Bad Charlie!

Last week, I posted a review of National Geographic’s Great Migrations. I loved it and encouraged others to watch.
If you didn’t catch it yet, there will be new episodes this coming Sunday. You don’t just have to take my word for it, though. Lots of blogs have been talking about this series.
Read More “The blogosphere is abuzz about Great Migrations!” »
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.
Read More “Great diagrams of science: What are they doing to those animals?” »
Chapter 30 of Herman Melville’s classic – Moby Dick. Read along with us and discuss this chapter or the book as a whole in the comments. Visit this page for the complete collection to date: Finding Melville’s Whale. The Pipe This is the rage of the Captain, the king, no more can he find solace in … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale – The Pipe (Chapter 30)” »
Charlie agrees
The latest Shark Science Monday features University of North Florida researcher Jim Gelsleichter discussing how industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals that we let into the environment can negatively affect sharks. Leave a question for Jim in the comments and either he or I will get back to you. ~WhySharksMatter
Word’s fail me. Hat Tip – Sea Fever
One of my favorite parts of being a scientist is attending conferences. In addition to getting feedback on your research from leaders in your field and staying current on other people’s work, conferences are a lot of fun. When the daily sessions end, it’s basically a bunch of cool people who share your interests looking to have a good time after a long day. While most people (including myself) care more about the knowledge transfer than the celebrations (exhibit A- I’m going to a conference in Minnesota next summer) , I’ve known more than a few people who have chosen not to go to certain conferences because the host city was “boring”. This makes it all the more surprising that the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), one of the largest scientific societies in the United States, announced that their 2011 conference would be held in Salt Lake City and not New Orleans (as had originally been proposed).

Read More “Ethical Debate: Evolution, the big easy, and putting your money where your mouth is” »
Charlie couldn’t have said it better himself
Charlie heard about a place called Charles Towne Landing and just had to visit





