Weekend Reading Feb. 28, 2014

How long can you go without food. A couple days? A couple weeks? (a couple hours?) Here's the story of one animal that went on a hunger strike for 5 YEARS! Be sure to scroll down for the photo - you'll be shocked at the size of No. 1.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2014/02/22/280249001/i-wont-eat-you-cant-make-me-and-they-couldnt?ft=1&f=1007

Forget sharks with lasers, I'm happy with sharks with video cameras giving us a sneak peak into their personal lives.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140227-shark-camera-group-animals-ocean-science/

So I had a crazy-busy week and didn't get many links set up this week. To make up for it here is a fun link to a guide to pet dinosaurs.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/dinosaur-pet-guide-shows-the-good-and-the-bad-of-each-s-1531004386

Weekend Reading Feb. 21, 2014

I can't always recommend the blog What's in John's Freezer because I know some people are squeamish about necropsy (an autopsy on an animal) photos but this post is just x-rays. Not gross, instead they are FANTASTIC images of an ostrich (and who doesn't love Ostriches? If you raised your hand go sit in a corner till you've changed your mind. Ostriches are COOL).

http://whatsinjohnsfreezer.com/2014/02/14/freezermas-track6/

Elephants show empathy. Great work by Josh Plotnik and Frans de Waal. I worked with Josh on his elephant research in Thailand, they are absolutely amazing animals when you get to know them!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/02/reassuring-trunk-evidence-consolation-elephants/

We have had five Mass Extinction events in Earth's history - events where at least 70% of all species on Earth go extinct in a relatively short time period. We know that a meteor caused the extinction that killed off the non-avian dinosaurs but we don't know what caused the others.

New evidence has come out about the biggest extinction event in our history - where over 90% of all species went extinct. It happened fast, in less than 100,000 years, and we still aren't sure what caused it, but we're getting closer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/science/earth/Mass-Extinction-Permian-Period.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&seid=auto&_r=0

Here's an animal I've never heard of before. (This is not a common occurrence.) Say hello to the Sea Sapphire.

http://deepseanews.com/2014/02/the-most-beautiful-animal-youve-never-seen/

WOW. First every photos of a snow leopard kill (not graphic). One thing that amazes me is how hard it is to see the snow leopard against the rocks. I guess their coloration is good camouflage even without snow.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/20/the-first-ever-successful-snow-leopard-hunt-and-kill-caught-on-camera/#.UwbIhsCqqXA.twitter

Attendance and the Successful Student

I do not require attendance in my lectures. Mostly because when you have 48 students and a significant fraction of them come in late taking attendance takes too much time. I take attendance in smaller classes just to learn students' names.

Attendance in class and success usually go together. Study after study show that students who come to class so significantly better than students who skip lectures. Want an A or a B? - come to class. Want to skate by with a C or D? - then maybe you can skip some classes. Your absence affects YOU much more than it affects me.

Just remember, even though I don't take attendance during lecture, when the semester ends and you come to me and ask me if you can take the exam late, because your grandmother is dying, if I don't recognize you from class because you were absent a lot the answer will be a gentle but definitive NO. If, instead, you were there, and I remember seeing your face half way back on the left side every class, I might consider your request.

Just don't miss more than two labs. In THOSE attendance counts!

Weekend Reading Feb. 14, 2014

How long can an organism live? Check out the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest to find out!

http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/earths-oldest-living-things/

More Misconceptions about Evolution. What you thought was wrong about evolution is, well, wrong.

http://ryanellingson.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/5-more-misconceptions-about-evolution/

Don't believe we need to change how we're fishing? Take a look at the change in size of trophy fish photographed in front of the same sign between 1958 to 2007. Frightening. To paraphrase Alex Wild - being a biologist in today's world is like being an art lover in a world where they burn an art museum every day. It's hard to stay optimistic.

http://www.radiolab.org/story/big-fish-stories-getting-littler_kw/

Just in time for Valentine's Day, The Brain Scoop does a video on ANT SEX.

You know you want to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWWw3SHCIAw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUkyfHZ6bY2TjqbJhiH8Y2QQ

Think love is just for the birds and mammals? Some "cold blooded" reptiles have complex lives with monogamy and child care, just like us.

http://blog.socialsnakes.org/squamate-sociality/

Weekend Reading Feb. 7, 2014

I'll be really disappointed if none of my students do a presentation on flying snakes and show this video.

http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/eek-squad/watch-tree-snakes-fly-they-dont-need-plane

Do NOT use dynamite to try to get rid of a dead whale.  Very funny (if you're a biologist) video at the bottom of this post (not as gross as you're afraid it might be).

http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/68504302684/exploding-sperm-whale

AANNTTSS IINN SSPPAAAAAACCEE!!!

http://www.yourwildlife.org/2014/01/ants-take-over-space-station/

Whoa!  This leach can survive temperatures colder than any every recorded on Earth.  It can survive repeatedly being frozen in liquid nitrogen and then thawed.  And we don't know HOW this is possible.  Yet.

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/leech-can-survive-24-hour-submersion-liquid-nitrogen

Tiger Beetles can run so fast that they're eyes can't gather light fast enough and they're blind!

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/04/tiger-beetles-become-blind-when-they-run/

Wars can be hard on local wildlife. Or they can keep humans out of an area and allow the wildlife to survive there when they are in decline in other places. One of the most war torn parts of the world has recently been discovered to have a thriving population of chimpanzees. And these chimps have unique behaviors not seen in other populations.

Wars and poachers make it difficult to study them but they also make it difficult to destroy their forest home for logging or farming.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/07/chimpanzees-congo-forest?CMP=twt_fd

Advice to Students

I have worked out an equation for success.  This applies to school, work, and life in general.

("Natural" talent) X (Hard Work) X (Luck) = Success

Some people are naturally talented.

Some people work hard.

Some people have very good luck.

You don't need all three to be successful but you need at least one of them.



"I wish the earlier me understood work and practice more. Just the repeated concerted effort to get better at things. I wish I didn’t have the notions of talent and genius I had back then. I thought, “Oh, these other people, they just have something that I don’t have.” When really, they are just people who work more.
I wish I understood work. Work is the key to anything you want to do. If you want to play the guitar—anybody can learn to play the fucking guitar—you can be good at it. Maybe you won’t get to be a genius but you could be good.
You can be good enough to write good songs or make a good film or whatever. There’s no such thing as not having enough talent to get to that level. I mean, persistence is talent, really. Just sticking with it. Talent is not stopping."

Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson