167 posts · 217,199 views
GrrlScientist is the blog pseudonym for an evolutionary biologist/ornithologist who writes about E3: Evolution, Ecology and Ethology, and the subtle relationships between these phenomena, especially in birds.
Sort by Latest Post, Most Popular
View by Condensed, Full
- May 10, 2012
- 04:12 AM
- 62 views
Identification of the world's smallest mammoth | video | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
The world's smallest mammoth has been discovered on Crete, and it's the size of a newborn baby elephant!... Read more »
Herridge, V., & Lister, A. (2012) Extreme insular dwarfism evolved in a mammoth. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0671
- May 8, 2012
- 05:15 AM
- 118 views
Bee deaths linked to common pesticides |video| @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Two recently published scientific studies show that bee populations are being ravaged by widespread use of a particular type of pesticide, the neonicotinoids.... Read more »
Henry, M., Beguin, M., Requier, F., Rollin, O., Odoux, J., Aupinel, P., Aptel, J., Tchamitchian, S., & Decourtye, A. (2012) A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees. Science, 336(6079), 348-350. DOI: 10.1126/science.1215039
Whitehorn, P., O'Connor, S., Wackers, F., & Goulson, D. (2012) Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen Production. Science, 336(6079), 351-352. DOI: 10.1126/science.1215025
- May 3, 2012
- 04:00 AM
- 96 views
Were dinosaurs undergoing long-term decline before mass extinction? |video| @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
A new scientific paper uses a unique methodology to addresses this timeless question ... Read more »
Brusatte, S., Butler, R., Prieto-Márquez, A., & Norell, M. (2012) Dinosaur morphological diversity and the end-Cretaceous extinction. Nature Communications, 804. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1815
- May 1, 2012
- 07:20 AM
- 85 views
Why do old books smell? [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: That old book smell brings back so many memories, but what creates that smell? ... Read more »
Strlič, M., Thomas, J., Trafela, T., Cséfalvayová, L., Kralj Cigić, I., Kolar, J., & Cassar, M. (2009) Material Degradomics: On the Smell of Old Books. . Analytical Chemistry, 81(20), 8617-8622. DOI: 10.1021/ac9016049
- February 29, 2012
- 06:14 AM
- 176 views
Stem cells put women on fertile ground [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Using cutting-edge technologies and some imagination, a Harvard professor and his team find that ovaries in women of reproductive age contain stem cells that give rise to mature oocytes When I taught comparative reproductive biology in university, I taught...... Read more »
White, Y., Woods, D., Takai, Y., Ishihara, O., Seki, H., & Tilly, J. (2012) Oocyte formation by mitotically active germ cells purified from ovaries of reproductive-age women. Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2669
- February 29, 2012
- 04:34 AM
- 253 views
Stem cells put women on fertile ground [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Using cutting-edge technologies and some imagination, a Harvard professor and his team find that ovaries in women of reproductive age contain stem cells that give rise to mature oocytes... Read more »
White, Y., Woods, D., Takai, Y., Ishihara, O., Seki, H., & Tilly, J. (2012) Oocyte formation by mitotically active germ cells purified from ovaries of reproductive-age women. Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2669
- February 22, 2012
- 05:18 AM
- 98 views
Leaping lizards [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Theropod dinosaurs used their long tails as counterbalances to stabilise rapid or irregular movements Male red-headed rock agama, Agama agama, in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya [dinosaurise]. Image: Chris_huh, August 2005 (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.) There...... Read more »
Libby, T., Moore, T., Chang-Siu, E., Li, D., Cohen, D., Jusufi, A., & Full, R. (2012) Tail-assisted pitch control in lizards, robots and dinosaurs. Nature, 481(7380), 181-184. DOI: 10.1038/nature10710
- February 22, 2012
- 04:28 AM
- 255 views
Leaping lizards [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Theropod dinosaurs used their long tails as a counterbalance to stabilise rapid or irregular movements ... Read more »
Libby, T., Moore, T., Chang-Siu, E., Li, D., Cohen, D., Jusufi, A., & Full, R. (2012) Tail-assisted pitch control in lizards, robots and dinosaurs. Nature, 481(7380), 181-184. DOI: 10.1038/nature10710
- February 6, 2012
- 04:00 AM
- 258 views
17 and sudoku clues [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
17 is the minimum number of clues required to give a unique sudoku solution -- but how did mathematicians prove this? ... Read more »
