All posts by erin

First Day Of School

Grad School, Zoology

Yesterday was the first day of classes for the spring semester. As much as I struggled to come back to Wisconsin this semester I know that it will be a busy and productive few months. My first class was my science elective, the Biology and Psychology of Human and Animal Relationships.

A border collie like Willie. Source: Wikimedia Commons

I was a little concerned signing up for a zoology course, considering the majority of my science background is in environmental science (with a little biology on the side.) But, I think this class will be incredibly interesting, and judging by the readings the material won’t be anything that I can’t handle.

My professor Patricia McConnell brought her dog Willie to class for the first day. He served as an example of the emotions that some humans feel toward animals, and started a discussion about why we feel more connected to animals like dogs than we do to say a chicken. Willie is a border collie and a trained sheep herding dog, so he was well behaved enough to be allowed to wander the huge lecture hall walking up and down the rows to be petted.

It is just the beginning of the semester, but already I’ve got the ball rolling on several projects. I’m still doing background for my first Primate Center assignment, but I’ve got my first interview for that scheduled for next week. I’ve got a freelance project that I’m working on that is more health/medical writing so that is also something that is taking up my time. Being so busy is helping with my homesickness.

Shark Vision: It’s a Black and White World

New Research
A great white shark. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Interesting research out of Australia analyzed the cell types in the eyes of 17 species of sharks, and found the the predators are largely color blind. The find is significant because it could help developers create new fishing industry equipment and water activity gear to reduce shark attacks based on visibility.

The researchers, from the University of Western Australia and the University of Queensland, looked for different types of cone cells in shark eyes. Humans have three different types of cones that enable us to receive and process blue, green, or red light waves. Sharks have only one cone, meaning they do not have the ability to distinguish between colors.

Just to Clarify: The Blackbird Incident

Blame the Media, Public Perceptions,

There was a great article in the New York Times about the confusion that took place between the media, scientists, the government, and the public regarding the New Year’s Eve bird deaths in Arkansas. Conspiracies Don’t Kill Birds, People Kill Birds by Leslie Kaufman does a great job of explaining how the bird story got blown out of proportion.

Red-winged_blackbirdBasically, birds die all the time. It’s not all that unusual for flocks of birds to die, according to the article’s statistics (from the National Audubon Society) approximately five billion birds die in the US every year. Rural cats kill 39 million birds a year. So basically, the whole incident wasn’t a conspiracy or a case of poison run amok. Birds die, thats kind of all there is to it.

Flying objects can interrupt birds’ flight and send them careening into buildings and billboards. So while I was pretty skeptical of the fireworks explanation on the basis that if fireworks cause bird deaths we would have heard about it before this, it is possible that was what happened in Arkansas. That would mean that all the subsequent bird death articles in the media could very well be a case of the media being bored and picking up on a story that really wasn’t a story because it happens all the time.

What’s In A Name?

New Research, Public Perceptions

I found an interesting little article (New Dehli superbug named unfairly says Lancet editor) in the BBC about naming bacteria, and whether or not it is fair to name a bacteria after a place.

Map of India. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The bacteria in question is called New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase 1 (NDM-1) and was discovered by researchers from Cardiff University in the UK. According to the BBC’s article the researchers named the bug after the city because the patient whom they first noticed it in, had been in a hospital in Delhi.

The Lancet, the journal that published the article about the bacterium has made a statement saying that the name of the bug is unfair because it stigmatizes India. The bug has since been found in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, Africa, and East Asia.

While I get why India might be pissed off (no one wants bad things named after them) I think you really have to analyze the impact that the name will have. Honestly, the bug is going to be known as NDM-1. Very few people would use the term ‘New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase 1’ in conversation. Of the people that will use and know the real name of the bug, it will not be the tourists interested in coming to India. Therefore I find the argument that the name will harm India’s tourism industry kind of overblown.

I also find it interesting that the Lancet essentially threw the Cardiff University researchers under the proverbial bus. Again, I understand that the journal has to protect itself and its reputation, but if the researchers stand by the name I don’t think its the journal’s job to denounce it. If nothing in the research is wrong factually, I don’t think the journal should issue a public statement saying that the researchers showed poor judgement. It makes me wonder who was putting pressure on the journal to make a statement.

The Plant That Took Over America

Genetics, New Research, Sequencing
Sphagnum subnitens. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

It grows, it spreads, it takes over North America… its peat moss. Now I know that peat moss isn’t exactly the most exciting of topics, but the article Single peat moss plant ‘conquered America’ stood out to me for a few reasons.

I have written a lot about genome sequencing and genetics, and this research sequenced the genome of the peat moss Sphagnum subnitens, and found that all the samples they collected were genetically identical. This means that there is a common ancestor for the peat moss that spread prolifically throughout North America. 
The research was conducted by teams from Ramapo College in New Jersey (another reason why this article caught my attention,) Binghamton University in New York, and Duke University in North Carolina.  The different types of peat moss vary in color and are found in distinct locations, which makes the 100% genetic match all the more amazing. 
The moss species reproduces sexually, but a single plant can make both the necessary sperm and eggs so its offspring are genetically identical, without being asexually reproduced clones.