46 posts · 33,251 views
We present this blog with the intention to serve as a journal about the life on our planet. While we are not (yet) experts in the field, our enthusiasm and interest on the different lifeforms around this world came to provide texts and comments on new and relictic subjects. This blog came from the idea of entereing the blogroll of science writting and reviving our past sites in the subject, all in Portuguese language: BioData by Rafael and Biolista by Piter. The blog will serve as a sibling to our other existing journal, Poisor Tristesi, as well for discussing the representation of both extinct and extant life in art.
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- August 26, 2016
- 05:00 AM
- 69 views
Friday Fellow: Six-Spot Burnet
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Found in Europe, today’s Friday Fellow is a nice day-flying moth with beautiful colors and toxic compounds. Scientifically known as Zygaena filipendulae, its common name is six-spot burnet, burnet being the common name of moths in the … Continue reading →... Read more »
Zagrobelny, M., Bak, S., Olsen, C., & Møller, B. (2007) Intimate roles for cyanogenic glucosides in the life cycle of Zygaena filipendulae (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae). Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 37(11), 1189-1197. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2007.07.008
- August 19, 2016
- 07:00 AM
- 127 views
Friday Fellow: Asian Pigeonwing
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Today’s Friday Fellow is a creeping (but not creepy) plant with nice deep blue flowers shaped like a human female genitalia. Yeah, you read that right. Its scientific name is Clitoria ternatea, the genus name being a … Continue reading →... Read more »
Devi, B., Boominathan, R., & Mandal, S. (2003) Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties of Clitoria ternatea root. Fitoterapia, 74(4), 345-349. DOI: 10.1016/S0367-326X(03)00057-1
Taranalli, A., & Cheeramkuzhy, T. (2011) Influence of Clitoria Ternatea Extracts on Memory and Central Cholinergic Activity in Rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 38(1), 51-56. DOI: 10.1076/1388-0209(200001)3811-BFT051
- August 12, 2016
- 07:00 AM
- 46 views
Friday Fellow: Jataí Bee
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Certainly the most widespread, adaptable and well-known honey-producing bee is Apis melifera, commonly known as honeybee for obvious reasons. But there are a lot of other honey makers all over the world. Today I’m going to present … Continue reading →... Read more »
Miorin, P., Levy Junior, N., Custodio, A., Bretz, W., & Marcucci, M. (2003) Antibacterial activity of honey and propolis from Apis mellifera and Tetragonisca angustula against Staphylococcus aureus. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 95(5), 913-920. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.02050.x
Sawaya, A., Cunha, I., Marcucci, M., de Oliveira Rodrigues, R., & Eberlin, M. (2006) Brazilian Propolis of Tetragonisca angustula and Apis mellifera. Apidologie, 37(3), 398-407. DOI: 10.1051/apido:2006011
- August 5, 2016
- 07:00 AM
- 224 views
Friday Fellow: Beggar’s tick
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll What if the cure for cancer has been living in your garden all this time and you have been trying to get rid of it because it is an annoying weed? I cannot assure you that … Continue reading →... Read more »
Brandão, M., Krettli, A., Soares, L., Nery, C., & Marinuzzi, H. (1997) Antimalarial activity of extracts and fractions from Bidens pilosa and other Bidens species (Asteraceae) correlated with the presence of acetylene and flavonoid compounds. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 57(2), 131-138. DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(97)00060-3
Chang, J., Chiang, L., Chen, C., Liu, L., Wang, K., & Lin, C. (2001) Antileukemic Activity of Bidens pilosa L. var. minor (Blume) Sherff and Houttuynia cordata Thunb. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 29(02), 303-312. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X01000320
Chiang, L., Chang, J., Chen, C., Ng, L., & Lin, C. (2003) Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus Activity of Bidens pilosa and Houttuynia cordata. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 31(03), 355-362. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X03001090
Deba, F., Xuan, T., Yasuda, M., & Tawata, S. (2008) Chemical composition and antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oils from Bidens pilosa Linn. var. Radiata. Food Control, 19(4), 346-352. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.04.011
Kviecinski, M., Felipe, K., Schoenfelder, T., de Lemos Wiese, L., Rossi, M., Gonçalez, E., Felicio, J., Filho, D., & Pedrosa, R. (2008) Study of the antitumor potential of Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) used in Brazilian folk medicine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 117(1), 69-75. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2008.01.017
Oliveira, F., Andrade-Neto, V., Krettli, A., & Brandão, M. (2004) New evidences of antimalarial activity of Bidens pilosa roots extract correlated with polyacetylene and flavonoids. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 93(1), 39-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2004.03.026
Pereira, R., Ibrahim, T., Lucchetti, L., da Silva, A., & de Moraes, V. (1999) Immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of methanolic extract and the polyacetylene isolated from Bidens pilosa L. Immunopharmacology, 43(1), 31-37. DOI: 10.1016/S0162-3109(99)00039-9
Sun, Y., Zhou, Q., Wang, L., & Liu, W. (2009) Cadmium tolerance and accumulation characteristics of Bidens pilosa L. as a potential Cd-hyperaccumulator. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 161(2-3), 808-814. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.04.030
- August 2, 2016
- 08:07 PM
- 218 views
Gender Conflict: Who’s the man in the relationship?
