186 posts · 294,256 views
GrrlScientist is the blog pseudonym for an evolutionary biologist/ornithologist who writes about E3: Evolution, Ecology and Ethology, and the subtle relationships between these phenomena, especially in birds.
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- November 8, 2011
- 05:10 AM
- 547 views
The seventh starling (Murmuration)
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: What do particle physics, statistics and poetry have in common? (includes videos)... Read more »
Cavagna, A., & Giardina, I. (2008) The seventh starling. Significance, 5(2), 62-66. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2008.00288.x
Cavagna, A., Cimarelli, A., Giardina, I., Parisi, G., Santagati, R., Stefanini, F., & Viale, M. (2010) Scale-free correlations in starling flocks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(26), 11865-11870. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005766107
Hemelrijk, C., & Hildenbrandt, H. (2011) Some Causes of the Variable Shape of Flocks of Birds. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022479
- November 8, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 36,721 views
The seventh starling (Murmuration) [video] | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
What do particle physics, statistics and poetry have in common? (includes videos)... Read more »
Cavagna, A., & Giardina, I. (2008) The seventh starling. Significance, 5(2), 62-66. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2008.00288.x
Cavagna, A., Cimarelli, A., Giardina, I., Parisi, G., Santagati, R., Stefanini, F., & Viale, M. (2010) Scale-free correlations in starling flocks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(26), 11865-11870. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005766107
Hemelrijk, C., & Hildenbrandt, H. (2011) Some Causes of the Variable Shape of Flocks of Birds. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022479
- November 2, 2011
- 11:26 AM
- 982 views
Hawaiian honeycreepers and their tangled evolutionary tree | @GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Using a large DNA data set, researchers have identified the progenitor of Hawaiian honeycreepers and have linked the timing of their rapid evolution to the geological formation of the four main Hawaiian Islands... Read more »
Bock, W. (1970) Microevolutionary Sequences as a Fundamental Concept in Macroevolutionary Models. Evolution, 24(4), 704. DOI: 10.2307/2406551
JAMES, H. (2004) The osteology and phylogeny of the Hawaiian finch radiation (Fringillidae: Drepanidini), including extinct taxa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 141(2), 207-255. DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00117.x
- November 2, 2011
- 03:58 AM
- 581 views
Scientists reach new heights with gecko-inspired robot
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Engineers finally succeed at building a robot that climbs smooth walls with ease and shuffles across ceilings without crashing to earth -- just like a gecko! ... Read more »
J Krahn, Y Liu, A Sadeghi, & C Menon. (2011) A tailless timing belt climbing platform utilizing dry adhesives with mushroom caps. . Smart Materials and Structures, 20(11), 115021. info:/10.1088/0964-1726/20/11/115021
- October 25, 2011
- 04:45 AM
- 434 views
Jumping genes reveal birds and their sex chromosomes evolved together
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Avian retroposons -- "jumping genes" -- reveal that birds and their sex chromosomes evolved together, and provide us with important clues into the evolution of sex chromosomes and sex in general... Read more »
Suh, A., Kriegs, J., Brosius, J., & Schmitz, J. (2011) Retroposon Insertions and the Chronology of Avian Sex Chromosome Evolution. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28(11), 2993-2997. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr147
Nam, K., & Ellegren, H. (2008) The Chicken (Gallus gallus) Z Chromosome Contains at Least Three Nonlinear Evolutionary Strata. Genetics, 180(2), 1131-1136. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.108.090324
Shetty, S., Griffin, D., & Graves, J. (1999) Comparative Painting Reveals Strong Chromosome Homology Over 80 Million Years of Bird Evolution. Chromosome Research, 7(4), 289-295. DOI: 10.1023/A:1009278914829
- October 25, 2011
- 03:00 AM
- 3,460 views
Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo? [video] | @GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibrium
