By Sarah Hird A 2014 study in Science – provocatively titled “A Jurassic ornithischian dinosaur from Siberia with both feathers and scales” – might just change how we think about all dinosaurs. Based on the age and identity of the specimen that the paper describes, the authors say perhaps all dinosaurs, not Read Full Article…
By Sarah Hird Chameleons are pretty special. With their independently moving Mad-Eye Moody eyeballs and their “live long and prosper” hands, Is Spock really a well disguised chameleon? That is not a very logical conclusion (despite their similar hand morphologies). Probably has a killer Vulcan Death grip. who isn’t intrigued by these goofy lizards? Perhaps…
By Sarah Hird Stumbled upon a great little slide show (by Josh Neufeld) with all the major pros (and some cons) of being an academic – from start to finish. There’s no script to go with the slides, but they’re put together in such a way that I think Read Full Article Here For more…
By cej9f “The love between ferns knows few bounds” Apparently, two fern species, separated by 60 million years were able to produce a viable offspring. That’s roughly the equivalent of a human being able to successfully mate with lemurs. Read about it (or listen to the story from NPRs Morning Addition) over at Read Full…
Article Abstract: Today’s Recipe: Combine equal parts Thinking you’re alone when the appearance of another person almost stops your heart “Life, uh, finds a way” Frozen …and you’ll get this great article from Scientific American about a major new discovery: fish living under 740 meters of ice in Antarctica. Researchers drilled through the Ross Ice…
Article Abstract: Although cats indisputably rule the internet, dogs have been rocking the genomic world for quite some time. NOT ANYMORE! A group of dedicated cat genomic enthusiasts recently met in San Diego to discuss moving forward on feline genomics. Read all about it over at Nature. from Nothing in Biology Makes Sense!…
Article Abstract: All of the contributors here at NiB are at a not permanent point in their career. Some are finishing their PhD, some wrapping up post docs, but all of us are on some level thinking about the next step. And as such, I am considering the perpetual question, should I stay in academia…
Article Abstract: Part of the hoopla over antibiotic resistance involves the lack of new drug targets. But this week, Ling et al. published a paper titled “A new antibiotic kills pathogens without detectable resistance” – talk about a big splash! Not only is it the first new class of antibiotic since 1987 (!) but they…
Article Abstract: As a scientist I often get questions about new and exciting science in the news! Sadly most of this isn’t new… and the excitement is false. But answering the questions, and better informing the public is worth it. The anti-vaccine movement really bothers me, and people saying “vaccines cause autism, you can’t prove…
Article Abstract: The New Year is always a great time for reflection – Science, I Choose You! has put together an extremely link-tastic review of how 2014 went in terms of women in science. It reminds us of both the good (a woman won a Fields Medal in mathematics for the first time ever!) and…