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Everyone with some sort of knowledge on evolution have heard of sexual conflict, how males and females have different interests during reproduction, and sexual selection, i.e., how one sex can influence the evolution of the other. … Continue reading →... Read more »
Anthes, N., Putz, A., & Michiels, N. (2006) Hermaphrodite sex role preferences: the role of partner body size, mating history and female fitness in the sea slug Chelidonura sandrana. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 60(3), 359-367. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-006-0173-5
Janicke, T., Marie-Orleach, L., De Mulder, K., Berezikov, E., Ladurner, P., Vizoso, D., & Schärer, L. (2013) SEX ALLOCATION ADJUSTMENT TO MATING GROUP SIZE IN A SIMULTANEOUS HERMAPHRODITE. Evolution, 67(11), 3233-3242. DOI: 10.1111/evo.12189
Leonard, J. (1990) The Hermaphrodite's Dilemma. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 147(3), 361-371. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5193(05)80493-X
Leonard, J., & Lukowiak, K. (1991) Sex and the simultaneous hermaphrodite: testing models of male-female conflict in a sea slug, Navanax intermis (Opisthobranchia). Animal Behaviour, 41(2), 255-266. DOI: 10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80477-4
Marie-Orleach, L., Janicke, T., & Schärer, L. (2013) Effects of mating status on copulatory and postcopulatory behaviour in a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Animal Behaviour, 85(2), 453-461. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.12.007
Schärer, L., Joss, G., & Sandner, P. (2004) Mating behaviour of the marine turbellarian Macrostomum sp.: these worms suck. Marine Biology, 145(2). DOI: 10.1007/s00227-004-1314-x
Schärer, L., Littlewood, D., Waeschenbach, A., Yoshida, W., & Vizoso, D. (2011) Mating behavior and the evolution of sperm design. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(4), 1490-1495. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1013892108
Schärer, L., Janicke, T., & Ramm, S. (2015) Sexual Conflict in Hermaphrodites. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 7(1). DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a017673
Wethington, A., & Dillon, JR, R. (1996) Gender choice and gender conflict in a non-reciprocally mating simultaneous hermaphrodite, the freshwater snail,Physa. Animal Behaviour, 51(5), 1107-1118. DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1996.0112
- July 29, 2016
- 08:00 AM
- 199 views
Friday Fellow: Royal sea star
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll In order to celebrate the 5oth Friday Fellow, which was posted today, I decided to bring you an extra Friday Fellow! Afterall, there are plenty of interesting lifeforms to be shown. As I have never presented … Continue reading →... Read more »
Beddingfield, S., & McClintock, J. (1993) Feeding behavior of the sea star Astropecten articulatus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): an evaluation of energy-efficient foraging in a soft-bottom predator. Marine Biology, 115(4), 669-676. DOI: 10.1007/BF00349375
- July 29, 2016
- 07:00 AM
- 239 views
Friday Fellow: Cute bee fly
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Recently the appearance of a new pokémon, Cutiefly, has brought a lot of attention to the real world species in which it is based. So why not bring it to Friday Fellow so that you may … Continue reading →... Read more »
Brooks, A. (2012) Identification of Bombyliid Parasites and Hyperparasites of Phalaenidae of the Prairie Provinces of Canada, with Descriptions of Six Other Bombyliid Pupae (Diptera). The Canadian Entomologist, 84(12), 357-373. DOI: 10.4039/Ent84357-12
Jazykov (Zakhvatkin), A. (2009) Parasites and Hyperparasites of the Egg-pods of injurious Locusts (Acridodea) of Turkestan. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 22(03), 385. DOI: 10.1017/S0007485300029904
- July 7, 2016
- 02:44 PM
- 306 views
Biological fight: kites, mites, quite bright plights
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll A recently described fossil from the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte in the United Kingdom has called much attention. The appearance of the creature was build by scanning the rock and creating a 3D reconstruction of the fossil. … Continue reading →... Read more »
Briggs, D., Siveter, D., Siveter, D., Sutton, M., & Legg, D. (2016) Tiny individuals attached to a new Silurian arthropod suggest a unique mode of brood care. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(16), 4410-4415. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600489113
Briggs, D., Siveter, D., Siveter, D., Sutton, M., & Legg, D. (2016) Reply to Piper: Aquilonifer’s kites are not mites . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(24). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606265113
Piper, R. (2016) Offspring or phoronts? An alternative interpretation of the “kite-runner” fossil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(24). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605909113
- June 20, 2016
- 12:26 AM
- 238 views
The fabulous taxonomic adventure of the genus Geoplana
