Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 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 a three gene phylogeny constructed with EF1-alpha, CAD and COI. If anyone wants a copy of the paper, send me a note. Pulled from: Ρούμπινοφ Δ., Σμιτς Π., Πολλαπλές υδρόβιες εισβολές από ένα ενδημικό, γήινος, Ακτινοβολία σκόρου Χαβάης. PNAS Μάρτιος 2010.
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 UR6FVJ2S3B8H
Τίποτα κακό με την καθιερωμένη θρησκεία…
Μπορείτε να διαβάσετε τα πάντα για την ιστορία του από το NY Times. Νομίζω ότι το πιο τρομακτικό σε όλο αυτό το σκάνδαλο κακοποίησης (σκάνδαλαςςςς) είναι ότι η εκκλησία πιστεύει στην πραγματικότητα ότι αυτό είναι έργο του σατανά – όχι τα στριμμένα μυαλά μεμονωμένων ανθρώπων. Ναί, “ο Διάβολος εργάζεται μέσα στο Βατικανό”, Γιατί λοιπόν να τιμωρηθεί ένας άνθρωπος που χρειάζεται απλώς να νικηθεί ο διάβολος? Αα περίμενε, δεν ξορκίζουν καν τους ιερείς γιατί είναι απλώς ένα “πειρασμός” με νέους, κουφός, αγόρια. Τότε πώς γίνεται που αυτοί οι παπάδες που τόσο εύκολα μπαίνουν στον πειρασμό έφυγαν σε θέσεις εξουσίας? Η απάντηση είναι εύκολη… όπως κάθε κυβέρνηση, η καθολική εκκλησία είναι βαθιά ανίκανη.
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 Για όλους όσους απείχαν από την ψηφοφορία (Θέλω να υποθέσω ότι ορισμένοι αναγνώστες πρέπει να γνώριζαν την ταυτότητα της μυστήριας κάμπιας μας, αλλά ήταν πολύ τεμπέλης για να σχολιάσουν), εδώ είναι η απάντηση (μετά το διάλειμμα).
Continue reading Answer to last week’s Genius of the Press
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 24th, 2010 
Another amazing animal from Hawaii – a 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. The novel adaptation in these insects is the ability to live comfortably, and apparently indefinitely, on dry land ή submerged in fresh water – a trait distinctive to these 12 new species of Hyposmocoma (Cosmopterigidae). This is unique not only to Insects, but to all known animals. Υπάρχουν, of course, amphibians. But unlike these caterpillars they require moisture to survive and often desiccate rapidly. Hyposmocoma thrive in desert like conditions, or submerged for weeks. Not only were 12 different species discovered (that are also the first known caterpillars to eat snails), but it even appears as if this amphibious ability has evolved three separate times. Clearly the selective pressures on small lepidoptera in these areas are extreme.
The Lepidoptera as a whole have evolved a full range of adaptations, including species that are parasitic, detritivorous, fungivorous, endophagous, carnivorous (also on Hawaii), aquatic and now fully amphibious. Hummm, sounds like a bad song (to this music). Σαφώς, leps are cooler than any other order.
Perhaps if I were Rubinoff I may have named one moth Hyposmocoma aquamana. Φυσικά, Aquaman was pretty worthless on the land… so maybe it should have been H. potioaquamana (potio- coming from the Latin for superior or more effective).
Με τον Chris Grinter, στις 22 Μαρτίου, 2010
Η άνοιξη έχει έρθει στη βόρεια Καλιφόρνια και οι σκώροι είναι στο φτερό. Έκανα ένα γρήγορο ταξίδι μέχρι τους πρόποδες της Σιέρα το Σαββατοκύριακο και ανέβηκα στις απότομες πλαγιές πάνω από τον ποταμό Αμερικανό. Παραπάνω εικονίζεται Xanthothrix ranunculi f. albipuncta (Noctuidae: Stiriinae). Τυχαίνει να κάθεται σε μια όμορφη παπαρούνα της Καλιφόρνιας. Το φυτό υποδοχής, ωστόσο, είναι Coreopsis stillmanii και αναπτύσσεται σε μικρά κομμάτια φιδίσιων εδαφών σε πλαγιές με νότιο προσανατολισμό κατά μήκος της κεντρικής κοιλάδας. Εδώ είναι ένα Ξανθόθριξ κάθεται στον οικοδεσπότη.
Αυτός ο σκόρος αρχικά περιγράφηκε ως μια μορφή Χ. ranunculi σε 1925 (μορφή ισούται περίπου με υποείδη σήμερα), και μετά εντελώς ξεχασμένοι και αόρατοι μέχρι 1990. Έμεινε εκτός μιας σημαντικής αναθεώρησης της υποοικογένειας, οπότε η νόμιμη ιδιότητα ως υποείδους ή πλήρους είδους παραμένει άγνωστη. Μείνετε συντονισμένοι.
Με τον Chris Grinter, στις 19 Μαρτίου, 2010 Yet another installment of my favorite series, the genius of the press. This article comes from ABC news, who can identify this caterpillar? It is decidedly ΔΕΝ a gypsy moth.
