Old Weblog - February 2004
Antarctic organisms face an onslaught by prospectors anxious to exploit their unique nature, the United Nations says. The UN University says "extremophiles", creatures adapted to life in the polar wastes, are being relentlessly hunted in what is virtually a new gold rush.
A group of scientists has created the first comprehensive evolutionary reconstruction of the many families of flowering plants, an achievement that could aid in the search for plant-based cures for diseases and improve agricultural crops.
The decline of wildlife in England's lowlands is still continuing, experts say, despite several positive moves. English Nature, which advises the government on wildlife, says tackling the problems of individual vulnerable areas will not retrieve the situation. It says the only way of reversing the decline will be to manage the lowlands as whole landscapes, not separate bits.
Up to 500 dinosaur groups may remain undiscovered, yet our knowledge of the creatures and how they were related is relatively complete, a scientist says. The figure of 500 may seem a lot, but this is a maximum possible value. The expert behind the study actually thinks the dinosaur fossil record is between one-half and two-thirds complete, which is comparatively good. The data comes from an analysis of more than 250 dinosaur groups and their family tree branches.
Interesting article, but I do wish the BBC would stop referring to dinosaurs as dinos.
A special brew commemorating the achievements of Charles Darwin will soon be available in pubs across Shropshire after a county brewery re-launched its 'Natural Selection' ale.
I must have died and gone (rather unexpectedly) to heaven: my twin obsessions of Charles Darwin and lovely warm British ale combined in a pint glass.
London's Natural History Museum will be unable to compete as one of Britain's leading tourist attractions without more funding, a report has warned. Academics said inflation-proof government grants alone would not protect its long-term future.
A tiny fossil preserved in red sandstone from Scotland has been identified as the oldest known insect. The fossil suggests insects were among the earliest animals to live on land and that winged flight may have emerged earlier than previously thought.
Supposedly fearsome rattlesnakes are much more social, caring animals than their detractors would have us believe, according to new research. A US biologist has shown that timber rattlesnakes lead rich social lives and may even form family groups.
I celebrated Darwin Day in the Canary Islands, drinking beer and photographing tame(ish) macaws.
Ambitious plans to honour the lives and adventures of two famous 19th- century explorers have been unveiled. A bid for more than £500,000 is being put together to fund a visitor attraction centre in Halesworth to pay homage to [Darwin's close friends] Sir William Hooker and his son, Sir Joseph. The pair, whose roots run deep in East Anglia, were equally well known for their outstanding contributions to the botanical world and were the first directors of the internationally-renowned Kew gardens in London.
The fraction of left-handed people today is about the same as it was during the Ice Age, according to data from prehistoric handprints. They were found in caves painted during the Upper Palaeolithic period, between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago. Left-handedness may have conferred prehistoric man advantages, such as in combat, say the researchers … They suggest that because left-handedness is relatively rare it provides certain advantages over those who are right-handed, such as in solo and group fighting.
Oh no, not again! Why do people have to assume that every biological curiosity must have selective advantage? Yes, there probably is an advantage in being left-handed when it comes to fighting (and playing tennis)—because your opponents won't be so used to south-paw adversaries—but, if there was any real advantage in left-handedness, there would be more left-handers. I much prefer the 'explanation' that whether you are right-handed or left-handed is an outcome of some other selected genetic trait (most probably something affecting the the brain), but is itself irrelevant in terms of selective advantage. Who knows, perhaps the phenomenon of handedness only exists at all because there isn't sufficient selective pressure for ambidextrousness. I mean, if walruses exhibit handedness (or, more accurately, flipperedness), why shouldn't humans?
All 300 domestic purebred dog breeds fall into one of 10 major groupings, scientists have told a US conference. A study of genetics and even historical records has revealed how close the breeds are to each other and the order in which they emerged over millennia … Virtually all modern purebred dogs are thought to have evolved from just a handful of grey wolves in Asia about 15,000 years ago. Pressed into the service of humans, they were bred to bring out traits that would help them fulfil certain roles, such as hunting and guarding. Today, Canis familiaris, to give it its formal scientific name, shows more variation in shape, size, colour and behaviour than any other mammal on the planet.
Darwin would have been delighted with the results of this study into Man's favourite domestic animal.
One of the world's most enduring naval mysteries - the fate of HMS Beagle, the ship that carried Charles Darwin round the world and led him to develop his theory of natural selection - may finally have been solved. Advanced ground-penetrating radar could have located the ship, which disappeared more than a century ago, near Potton Island in Essex. The discovery has been made by one of the world's leading marine archaeologists, Robert Prescott of St Andrews University. 'I am quietly confident we have found the Beagle,' he said.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if he's right?
See also: Darwin's Beagle ship 'found' (BBC: 27-Feb-04)
See also: Darwin's Beagle ship 'found' (BBC: 27-Feb-04)
The human brain may have started evolving its unique characteristics much earlier than has previously been supposed, according to new research. Hominid brains were being reorganised before the growth in brain size thought to have established a gulf between human and ape abilities, it is claimed.
Drops in the number of fish thrown back by fishermen are forcing a scavenging seabird [the great skua] to prey on fellow birds such as puffins and guillemots, scientists say.
Researchers at York University in Toronto, Canada, say women are prone to be at their cattiest when they are at their most fertile. They are more likely to criticise other women's appearance during the days around ovulation. The aim is to attack rivals to boost their own chances of finding a mate.
…because, as we all know, men find catty women so attractive.
Experts from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities have found that some species are capable of influencing whether to produce sons or daughters. Species examined for the study included zebras, gazelles, deer and goats. It will explain in full why some species are capable of producing sons when conditions are conducive to childbearing, and daughters at less favourable times.
More than 180 countries have signed an agreement that it is hoped will slow the loss of species and habitats around the world. Delegates agreed to set up networks of protected areas on land and sea and to offer incentives for poorer nations to better protect the environment.
The Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia will be largely destroyed by 2050 because of rising sea temperatures, according to a new report.
Researchers from Queensland University's Centre for Marine Studies said there was little evidence that corals could adapt quickly enough to cope with even the lowest projected temperature rise of 2°C.
The original manuscript of Charles Darwin’s work On the Origin of Species, as well as his proposals and outline of the contents of the highly valuable work is but one of the works in the John Murray Archive, a collection - made by seven John Murrays who ran the family publishing house, launched in 1768, for more than 200 years - which is set to be moved to Scotland from its current storage in London. The Scottish Executive appears poised to back the National Library of Scotland bid to buy the collection for close to £33 million.
More than 30 scientists and several giant tortoises are being held hostage by striking fishermen in the Galapagos islands. The fishermen are demanding greater freedom from conservation measures that restrict their activities. But local environmentalists say the measures are vital for the islands.
Postscript: The incident is now over.
In early December, a local Baptist minister, Curtis Brickley, put up handbills inviting residents of [Darby, Montana], population 754, to a meeting in the junior high school gym. The topic was the teaching of evolution in the Darby schools… There, the well-spoken minister delivered an elaborate PowerPoint presentation challenging Charles Darwin's theories… Within days, a group of parents, business people, teachers, students and other residents mobilized to defend Darwin against Mr. Brickley's challenge.
Way to go! Take no prisoners.