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Freshwater planarians are relatively well-known as those cute arrow-shaped cockeyed animals. Land planarians are far away from having all the fame of their aquatic cousins and most people do not even know that they exist. Maybe … Continue reading →... Read more »
Carbayo, F., Álvarez-Presas, M., Olivares, C., Marques, F., Froehlich, E., & Riutort, M. (2013) Molecular phylogeny of Geoplaninae (Platyhelminthes) challenges current classification: proposal of taxonomic actions. Zoologica Scripta, 42(5), 508-528. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12019
- May 31, 2016
- 11:30 PM
- 380 views
42: the answer to life, the universe and everything (i.e., consciousness)
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll In his work “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, Douglas Adams defined that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42. Now a group of scientists measured glucose metabolism in brains in a resting … Continue reading →... Read more »
Stender, J., Mortensen, K., Thibaut, A., Darkner, S., Laureys, S., Gjedde, A., & Kupers, R. (2016) The Minimal Energetic Requirement of Sustained Awareness after Brain Injury. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.04.024
- May 26, 2016
- 11:54 AM
- 368 views
Male dragonflies are not as violent as thought
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Males and females are defined by their gametes. Males have tiny, usually mobile gametes, while females have very large gametes that usually do not move. This means that females produce less gametes, but put a lot … Continue reading →... Read more »
Chapman, T., Arnqvist, G., Bangham, J., & Rowe, L. (2003) Sexual conflict. Trends in Ecology , 18(1), 41-47. DOI: 10.1016/S0169-5347(02)00004-6
Córdoba-Aguilar, A., Vrech, D., Rivas, M., Nava-Bolaños, A., González-Tokman, D., & González-Soriano, E. (2014) Allometry of Male Grasping Apparatus in Odonates Does Not Suggest Physical Coercion of Females. Journal of Insect Behavior, 28(1), 15-25. DOI: 10.1007/s10905-014-9477-x
- February 1, 2016
- 03:59 PM
- 555 views
The tegu lizard and the origin of warm-blooded animals
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Warm blood is the popular way to refer to endothermy, the ability that certain animals have to maintain a high body temperature by the use of heat generated via metabolism, especially in internal organs. Mammals and birds … Continue reading →... Read more »
KEMP, T. (2006) The origin of mammalian endothermy: a paradigm for the evolution of complex biological structure. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 147(4), 473-488. DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00226.x
Tattersall, G., Leite, C., Sanders, C., Cadena, V., Andrade, D., Abe, A., & Milsom, W. (2016) Seasonal reproductive endothermy in tegu lizards. Science Advances, 2(1). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500951
- January 25, 2016
- 11:52 AM
- 641 views
Zika virus and the negligence towards health research in poor countries
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll About a year ago, almost nobody on the whole world was aware of the existence of a virus named Zika virus and the illness it may cause in humans, the Zika fever or Zika disease. But … Continue reading →... Read more »
Kohl, A., & Gatherer, D. (2015) Zika virus: a previously slow pandemic spreads rapidly through the Americas. Journal of General Virology. DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000381
Vasconcelos, P. (2015) Doença pelo vírus Zika: um novo problema emergente nas Américas?. Revista Pan-Amazônica de Saúde, 6(2), 9-10. DOI: 10.5123/S2176-62232015000200001
- January 17, 2016
- 08:00 AM
- 443 views
The blacker the better… especially in Chernobyl
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll We all know that plants use chlorophyll and other pigments to harvest energy from light and store it in synthesized molecules, a phenomenon called photosynthesis. It’s chlorophyll that makes plants (all well as some bacteria and … Continue reading →... Read more »
Dadachova, E., & Casadevall, A. (2008) Ionizing radiation: how fungi cope, adapt, and exploit with the help of melanin. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 11(6), 525-531. DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2008.09.013
- January 10, 2016
- 07:00 AM
- 515 views
Endosperm: the pivot of the sexual conflict in flowering plants
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll The theory of sexual selection, based on the idea that there are conflict of interests between males and females, is quite recognized, but almost entirely focused on animals, especially dioecious animals, i.e., animals in which males … Continue reading →... Read more »
Baskin, J., & Baskin, C. (2015) Pollen (microgametophyte) competition: an assessment of its significance in the evolution of flowering plant diversity, with particular reference to seed germination. Seed Science Research, 25(01), 1-11. DOI: 10.1017/S0960258515000033
Beale, K., & Johnson, M. (2013) Speed dating, rejection, and finding the perfect mate: advice from flowering plants. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 16(5), 590-597. DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2013.08.005
