parasitic wasps, and even a virus, but they simply don't keep up with the birth rate of the pesky weevils. A female weevil can lay up to 5,000 eggs at a time, each of which burrows into the roots of its host plant, depriving it of water and nutrients and making it vulnerable to infection by deadly fungi.
But the citrus plants don't just sit idly and allow the weevil larvae to eat their tender roots: they call for backup, emitting chemical signals that attract weevil larvae-killing nematodes. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
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Ali, J., Alborn, H., & Stelinski, L. (2010) Subterranean Herbivore-induced Volatiles Released by Citrus Roots upon Feeding by Diaprepes abbreviatus Recruit Entomopathogenic Nematodes. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 36(4), 361-368. DOI: 10.1007/s10886-010-9773-7
- January 8, 2011
- 09:59 AM
- 672 views
Why do women cry? Obviously, it's so they don't get laid.
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Photo by Sara LeeAnn Banevedes
I don't think Brian Alexander is a bad guy or a misogynist. He writes the Sexploration column for MSNBC, so sure, his job is all about selling sex stories to the public. He even wrote a book about American sexuality. But I don't personally think he has a burning hatred for women, or views them as objects placed on this Earth for the sexual satisfaction of men. However, I very easily could, given how he chose to report on a recent study published in Science about men's physiological responses to the chemicals present in women's tears. The headline alone was enough to make me gag —
"Stop the waterworks, ladies. Crying chicks aren't sexy." The sarcastic bitch in me just couldn't help but think Why THANK YOU Brian! I've been going about this all wrong. When I want to get some from my honey, I focus all my thoughts on my dead dog or my great grandma and cry as hard as I can. No WONDER it isn't working!
I didn't even want to read the rest of the article.
But I did.
It doesn't get better.
Alexander's reporting of the actual science was quick and simplistic, and couched in sexist commentary (like how powerful women's tears are as manipulative devices). And to finish things off, he clearly states what he found to be the most important find of the study:
"Bottom line, ladies? If you're looking for arousal, don't turn on the waterworks."
It's no wonder that the general public sometimes questions whether science is important. If that was truly the aim of this paper, I'd be concerned, too!
Of course, Brian Alexander missed the point. This paper wasn't published as a part of a women's how-to guide for getting laid. Instead, the authors sought to determine if the chemicals present in human tears might serve as chemosignals like they do for other animals — and they got some pretty interesting results. Read the rest of this post... |
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Gelstein, S., Yeshurun, Y., Rozenkrantz, L., Shushan, S., Frumin, I., Roth, Y., & Sobel, N. (2011) Human Tears Contain a Chemosignal. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1198331
Haga S, Hattori T, Sato T, Sato K, Matsuda S, Kobayakawa R, Sakano H, Yoshihara Y, Kikusui T, & Touhara K. (2010) The male mouse pheromone ESP1 enhances female sexual receptive behaviour through a specific vomeronasal receptor. Nature, 466(7302), 118-22. PMID: 20596023
Fleming, A. (2002) Testosterone and Prolactin Are Associated with Emotional Responses to Infant Cries in New Fathers. Hormones and Behavior, 42(4), 399-413. DOI: 10.1006/hbeh.2002.1840
Storey AE, Walsh CJ, Quinton RL, & Wynne-Edwards KE. (2000) Hormonal correlates of paternal responsiveness in new and expectant fathers. Evolution and human behavior : official journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 21(2), 79-95. PMID: 10785345
Burnham, T. (2003) Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone. Hormones and Behavior, 44(2), 119-122. DOI: 10.1016/S0018-506X(03)00125-9
Zak, P., Kurzban, R., Ahmadi, S., Swerdloff, R., Park, J., Efremidze, L., Redwine, K., Morgan, K., & Matzner, W. (2009) Testosterone Administration Decreases Generosity in the Ultimatum Game. PLoS ONE, 4(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008330
HERMANS, E., PUTMAN, P., & VANHONK, J. (2006) Testosterone administration reduces empathetic behavior: A facial mimicry study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31(7), 859-866. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.04.002
- December 9, 2010
- 03:32 PM
- 960 views
Fish Have Feelings (And They Can Be Seen In Their DNA)
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Most animals reproduce sexually. This means that every individual has to find another individual to mate with - and they have to convince that other that they're worthy of the privilege. More often than not when it comes to picking that special someone, it's the girls that get to be choosy. Females spend a lot more energy per offspring than males from the get-go due to the size of our eggs (let alone most child rearing responsibilities), so as a gender, females want to make sure they don't waste their efforts. To ensure top notch kids, females choose the best male they can find. It's no wonder that male animals have all kindsof ways of advertising that they're #1 - from showy feathers to intricate dances or even deadly fights.
