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UC Berkeley Press Release

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:41:31 -0800

New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species

Not three different species, but stages of the same species.
Image: Holly Woodward/Montana State University

New analyses of North American dome-headed dinosaurs by paleontologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of the Rockies has suggested that one-third of all named dinosaur species may never have existed, but are merely different stages in the growth of other known dinosaurs.

Birth control, the crochet way : bioephemera

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:36:54 -0700

Crocheted childbirth

The bioephemera blog alerted me to one of the most unexpected uses of crochet that I have seen. This childbirth doll was created by CozyColeman and is perhaps just a bit too detailed for me to show in all its gory details - but I rather like its wonderful bizarreness.

Here's a SFW view of newborn and placenta (for the rest you'll have to visit the Etsy site!):

PuppyCam Home

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:11:58 -0700

"Puppycam"

Northumbria Police have set up a 'puppycam' to allow the public to view the progress of Heidi and her pups (born 15 Oct), during their first few weeks before embarking on training.

dogsandfireworks.com & Help your dog cope with fireworks

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:47:09 -0700

Help your dog cope with fireworks

It's firework season here - and all that loud noise can be too much for many dogs. A friend suggested this site which provides a free e-book of advice and free mp3 file of firework noises to download and allow you to try to desensitise your dog.

I think I'll give it a go with Dippy, who really doesn't like loud bangs.

Backstage with Crowded House and the greyhounds at Rod Laver

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:22:52 -0700

Heart-warming. Wonderful to see these beautiful greyhounds being promoted as pets by Crowded House.

I homed my first retired racer, Rebel, a year ago and added Dippy this summer - they're both fantastic to have around. Here's a photo of the pair of them doing their favourite thing:

Mayford Heritage Pond

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:39:34 -0700

Mayford Heritage Pond

In 1997, the World Wide Fund for Nature set up a national pilot scheme to re-establish lost village ponds and Mayford was chosen as one of the first ten villages to take part.

This site records the development of a once-lost village pond. Fascinating and inspiring.

Home

Mon, 04 May 2009 13:26:43 -0700

"Homes needed for 11,000 Battery hens by 29th June!!"

Little Hen Rescue are attempting to find homes for ex-battery hens. I hope they succeed; they've got quite a task. For details of how you can help, visit the website.

Thanks karemb2 for alerting me to this.

Geological Society - Shell London Lecture Series (2008)

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:39:54 -0800

Shell London Lecture Series - 2008

View a series of lectures, organised by the Geological Society, from 2008. Obviously the blurb about attending the meetings is out of date, but the lectures themselves are well worth taking a look at.

The programme for 2009's lectures can be found here.

UC Berkeley Press Release

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:07:20 -0800

Snails and humans use same genes to tell right from left

A yellow and brown side-by-side pair can be seen at the right; the one closer to the
middle of the photo is dextral, and the other is sinistral. (Nipam Patel/UC Berkeley)

"Biologists have tracked down genes that control the handedness of snail shells, and they turn out to be similar to the genes used by humans to set up the left and right sides of the body.

"The finding ... indicates that the same genes have been responsible for establishing the left-right asymmetry of animals for 500-650 million years, originating in the last common ancestor of all animals with bilateral body organization, creatures that include everything from worms to humans."

Did Neanderthal cells cook as the climate warmed? - life - 27 November 2008 - New Scientist

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:43:09 -0800

Did Neanderthal cells cook as the climate warmed?

Another hypothesis as to why Neanderthals died out has been proposed:

Mutations in mitochondria which helped Neanderthals cope better with the cold in Ice Age Europe may have been detrimental once the climate started to change.

Read this short article to see why this has been suggested and how it fits in with existing hypotheses.