And now you know the rest of the story

For those who saw the FOX interview with MSU entomologist Dr. Cognato (Gerai, for those who didn’t, here it is), you will be interested to hear his side of the story.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?V = m7f52y4Nq4E&funkcija = player_embedded]

Take the time to register (atsiprašau, it’s annoying but I couldn’t find it anywhere else) ir skaityti reagavo į interviu . . . → Skaityti daugiau: And now you know the rest of the story

Aquamoth part 2

I came across the full-text PDF of the amphibious moth article and extracted the tree showing the radiation of this species group and probable evolution of the amphibious traits. Interesting to note the case shape, and each moth is endemic to its own volcano in the Hawaiian archipelago.

This is a Bayesian analysis of . . . → Skaityti daugiau: Aquamoth part 2

Atsakymas į praėjusios savaitės spaudos genijų

Visiems susilaikiusiems (Noriu manyti, kad kai kurie skaitytojai turėjo žinoti mūsų paslaptingo vikšro tapatybę, bet buvo per daug tingus komentuoti), štai atsakymas (po pertraukos).

. . . → Skaityti daugiau: Atsakymas į praėjusios savaitės spaudos genijų

Aquamoth!

Another amazing animal from Hawaiia completely amphibious caterpillar (published in the March 22 PNAS). While there are a few aquatic Lepidoptera, all of them have gills that keep them restricted to the water (mind you, we are talking only about the larval stage). If their stream dries up, so does the caterpillar. . . . → Skaityti daugiau: Aquamoth!

California Spring

Spring has come to northern California and moths are on the wing. I took a quick trip up to the Sierra foothills over the weekend and hiked up the steep slopes above the American River. Above is pictured Xanthothrix ranunculi f. albipuncta (Noctuidae: Stiriinae). It happens to be sitting on a beautiful california . . . → Skaityti daugiau: California Spring

Genijus spaudos, v. III

Dar viena mano mėgstamiausio serialo dalis, spaudos genijus. Šis straipsnis yra iš ABC naujienų, kas gali atpažinti šį vikšrą? Tai tikrai NĖRA čigonų kandis.

Kolegos entomologijos tinklaraštininkas Myrmecos praėjusią savaitę turėjo panašią istoriją.

Off with their heads!

(photo credit)

The monarchs have started their spring migration north and you might even see one soon (not exciting if you live in FL or HI where there are year-round residents, or in CA where there are separate overwintering spots). Reports from their winter locations in Mexico however are dismal; with possibly the lowest . . . → Skaityti daugiau: Off with their heads!

Genius of the press, part II

Published in the Santa Barbara News Press, Winter 2009. Who can tell me what’s wrong with these captions?

Page scan credit: Stuart Wilson.

Butterfly of the week

Not the typical butterflybut this is the protein folding structure from a South American hemorrhagic feverthe Machupo virus. The article was found on Science Daily. A striking resemblance to a butterfly, maybe even a Hesperiidae (photo from Butterflies of America).

. . . → Skaityti daugiau: Butterfly of the week

Thankfully, I’m not a beetle

Because I would have been subjected to this. Talk about animal cruelty! Gerai, just kidding, but this story is a bit ridiculous. The article states that the scientists had used the voice of Limbaugh because it wasreadily available”, not because they hated him. Well that turns out not to be true, they chose Rush . . . → Skaityti daugiau: Thankfully, I’m not a beetle