Of course, it's not like the decision is final. In humans, we know all too well that even after commitments are made, women compare their man to other guys. They feel proud when he proves himself to be the best, and disappointed (or worse, pick a new man) when he falls short of his peers. But what about animals? Do animals feel the pang of regret when they realize they could have done better? Or satisfied with themselves when they've chosen the best of the bunch? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
... Read more »
Desjardins, J., Klausner, J., & Fernald, R. (2010) Female genomic response to mate information. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(49), 21176-21180. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010442107
- November 4, 2010
- 09:37 AM
- 499 views
The Science of Makeup
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
I couldn't help but be intrigued that my stiffest competition for winning the $10,000 Blogging Scholarship is a makeup blogger. What is it about cosmetics that is so appealing? Why do people wear makeup, and what might have caused early man to play around with blush and lipstick? Well, like everything else in life, a lot can be explained by science. Meanwhile, after you read this post, I encourage you to go vote for me whomever you think is the best blogger in the competition (PS I'm Christie Wilcox). All you have to do is click, pick, and hit vote!
Makeup has been around for centuries. The earliest records of makeup use date back to around 3000 BC when ancient Egyptians used soot and other natural products to create their signature look. Evidence suggests that the origins of makeup may go back much further. Our closest relatives, Neandertals, may have used colored pigments on their skin some 50,000 years ago, and paint pigments date back 75,000 years, suggesting people may have used body paint before they wore clothes. Most people will say that makeup makes women look younger and more attractive, but the question is, why? What is it about a little eye shadow, some pink cheeks and red lips that makes a woman look prettier? Like everything in life, it really is all about sex. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
... Read more »
Zilhao, J., Angelucci, D., Badal-Garcia, E., d'Errico, F., Daniel, F., Dayet, L., Douka, K., Higham, T., Martinez-Sanchez, M., Montes-Bernardez, R.... (2010) Symbolic use of marine shells and mineral pigments by Iberian Neandertals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(3), 1023-1028. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0914088107
Roberts, S., Havlicek, J., Flegr, J., Hruskova, M., Little, A., Jones, B., Perrett, D., & Petrie, M. (2004) Female facial attractiveness increases during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 271(Suppl_5). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2004.0174
Russell, R. (2003) Sex, beauty, and the relative luminance of facial features. Perception, 32(9), 1093-1107. DOI: 10.1068/p5101
Russell, R. (2009) A sex difference in facial contrast and its exaggeration by cosmetics. Perception, 38(8), 1211-1219. DOI: 10.1068/p6331
Stephen ID, & McKeegan AM. (2010) Lip colour affects perceived sex typicality and attractiveness of human faces. Perception, 39(8), 1104-10. PMID: 20942361
MATTS, P., FINK, B., GRAMMER, K., & BURQUEST, M. (2007) Color homogeneity and visual perception of age, health, and attractiveness of female facial skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 57(6), 977-984. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2007.07.040
Mulhern, R., Fieldman, G., Hussey, T., Leveque, J., & Pineau, P. (2003) Do cosmetics enhance female Caucasian facial attractiveness?. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 25(4), 199-205. DOI: 10.1046/j.1467-2494.2003.00188.x
Nash, R., Fieldman, G., Hussey, T., Lévêque, J., & Pineau, P. (2006) Cosmetics: They Influence More Than Caucasian Female Facial Attractiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(2), 493-504. DOI: 10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00016.x
Nicolas Guéguen. (2008) Brief Report: The Effects of Women's Cosmeticson Men's Approach: An Evaluation in a Bar. North American Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 221-228. info:/
- November 1, 2010
- 07:46 PM
- 792 views
Evolution: A Game Of Chance?
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
One of the toughest concepts to grasp about evolution is its lack of direction. Take the classic image of the evolution of man, from knuckle-walking ape to strong, smart hunter:
We view this as the natural progression of life. Truth is, there was no guarantee that some big brained apes in Africa would end up like we are now. It wasn't inevitable that we grew taller, less hairy, and smarter than our relatives. And it certainly wasn't guaranteed that single celled bacteria-like critters ended up joining forces into multicellular organisms, eventually leading to big brained apes!
