Uncategorized – Page 55 – Southern Fried Science

Biodiversity Wednesday: Flesh eaters of the Savanna

February 16, 2011February 16, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Croatan Forest. Photograph by Andrew David Thaler.

The wet, temperate understory of a longleaf pine savanna, is not the first place one would thing to search for some of nature’s most fearsome predators. These maritime ecosystems stretch down the Atlantic seaboard, from southern Virginia to northern Georgia, but are most common in North and South Carolina. Boomerang-shaped bays, called Carolina bays, formed behind ancient sand dunes, provide the foundation for these biodiversity rich regions. More than 50 endangered species are native to the Carolina lonfleaf pine savannas, including the Cape Fear Threetoothed land snail and the iconic Red-cockaded Woodpecker, but among the most evocative inhabitants of these pocosin wild-lands are the many-jawed monsters of the the understory – the Venus Flytrap.

Finding Melville’s Whale: The Whiteness of the Whale (Chapter 42)

February 13, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

After reading some of the reviews from our Readers’ Survey, many people list these among their favorite posts, while many others consider them their least favorite. So, we’ve decided to change the posting schedule for Finding Melville’s Whale. From now on, one or two new entries will appear every Sunday, instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays. We … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale: The Whiteness of the Whale (Chapter 42)” »

Nothing to plunder – the evolution of Somalia’s pirate nation

February 11, 2011February 17, 2011 Andrew Thaler 12 Comments

Uncategorized

The droughts that shook the east African nations in the mid-1970’s and again in the 1980’s decimated the traditional nomadic clans of Somalia, leaving them without live stock to feed their families. Tens of thousands of the dispossessed, primarily of the Hawiye clan, were relocated to coastal areas. Fishing communities took root and began to flourish. With over 3000 km of coastline, rich with rock lobster and large pelagic fish, these communities grew, perhaps even thrived. Then, as is often the narrative of African nations, came civil war.

Weekly does of TED – Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs

February 11, 2011February 17, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Uncategorized

This is a major departure from the type TED talks we usually post, but it touches on many themes I think about all the time. We talk a lot about regulations, safety protocols, and best practices. But regulations and protocols are not always the best, safest, or most humane methods available and the people actually … Read More “Weekly does of TED – Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs” »

SFS Gear Reviews: When the current changes, you have to adapt – Digipower Universal Travel Adapter

February 10, 2011February 10, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

For a prolonged tour in the field, the little things matter just as much as the big things. And nothing is smaller or more easily forgettable than the lowly travel adapter. I picked mine up in an airport somewhere in Japan as an afterthought, like many travelers, once I got to my destination and realized I had no way to charge up my netbook.

The travel adapter seems inconsequential, but choosing the wrong one can be fatal. I got lucky, because the only one in stock turned out to be a workhorse, but horror stories abound of the unsuspecting graduate student plugging their vital equipment into a suspect outlet and frying a computer, blowing a critical sensor, or setting their shack on fire. Electricity is not to be taken lightly.

Biodiversity Wednesday: Ngorongoro Crater

February 9, 2011February 9, 2011 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Located in the East African nation of Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater (pronounced just like it’s spelled, 😉 ) is one of the coolest places I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. Technically a caldera, the remnants of a collapsed volcano, the floor of Ngorongoro provides over 100 square miles of habitat surrounded by steep walls to more than 25,000 animals.

ngorscenery — Ngorongoro Crater- what looks like mountains in the distance actually surrounds the habitat. Photo credit: David Shiffman, 2001

Reader Survey Closed

February 7, 2011February 7, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

A big thanks to everyone who filled out the readers’ survey. We’ll pick and inform the winners tonight and have a full write-up of the survey results later this week.

Finding Melville’s Whale – Moby Dick (Chapter 41)

February 6, 2011February 6, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Weekly dose of TED – Barbara Block: Tagging tuna in the deep ocean

February 4, 2011February 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Uncategorized

Tuna are rather magnificent fish. Do you still eat tuna? Why or why not? Do you draw a line at different species?

Biodiversity Wednesday: Great Smoky Salamanders

February 2, 2011February 1, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab 2 Comments

Uncategorized

The Great Smoky Mountains are one of those places of wonder right in our own backyard. Not only have the coal and timber communities cultivated the banjo, bluegrass, and moonshine, but they are one of the most unique habitats in the world due to their forest canopy chemistry. As one of the oldest mountains chains on earth, their caps are often rounded and covered in trees, providing sheltered habitat at a variety of altitudes for critters great and small. In fact, it’s the small ones that actually deserve the most notoriety – the mountain chain boasts the highest diversity of amphibians in the world and herpetologists travel long distances to find the many salamanders hiding under the Smokies’ logs and leaf litter. This kind of refuge is increasingly important in the struggle to keep amphibians alive.