Becraft, P. (2012) Endosperm Imprinting: A Child Custody Battle?. Current Biology, 22(3). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.043
Cailleau, A., Cheptou, P., & Lenormand, T. (2009) Ploidy and the Evolution of Endosperm of Flowering Plants. Genetics, 184(2), 439-453. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.109.110833
Dresselhaus, T., & Franklin-Tong, N. (2013) Male–Female Crosstalk during Pollen Germination, Tube Growth and Guidance, and Double Fertilization. Molecular Plant, 6(4), 1018-1036. DOI: 10.1093/mp/sst061
Lankinen, A., & Madjidian, J. (2011) Enhancing pollen competition by delaying stigma receptivity: Pollen deposition schedules affect siring ability, paternal diversity, and seed production in Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae). American Journal of Botany, 98(7), 1191-1200. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1000510
Maruyama, D., Hamamura, Y., Takeuchi, H., Susaki, D., Nishimaki, M., Kurihara, D., Kasahara, R., & Higashiyama, T. (2013) Independent Control by Each Female Gamete Prevents the Attraction of Multiple Pollen Tubes. Developmental Cell, 25(3), 317-323. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.03.013
Schärer, L., Janicke, T., & Ramm, S. (2015) Sexual Conflict in Hermaphrodites. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 7(1). DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a017673
- May 1, 2015
- 07:00 AM
- 290 views
Biological fight: the case of artificial stimuli in behavior research
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll The study of animal behavior is an important approach to understand several aspects on the ecology and the evolution of living beings, both from the analyzed animals themselves and the species with which they interact. For … Continue reading →... Read more »
Hauber, M., Tong, L., Bán, M., Croston, R., Grim, T., Waterhouse, G., Shawkey, M., Barron, A., & Moskát, C. (2015) The Value of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: Making the Case for Egg Rejection Studies in Avian Brood Parasitism. Ethology, 121(6), 521-528. DOI: 10.1111/eth.12359
Lahti, D. (2015) The Limits of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: The Umwelt Gamble. Ethology, 121(6), 529-537. DOI: 10.1111/eth.12361
Moskat, C., Ban, M., Szekely, T., Komdeur, J., Lucassen, R., van Boheemen, L., & Hauber, M. (2010) Discordancy or template-based recognition? Dissecting the cognitive basis of the rejection of foreign eggs in hosts of avian brood parasites. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(11), 1976-1983. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.040394
- January 30, 2015
- 07:00 AM
- 662 views
Friday Fellow: ‘Orange Jaguar Snail’
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Last week I introduced a land planarian that feeds on land snails, Obama ladislavii, or, as I called it, the Ladislau’s flatworm. Therefore, today, I thought it would be great to present a similar situation occurring … Continue reading →... Read more »
Lemos, V., Canello, R., & Leal-Zanchet, A. (2012) Carnivore mollusks as natural enemies of invasive land flatworms. Annals of Applied Biology, 161(2), 127-131. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2012.00556.x
- January 23, 2015
- 01:21 PM
- 827 views
Friday Fellow: ‘Ladislau’s Flatworm’
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Friday fellow is back! After almost a year, I decided to go on with it. Actually, I interrupted it because of several other activities there were requiring my attention. Now let’s move on! Today I will … Continue reading →... Read more »
Boll, P., & Leal-Zanchet, A. (2014) Predation on invasive land gastropods by a Neotropical land planarian. Journal of Natural History, 1-12. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2014.981312
- January 14, 2015
- 06:18 PM
- 746 views
Pooping to evolve: how feces allowed us to exist
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Billions of years ago, when the first lifeforms appeared on Earth, our planet was very different from what it is today. Oxygen, so essential for our survival, was not present in the atmosphere. Thanks to the … Continue reading →... Read more »
Holland, H. (2006) The oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1470), 903-915. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1838
Turner, J. T. (2002) Zooplankton fecal pellets, marine snow and sinking phytoplankton blooms. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 57-102. info:/
- July 14, 2014
- 05:58 PM
- 362 views
The polyglot bee
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Communication is essential for humans, and so it is for other animals that live in groups. It is intersting that even though modern humans only came to be about 200,000 years ago, the number of languages … Continue reading →... Read more »
Su, S., Cai, F., Si, A., Zhang, S., Tautz, J., & Chen, S. (2008) East Learns from West: Asiatic Honeybees Can Understand Dance Language of European Honeybees. PLoS ONE, 3(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002365
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