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Video proof that siphons do not require atmospheric pressure to suck... Read more »
Boatwright, A., Puttick, S., & Licence, P. (2011) Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo?. Journal of Chemical Education, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1021/ed2001818
- October 24, 2011
- 06:39 PM
- 499 views
Siphons really do suck
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Video proof that siphons do not require atmospheric pressure to suck ... Read more »
Boatwright, A., Puttick, S., & Licence, P. (2011) Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo?. Journal of Chemical Education, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1021/ed2001818
- October 14, 2011
- 01:50 PM
- 595 views
The birds and the trees
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Gray jays hoping to survive and reproduce during Canada's harsh winters must store food in the right kinds of trees ... Read more »
Strickland, D., Kielstra, B., & Ryan Norris, D. (2011) Experimental evidence for a novel mechanism driving variation in habitat quality in a food-caching bird. Oecologia. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2040-y
- October 14, 2011
- 10:42 AM
- 1,100 views
The birds and the trees | @GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibrium
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Gray jays hoping to survive and reproduce through Canada's harsh winters must store food in the right kinds of trees ... Read more »
Strickland, D., Kielstra, B., & Ryan Norris, D. (2011) Experimental evidence for a novel mechanism driving variation in habitat quality in a food-caching bird. Oecologia. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2040-y
- August 18, 2011
- 05:00 AM
- 1,276 views
Why are there so many bird species in the tropics? | GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
What can we learn about evolution, geography and biodiversity by studying continental patterns of speciation?... Read more »
Lijtmaer, D., Kerr, K., Barreira, A., Hebert, P., & Tubaro, P. (2011) DNA Barcode Libraries Provide Insight into Continental Patterns of Avian Diversification. PLoS ONE, 6(7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020744
- August 17, 2011
- 05:58 PM
- 675 views
Why are there so many bird species in the tropics?
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: What can we learn about evolution, geography and biodiversity by studying continental patterns of speciation? ... Read more »
Lijtmaer, D., Kerr, K., Barreira, A., Hebert, P., & Tubaro, P. (2011) DNA Barcode Libraries Provide Insight into Continental Patterns of Avian Diversification. PLoS ONE, 6(7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020744
Mittelbach, G., Schemske, D., Cornell, H., Allen, A., Brown, J., Bush, M., Harrison, S., Hurlbert, A., Knowlton, N., Lessios, H.... (2007) Evolution and the latitudinal diversity gradient: speciation, extinction and biogeography. Ecology Letters, 10(4), 315-331. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01020.x
Jun Chen, Qi Li, Lingfeng Kong, & Hong Yu. (2011) How DNA Barcodes Complement Taxonomy and Explore Species Diversity: The Case Study of a Poorly Understood Marine Fauna. . PLoS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0021326
Moritz, C., & Cicero, C. (2004) DNA Barcoding: Promise and Pitfalls. PLoS Biology, 2(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020354
Hebert, P., Stoeckle, M., Zemlak, T., & Francis, C. (2004) Identification of Birds through DNA Barcodes. PLoS Biology, 2(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020312
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- cytochrome c oxidase I
- glacial cycles
- evolutionary speed
- COI
- birds
- extinction
- K2P
- ornithology
- geographical isolation
- Kimura-2 parameter
- palaeoecology
- latitudinal diversity gradient
- mtDNA
- speciation
- tropics
- mitochondrial DNA
- DNA barcodes
- Marine Biology
- NJ
- Evolutionary Biology
- COI sequences
- Bioinformatics
- neighbor joining
- Genetics
- Ecology
- Zoology
- Molecular Biology
- Biodiversity
- Veneridae
- Taxonomy
- biotic interactions
- DNA Barcoding
- biogeography
- diversification
- August 5, 2011
- 10:39 AM
- 1,105 views
The decline and fall of showy bustards
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: The showiest bustards live fast and die young ... Read more »
Preston, B., Jalme, M., Hingrat, Y., Lacroix, F., & Sorci, G. (2011) Sexually extravagant males age more rapidly. Ecology Letters. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01668.x
