Wanted: An audience to learn about shark conservation

Posted on By David Shiffman

Recently, Andrew shared a video of me Skyping into a sixth grade class to talk about sharks. Long time readers and Twitter followers know that I regularly speak to local schools, community groups, conservation organizations, and even churches. I really enjoy speaking to the public about sharks, and since most of my speaking requests come from people who have previously seen one of my talks, it seems that people enjoy hearing about them from me.

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Finding Melville’s Whale – Queen Mab (Chapter 31)

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

Chapter 31 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. Queen Mab There is wisdom yet in the dreams of fools who question their master, wrathful Ahab and … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale – Queen Mab (Chapter 31)” »

An open letter about climate change to soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner

Posted on By David Shiffman 46 Comments on An open letter about climate change to soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner
Conservation

Dear Representative Boehner,

Congratulations on your party’s recent election victories. Your speech at the end of the night was particularly touching, and your personal story is inspirational. The election results do seem to signify that many Americans are not happy with how the Democratic party has been running Washington, and some change will likely be good for the country. As a scientist, however, I am deeply troubled by some of what I’m hearing about the new Republican House majority, particularly about global climate change policy.

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

Posted on By David Shiffman 7 Comments on Great diagrams of science: What are they doing to those animals?
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.

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Finding Melville’s Whale – The Pipe (Chapter 30)

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Finding Melville’s Whale – The Pipe (Chapter 30)
Uncategorized

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)” »