Gary McGuire, Bastian Tugemann, & Gilles Civario. (2012) There is no 16-Clue Sudoku: Solving the Sudoku Minimum Number of Clues Problem. ArXiv. info:/arXiv:1201.0749v1
- January 7, 2012
- 05:12 AM
- 314 views
Hamster power to help solve energy crisis? [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Children's pet hamsters can help solve the world's energy crisis! ... Read more »
Yang, R., Qin, Y., Li, C., Zhu, G., & Wang, Z. (2009) Converting Biomechanical Energy into Electricity by a Muscle-Movement-Driven Nanogenerator. Nano Letters, 9(3), 1201-1205. DOI: 10.1021/nl803904b
- January 5, 2012
- 03:00 AM
- 354 views
Indonesia's underwater masters of disguise [videos] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Meet the fish that mimics the octopus that mimics scary sea creatures... Read more »
Rocha, L., Ross, R., & Kopp, G. (2011) Opportunistic mimicry by a Jawfish. Coral Reefs. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-011-0855-y
HUFFARD, C., SAARMAN, N., HAMILTON, H., & SIMISON, W. (2010) The evolution of conspicuous facultative mimicry in octopuses: an example of secondary adaptation?. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 101(1), 68-77. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01484.x
- December 23, 2011
- 05:24 AM
- 337 views
Hot? Or not? The economics of red-hot chili peppers
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Chilis that produce the hottest fruits grow best when they are given lots of water... Read more »
Haak, D., McGinnis, L., Levey, D., & Tewksbury, J. (2011) Why are not all chilies hot? A trade-off limits pungency. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2091
Tewksbury, J., Reagan, K., Machnicki, N., Carlo, T., Haak, D., Penaloza, A., & Levey, D. (2008) Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(33), 11808-11811. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802691105
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- genetic correlation
- frugivory
- secondary compounds
- fruit chemistry
- chemical defence
- secondary metabolite
- capsaicinoids
- capsaicin
- natural selection
- chili peppers
- Evolutionary Biology
- Capsicum chacoense
- Botany
- Environment
- Agriculture
- Ecology
- Chemical Biology
- directed deterrence
- December 22, 2011
- 01:03 PM
- 349 views
Hot? Or not? The economics of red hot chili peppers | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Chilies that produce the hottest fruits grow best when they are given lots of water... Read more »
Haak, D., McGinnis, L., Levey, D., & Tewksbury, J. (2011) Why are not all chilies hot? A trade-off limits pungency. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2091
- December 22, 2011
- 03:46 AM
- 335 views
The science behind Santa [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
How does Santa visit billions of homes all around the globe in just one night? The last important scientific question in the world has been solved! ... Read more »
Billing, R. (2008) Harnessing the brane-deer. Nature, 456(7224), 1007-1008. DOI: 10.1038/4561007a
- December 22, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 385 views
The science behind Santa [video] | GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
How does Santa visit billions of homes all around the globe in just one night? The last important scientific question in the world has been solved!... Read more »
Billing, R. (2008) Harnessing the brane-deer. Nature, 456(7224), 1007-1008. DOI: 10.1038/4561007a
- December 1, 2011
- 01:52 PM
- 248 views
The economics of tree swallow brood sex ratios
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Tree swallows reveal that brood sex ratios are an economic balancing act with far-reaching evolutionary consequences... Read more »
Renaud Baeta, Marc Bélisle, & Dany Garant. (2011) Importance of breeding season and maternal investment in studies of sex-ratio adjustment: a case study using tree swallows. Biology Letters. info:/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1009
Griffith, S., Owens, I., & Thuman, K. (2008) Extra pair paternity in birds: a review of interspecific variation and adaptive function. Molecular Ecology, 11(11), 2195-2212. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01613.x
Peter O. Dunn, Linda A. Whittingham, Jan T. Lifjeld, Raleigh J. Robertson, & Peter T. Boag. (1994) Effects of breeding density, synchrony, and experience on extrapair paternity in tree swallows. Behavioral Ecology, 5(2), 123-129. info:/10.1093/beheco/5.2.123
John P. McCarty. (2001) Variation in growth of nestling tree swallows across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Auk, 176-190. info:/10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118 [0176:VIGONT]2.0.CO;2)