Evolution isn't predictable, and randomness is key in determining how things change. But that's not the same as saying life evolves by chance. That's because while the cause of evolution is random (mutations in our genes) the processes of evolution (selection) is not. It's kind of like playing poker - the hand you receive is random, but the odds of you winning with it aren't. And like poker, it's about much more than just what you're dealt. Outside factors - your friend's ability to bluff you in your poker game, or changing environmental conditions in the game of life - also come into play. So while evolution isn't random, it is a game of chance, and given how many species go extinct, it's one where the house almost always wins. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Airoldi, C., Bergonzi, S., & Davies, B. (2010) Single amino acid change alters the ability to specify male or female organ identity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1009050107
XU Xing, & GUO Yu. (2009) THE ORIGIN AND EARLY EVOLUTION OF FEATHERS: INSIGHTS FROM RECENT PALEONTOLOGICAL AND NEONTOLOGICAL DATA. Verbrata PalAsiatica, 47(4), 311-329. info:/
Perrichot, V., Marion, L., Neraudeau, D., Vullo, R., & Tafforeau, P. (2008) The early evolution of feathers: fossil evidence from Cretaceous amber of France. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275(1639), 1197-1202. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0003
Marden, J., & Kramer, M. (1994) Surface-Skimming Stoneflies: A Possible Intermediate Stage in Insect Flight Evolution. Science, 266(5184), 427-430. DOI: 10.1126/science.266.5184.427
DIAL, K., RANDALL, R., & DIAL, T. (2006) What Use Is Half a Wing in the Ecology and Evolution of Birds?. BioScience, 56(5), 437. DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2006)056[0437:WUIHAW]2.0.CO;2
Blount, Z., Borland, C., & Lenski, R. (2008) Inaugural Article: Historical contingency and the evolution of a key innovation in an experimental population of Escherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(23), 7899-7906. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0803151105
- October 1, 2010
- 03:03 PM
- 1,054 views
The Ig Nobels have been announced!
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Every year, the crew behind the Annals of Improbable Research honor research that "first makes people laugh, then makes them think." These awards, known as the Ig Nobels, honor some of the most entertaining research published in the past year. The competition is fierce, and the prizes highly coveted. But without further ado! This year, the winners are... Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Acevedo-Whitehouse, K., Rocha-Gosselin, A., & Gendron, D. (2010) A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs. Animal Conservation, 13(2), 217-225. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00326.x
RIETVELD, S., & VANBEEST, I. (2007) Rollercoaster asthma: When positive emotional stress interferes with dyspnea perception☆. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(5), 977-987. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.07.009
Tero, A., Takagi, S., Saigusa, T., Ito, K., Bebber, D., Fricker, M., Yumiki, K., Kobayashi, R., & Nakagaki, T. (2010) Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design. Science, 327(5964), 439-442. DOI: 10.1126/science.1177894
Lianne Parkin, Sheila M Williams, Patricia Priest. (2009) Preventing winter falls: a randomised controlled trial of a novel intervention . Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 122(1298). info:/
Stephens, R., Atkins, J., & Kingston, A. (2009) Swearing as a response to pain. NeuroReport, 1. DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32832e64b1
Pluchino, A., Rapisarda, A., & Garofalo, C. (2010) The Peter principle revisited: A computational study. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 389(3), 467-472. DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2009.09.045
Tan, M., Jones, G., Zhu, G., Ye, J., Hong, T., Zhou, S., Zhang, S., & Zhang, L. (2009) Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time. PLoS ONE, 4(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007595
- September 30, 2010
- 11:13 AM
- 1,192 views
I get e-mail, too.
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Recently, I got this e-mail forwarded to me. It started out with the header
World shame coast in COSTA RICA
Followed by images like these:
and it concluded with the message:
Please distribute widely.
The Turtle eggs are stolen to be sold.
The planet is thankful for the forwarding of this email.
The e-mail isn't an isolated incident. A quick internet search will immediately bring up sites like this one, heralding the extinction of sea turtles in Costa Rica due to the illegal harvest of their eggs.