Fellow entomology blogger Myrmecos had a similar story last week.
Με τον Chris Grinter, στις 19 Μαρτίου, 2010  (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 population size since the colonies were discovered in 70’s. A few bad storms in and along the butterfly’s route, coupled with habitat fragmentation and logging, has probably killed 50-60% of the mexican monarch population (according to reports below).
 (credit)
Is this anything special to be concerned about? I don’t particularly think so. Weather was the key player in this year’s record low population, and I can imagine the butterflies have seen numbers this bad before us humans were around to count them. I will bet anything on the population making a recovery in the years to come, no need to run around screaming, the monarch will be in your garden this summer and next.
Monarchs are pretty and kids love them, so it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to figure out why so much effort is put into monitoring them. But as a lepidopterist, nothing is as boring as yet another report on the “plight” of the monarchs Zzzzzzzzzzzz. I tend to believe there are more pressing issues to be concerned about, such as the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss in the face of scientific ignorance. Monarchs do play an important role as a public mascot and even as a figurehead species that help preserve precious habitat – but let’s use them as a foot in the door for further education. Ναί, ο Monarch Butterfly Fund, is striving for habitat protection and sustainability. A good thing. I understand that this achieves a positive outcome, but why only in the name of the monarch? This seems like a spectacular opportunity for science education that is just rounded down to “save the monarch”. These forests serve as much more than a shelter to one butterfly species and even more than “an important carbon sink and oxygen generator”.
My interpretation.
Instead I suggest this. It is by far, orders of magnitude, more interesting:
[κάτι που δεν αποτελεί έκπληξη αφού κάθε έξυπνο άτομο που κατανοεί τις πραγματικές αρχές της ομοιοπαθητικής θα πρέπει να γνωρίζει καλύτερα://κάτι που δεν αποτελεί έκπληξη αφού κάθε έξυπνο άτομο που κατανοεί τις πραγματικές αρχές της ομοιοπαθητικής θα πρέπει να γνωρίζει καλύτερα?v=eGYAMDGMraA&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 13th, 2010 Published in the Santa Barbara News Press, Winter 2009. Who can tell me what’s wrong with these captions?
Page scan credit: Stuart Wilson.
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 13th, 2010 As if educational standards weren’t bad enough in this country, Texas has decided to make them worse. A recent push from a conservative school board has re-written history, literally. The logic may be a bit difficult to follow, but they have attempted to “balance” history by injecting more conservative ideals (mind you, no one is a historian on the board). What is to be changed:
- Adding confusion on separation of church and state – (ναί, we know it’s not literally in the constitution. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.)
- Discussing how christian ideals helped to found our country.
- Conservative resurgence in the 80’s and 90’s, including the Moral Majority and the NRA.
- Discussing the violent nature of some civil rights movements and republican support of congressional civil rights votes.
- Adding that Germans and Italians were interned as well, not just the Japanese during WWII.
- Adding how senator McCarthy was correct in being paranoid over communism.
- Replacing the word “capitalism” with “free-market enterprise”.
- Removal of Thomas Jefferson from sections of the book.
This entire change is ghastly. I don’t have a problem mentioning some republican presidents and their positive role in history, or the role of the GOP. History may be written by the victors, but it should strive towards fair and balanced. The alterations made above are absolute bullshit and only serve to further their conservative, religious, agenda. What really pisses me off is the alteration of the civil rights movement and Japanese internment. Just because a bunch of old, fat, white men in congress realized they better pass civil rights laws does not mean they should deserve credit for it. Και, are they really expecting us to believe that internment was not focused on the Japanese? That entire chapter in our US history is undeniably horrible and shameful, it was also fueled by racism. I do not understand how supporting bigotry and racism is considered a conservative value. Why must they unashamedly, and ignorantly, re-write history to further their agenda? The poisoning of the GOP and conservative values by religion is all to clear in this case. The bread and butter of religious fundamentalism is inculcating the youth. This strategy is very successful when you encourage large families and insane devotion. Now that the majority of conservatives are religious they are spinning their webs onto our children (Καλά, your children).
The worst is yet to come. Texas and California are the largest textbook markets in the country. If they pass legislation mandating the alteration of texts then the publishing companies must fall into line. Since printing different versions of books for different states is financially unfeasible, then only ONE book gets printed for US schools. If Texas successfully adds this BS to the history books then every public school in the US gets force fed (or as republicans like to say – rammed down our throats) these books.
What is a conservative today if not religious? What is coming next: insertion of more “balanced” ideals of global warming, cloning and evolutionary biology. Μείνετε συντονισμένοι.
Fail to Texas.
Με τον Chris Grinter, on March 10th, 2010 I post someone else’s. Came across this series in a PZ Myers lecture, pretty entertaining and you should go check out Mr. Deity yourself.
[crackle src=/p/Mr._Deity/Mr._Deity_and_the_Messages.swf&fv=id=2021384&mu=0&ap=0]
|
Σκεπτικισμός
|
τα σχόλια είναι κλειδωμένα 