- August 5, 2011
- 10:11 AM
- 1,414 views
The decline and fall of showy bustards
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
Why do we get old and die? Why hasn't natural selection "weeded out" those genes responsible for age-related declines? ... Read more »
Preston, B., Jalme, M., Hingrat, Y., Lacroix, F., & Sorci, G. (2011) Sexually extravagant males age more rapidly. Ecology Letters. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01668.x
- August 3, 2011
- 04:36 AM
- 1,005 views
Miniature lab can diagnose disease in the field
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: In a brilliant cross-pollination of engineering, physics and biology, scientists have developed a credit-card sized device that can diagnose HIV and syphilis in the remotest parts of the world in just minutes... Read more »
Chin, C., Laksanasopin, T., Cheung, Y., Steinmiller, D., Linder, V., Parsa, H., Wang, J., Moore, H., Rouse, R., Umviligihozo, G.... (2011) Microfluidics-based diagnostics of infectious diseases in the developing world. Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2408
- August 3, 2011
- 04:00 AM
- 1,103 views
Miniature lab can diagnose disease in the field [video] | GrrlScientist
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
In a brilliant cross-pollination of engineering, physics and biology, scientists have developed a credit-card sized device that can diagnose HIV and syphilis in the remotest parts of the world in just minutes... Read more »
Chin, C., Laksanasopin, T., Cheung, Y., Steinmiller, D., Linder, V., Parsa, H., Wang, J., Moore, H., Rouse, R., Umviligihozo, G.... (2011) Microfluidics-based diagnostics of infectious diseases in the developing world. Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2408
- July 6, 2011
- 01:33 PM
- 997 views
American crows: the ultimate angry birds?
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
ABSTRACT: Crows remember the faces of humans who have threatened or harmed them, and these memories last for the bird's lifetime (probably)... Read more »
Heather N. Cornell, John M. Marzluff, & Shannon Pecoraro. (2011) Social learning spreads knowledge about dangerous humans among American crows. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. info:/10.1098/rspb.2011.0957
- July 1, 2011
- 05:03 PM
- 913 views
How safe is mist netting for birds?
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
ABSTRACT: A newly-published study analyses the risks to wild birds of using mist nets to capture them for research ... Read more »
Erica N. Spotswood, Kari Roesch Goodman, Jay Carlisle, Renee L. Cormier, Diana L. Humple, Josee Rousseau, Susan L. Guers, & Gina G. Barton. (2011) How safe is mist netting? Evaluating the risk of injury and mortality to birds. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. info:/10.1111/j.2041-210X.2011.00123.x
- June 27, 2011
- 04:47 PM
- 883 views
The stresses of Mr Wrong
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
ABSTRACT: Having a genetically incompatible mate can increase a female bird's stress hormone levels which then can affect the sex ratio of her offspring ... Read more »
Pryke, S., Rollins, L., Buttemer, W., & Griffith, S. (2011) Maternal stress to partner quality is linked to adaptive offspring sex ratio adjustment. Behavioral Ecology, 22(4), 717-722. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr040
Pryke, S., & Griffith, S. (2009) Postzygotic genetic incompatibility between sympatric color morphs. Evolution, 63(3), 793-798. DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00584.x
- June 21, 2011
- 08:28 PM
- 915 views
The new fungus from Bikini Bottom
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
ABSTRACT: There's a newly discovered fungus amongus and its name is SpongeBob SquarePants ... Read more »
Dennis E. Desjardin, Kabir G. Peay, & Thomas D. Bruns. (2011) Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of gasteroid bolete from Borneo. Mycologia. info:/10.3852/10-433
- June 21, 2011
- 08:28 PM
- 1,256 views
The new fungus from Bikini Bottom
by GrrlScientist in GrrlScientist
What's round, bright orange, full of holes and resembles a sponge? A newly-discovered fungus that was named SpongeBob SquarePants, Spongiforma squarepantsii ... Read more »
Dennis E. Desjardin, Kabir G. Peay, & Thomas D. Bruns. (2011) Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of gasteroid bolete from Borneo. Mycologia. info:/10.3852/10-433
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