Look, I know it looks bad. Yes, the photos are real and of people taking thousands of sea turtle eggs from the Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica. Yes, all seven species of sea turtles in the world are endangered. And yes, in general, it's illegal to even touch a sea turtle egg without a permit. But the people in these photos aren't doing anything illegal, and the Costa Rican olive ridley population is just fine. In fact, harvesting eggs may be helping the sea turtle populations.
Let me explain. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
CAMPBELL, L. (1998) Use them or lose them? Conservation and the consumptive use of marine turtle eggs at Ostional, Costa Rica. Environmental Conservation, 25(4), 305-319. DOI: 10.1017/S0376892998000393
Cornelius, S.E., M. Alvarado U., J. Carlos C., M. Mata D.V., and D.C. Robinson. (1991) Management of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting at Playas Nancite and Ostional, Costa Rica. in J.G. Robinson and K.H. Redford (eds.), Neotropical Wildlife Use and Conservation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago., 111-135. info:/
- September 17, 2010
- 03:59 PM
- 1,314 views
So, yeah, cheers!
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
Scientists worry way too much about the impacts of our work. We want our papers to mean something, for people to really want to read them. Of course, the true test of whether your paper is important is that future papers cite you as a reference.
What makes one paper cited by everyone and another fall into obscurity? Well, there are all kinds of theories. Maybe it's how high-impact the journal is - after all, a Science paper is better than obscure journal, right? Some have even suggested it's a matter of size - of your reference list, that is.
But now, John Parker, a post-doc at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the UCSB, and his colleagues have noticed a very interesting trend thanks to their research on the social habits of the most highly cited researchers in ecology and environmental science. What did the big wigs all have in common? Well, they drank. A lot. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Lortie, C. (2009) Letter to the Editor: A global comment on scientific publications, productivity, people, and beer. Scientometrics, 84(2), 539-541. DOI: 10.1007/s11192-009-0077-z
- September 10, 2010
- 10:19 AM
- 1,249 views
Testosterone Levels In Carcharhinus leucas: Is It All Bull?
by Christie Wilcox in Observations of a Nerd
So, Shark Diver set out a challenge for Ocean of Pseudoscience Week that I simply had to look into. He wanted to know whether there's any science backing the notion that Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, have extraordinarily high testosterone levels and might thus be usable as a source for legally obtainable steroids - an idea, apparently, started by some video game.
The rumor, as I'd heard it, is that the fierce attitudes of these large and aggressive sharks is due to unfathomably high circulating levels of testosterone. Specifically, these menacing monsters supposedly have higher serum testosterone levels than any species on the planet, land or sea, and that even a female bull shark has higher levels than a testosterone-raged male elephant in musth.
I know I'm as much to blame as anyone, as I've repeated that line myself. But suddenly, I realized, I don't know if it's true. How do the circulating testosterone levels compare between bull sharks and other species? Could you procure enough testosterone by catching and eating bull sharks to beef up your body? I simply couldn't let Shark Diver's challenge go unanswered. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
JAINUDEEN, M., KATONGOLE, C., & SHORT, R. (1972) PLASMA TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN RELATION TO MUSTH AND SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN THE MALE ASIATIC ELEPHANT, ELEPHAS MAXIMUS. Reproduction, 29(1), 99-103. DOI: 10.1530/jrf.0.0290099
Harold L. Pratt, Jr., Samuel H. Gruber, & Toru Taniuchi (editors). (1990) Elasmobranchs as Living Resources: Advances in the Biology, Ecology, Systematics, and the Status of the Fisheries. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 90, 143-155. info:/
Rasmussen, L., & Murru, F. (1992) Long-term studies of Serum Concentrations of reproductively related Steriod Hormones in individual captive Carcharhinids. Marine and Freshwater Research, 43(1), 273. DOI: 10.1071/MF9920273
Manire, C. (1997) Serum Concentrations of Steroid Hormones in the Mature Male Bonnethead Shark,Sphyrna tiburo. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 107(3), 414-420. DOI: 10.1006/gcen.1997.6937
Manire, C. (1995) Serum Steroid Hormones and the Reproductive Cycle of the Female Bonnethead Shark, Sphyrna tiburo. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 97(3), 366-376. DOI: 10.1006/gcen.1995.1036
Thorson, T. (1962) Partitioning of Body Fluids in the Lake Nicaragua Shark and Three Marine Sharks. Science, 138(3541), 688-690. DOI: 10.1126/science.138.3541.688
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