Whittingham, L., & Dunn, P. (2000) Offspring sex ratios in tree swallows: females in better condition produce more sons. Molecular Ecology, 9(8), 1123-1129. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00980.x
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- Zoology
- Extra-pair Paternity
- nestling mortality
- Ornithology
- Monogamy
- sex ratio
- Conservation
- Polygyny
- survival
- Ecology
- Breeding density
- birds
- DNA fingerprinting
- breeding season heterogeneity
- Extrapair paternity
- sex allocation
- breeding synchrony
- Evolutionary Biology
- sex-ratio
- tree swallows
- Behavioral Biology
- tree swallow
- Environmental Health
- Molecular Biology
- Tachycineta bicolor
- CHD gene
- Reproduction
- Avian Breeding Systems
- body condition
- December 1, 2011
- 10:19 AM
- 370 views
The economics of tree swallow brood sex ratios | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Tree swallows reveal that brood sex ratios are an economic balancing act with far-reaching evolutionary consequences... Read more »
Renaud Baeta, Marc Bélisle, & Dany Garant. (2011) Importance of breeding season and maternal investment in studies of sex-ratio adjustment: a case study using tree swallows. Biology Letters. info:/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1009
Griffith, S., Owens, I., & Thuman, K. (2008) Extra pair paternity in birds: a review of interspecific variation and adaptive function. Molecular Ecology, 11(11), 2195-2212. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01613.x
Peter O. Dunn, Linda A. Whittingham, Jan T. Lifjeld, Raleigh J. Robertson, & Peter T. Boag. (1994) Effects of breeding density, synchrony, and experience on extrapair paternity in tree swallows. Behavioral Ecology, 5(2), 123-129. info:/10.1093/beheco/5.2.123
John P. McCarty. (2001) Variation in growth of nestling tree swallows across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Auk, 176-190. info:/10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118 [0176:VIGONT]2.0.CO;2)
Whittingham, L., & Dunn, P. (2000) Offspring sex ratios in tree swallows: females in better condition produce more sons. Molecular Ecology, 9(8), 1123-1129. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00980.x
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- Zoology
- Extra-pair Paternity
- nestling mortality
- Ornithology
- Monogamy
- sex ratio
- Conservation
- Polygyny
- survival
- Ecology
- Breeding density
- birds
- DNA fingerprinting
- breeding season heterogeneity
- Extrapair paternity
- sex allocation
- breeding synchrony
- Evolutionary Biology
- sex-ratio
- tree swallows
- Behavioral Biology
- tree swallow
- Environmental Health
- Molecular Biology
- Tachycineta bicolor
- CHD gene
- Reproduction
- Avian Breeding Systems
- body condition
- December 1, 2011
- 03:59 AM
- 219 views
Let's talk about evolution
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Prominent female role models in science and science communication talk about evolution and its importance to science, medicine and society... Read more »
Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, & Shinji Okamoto. (2006) Public Acceptance of Evolution. Science, 313(5788), 765-766. DOI: 10.1126/science.1126746
- December 1, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 364 views
Let's talk about evolution [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Prominent female role models in science and science communication talk about evolution and its importance to science, medicine and society... Read more »
Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, & Shinji Okamoto. (2006) Public Acceptance of Evolution. Science, 313(5788), 765-766. DOI: 10.1126/science.1126746
- November 11, 2011
- 06:30 PM
- 204 views
Bird-friendly California vineyards may have fewer pests
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Insectivorous cavity-nesting birds can be encouraged to occupy vineyards by giving them nest boxes. New research documents that these birds reciprocate by providing significant eco-friendly pest control services to winegrape growers... Read more »
Julie A. Jedlicka, Russell Greenberg, & Deborah K. Letourneau. (2011) Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards. PLoS ONE, 6(11). info:/
Mols, C., & Visser, M. (2002) Great tits can reduce caterpillar damage in apple orchards. Journal of Applied Ecology, 39(6), 888-899. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2664.2002.00761.x
Mols, C., & Visser, M. (2007) Great Tits (Parus major) Reduce Caterpillar Damage in Commercial Apple Orchards. PLoS ONE, 2(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000202
Germaine, H., & Germaine, S. (2002) Forest Restoration Treatment Effects on the Nesting Success of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana). Restoration Ecology, 10(2), 362-367. DOI: 10.1046/j.1526-100X.2002.00129.x
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
