Science – Page 64 – Southern Fried Science

Great diagrams of science: What are they doing to those animals?

November 9, 2010November 6, 2010 David Shiffman 7 Comments

Science

The stereotype of a scientific diagram is a complex, dry, boring graph. While many earn this reputation, a few make can make people do a double-take. Most of these explain research methods involving live animal test subjects. A few of my favorites are shown below.

It is important to note that these images do not show animal abuse of any kind. All of the experimental procedures shown below were approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees because they are the best way to answer important questions about these animals. They were carried out by highly respected professional scientists, and some led to breakthroughs that change how we think about the natural world. They also happen to be quite funny if you view them out of context.

The Way We Heal – the biology of scar formation

November 5, 2010 Andrew Thaler 4 Comments

Science

Humans, we are fragile creatures. We bend and break and tear. Lacking a rigid exoskeleton, dense armored plates, calcium carbonate shells, our skin becomes our first line of defense against a hostile, machete-filled world. Fortunately, while we do break, we can also heal ourselves through a wonderfully complex system of self-repair.

As stated earlier, this is not a medical blog and we have limited experience discussing medicine. For more detailed and experienced medical blogging, please check out two of my favorite medical blogs, Science-based Medicine and White Coat Underground. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be liveblogging my body’s own healing process as I recover from a machete blow to the head.

The physiology of wound healing and scar formation in the human body is a complicated and fascinating.

Watch me heal, day 1 – 4

November 3, 2010November 3, 2010 Andrew Thaler 11 Comments

Science

Those of you following me on twitter have probably heard that I had a little accident this weekend. And by “little accident”, I mean I got hit in the head with a machete. And by “got hit in the head” I really mean hit myself in the head while clearing brush. This has afforded me two opportunities: the first was the chance to see my own skull (how often does that happen?) and the second was the chance to document the healing process.

We don’t do a lot of medical blogging, primarily because we’re not in a medical field. There are excellent resources out there if you’re interested in medical blogging – Science-based Medicine and White Coat Underground are my favorite.

Below the fold are some rather tame pictures (but perhaps disturbing if you don’t like a little gore) of my head, post stitches. Sadly I was not in the right mindset to get a good picture of the injury before repair.

Read More “Watch me heal, day 1 – 4” »

Great Migrations of the Ocean

November 3, 2010 David Shiffman 3 Comments

Popular Culture, Science

National Geographic’s Great Migrations, a seven part series which premieres November 7th, calls itself a collection of “the most moving stories on Earth”. It focuses on some amazing animals from around the world and the incredible journeys they take to survive. This series was a massive undertaking, with the National Geographic crew spending 2 years traveling more than 420,000 miles over 20 countries. The end result is visually spectacular, full of fascinating science and rich in never-before-told stories of animal behavior. The series itself is an great educational resource, and the website has plenty to offer teachers (particularly the Science page and the Teacher Resources page).

While many of the best-known migrations involve land animals or birds, some marine migrations are also pretty darn great.

WhySharksMatter talks sharks with sixth graders

October 28, 2010October 28, 2010 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

Science

All bow before the mighty Wall-of-Shiffman!

Back from the Brink: Victories in Conservation

October 26, 2010December 31, 2011 David Shiffman 13 Comments

Conservation, Science

Earth is facing a biodiversity crisis so severe that many conservation scientists refer to it as a mass extinction event. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a professional network of 11,000 volunteer scientists belonging to more than 1,000 government and NGO agencies in 160 countries, evaluates species worldwide and determines their risk of extinction. This Red List, which ranks species in increasing risk of extinction – Least Concern, Near Threatened, Conservation Dependent, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct – is described as “the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of plant and animal species”.

Statistics from the Red List are terrifying. One fifth of all evaluated vertebrate species are threatened with extinction, including 12% of birds, 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, and 26% of fish. On average, fifty species of amphibians, birds, and mammals move measurably closer to extinction each year. One fifth of the world’s plant species are in danger of extinction. Critical habitat-builders, including 33% of reef building coral species and 14% of seagrass species are in very big trouble.

Massive fish kill in France

October 26, 2010October 26, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Science

The following photos are from a massive fish kill in a river close to la Guillec, France. According to Dr. Sophie Plouviez, the die-off affected not only fish, but nearly all of the benthic invertebrates in the river. The cause of the die-off has yet to be determined. We are trying to locate the source of the images, and will continue to update as more information become available.

Shark Science Monday: Lisa-Marie LeClerc discusses the feeding habits of the Greenland Shark

October 25, 2010 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Science

In this week’s Shark Science Monday, University of Tromsø Norwegian Polar Institute researcher Lisa-Marie LeClerc discusses her research on the feeding habits of the Greenland Shark. As always, feel free to ask questions of our interview subject in the comments below. ~WhySharksMatt

Save the krill!

October 22, 2010October 21, 2010 David Shiffman 5 Comments

Conservation, Science

The conservation movement is full of organizations whose stated goal is to protect specific organisms (i.e. “save the whales” or “save the sea turtles”) or to protect certain ecosystems (i.e. “save the rain forest” or “save the coral reef”). While these groups do admirable work, I can’t help put notice that they primarily focus on charismatic, likable organisms and ecosystems that are considered beautiful. The reason for this is simple- it’s easier to get the public to support conserving these things. Any conservation is a good thing, but when we focus exclusively on what we like instead of what’s important to the environment, it can lead to ecological disaster. That’s why I was so excited to learn of the existence of the “save the krill” movement.

Grampa Hagfish: say hello to your greatest uncle

October 20, 2010October 20, 2010 Andrew Thaler 6 Comments

Science

hag — Image from http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/labs/biomaterials/slime.html

Today is Hagfish Day! Who knew?

What is a hagfish?

Hagfish are primitive eel-like chordates make famous for their relative unattractiveness*, profuse production of slime, and charismatic ability to tie themselves in knots. They are perhaps the only ‘fish’ that possesses a skull, but no vertebral column. But the question “What is a hagfish?” goes much deeper than that and it’s answer is fundamental to the evolution of vertebrates and, ultimately, us.