FAQ | Register Now | Sign In

Subscribe to the newsletter

[x]

Stay in touch with the scientific world!

Vampire Squid And The Evolution Of Cephalopod Sex

Everyone loves vampire squid, right? Their monstrous name belies their gentle nature as graceful...

Learning Science From Fiction: A Review Of Ryan Lockwood’s “Below”

In last month’s review of Preparing the Ghost, I mentioned that you can actually learn facts...

Usurped By Legend: A Review Of Matthew Gavin Frank’s ‘Preparing The Ghost’

When you read something in a book, do you believe it? You might say, “Of course not if it’s...

Squid Lady Parts

This Bobtail squid was imaged by the Deep Discover ROV in Atlantis Canyon, is less than one foot...

Danna Staaf

Cephalopods have been rocking my world since I was in grade school. I pursued them through a BA in marine biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by a PhD dissertation at... Read More »

Who Are The Ancestors Of Modern Squid?

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

Some people might suggest the nautilus as the ancestor of modern squid, since they're the only "ancient-looking" cephalopods most of us have seen. But the lineage that led to modern nautiluses and the lineage that led to modern squid diverged long before there was anything that looked like a squid.

Here is a tree of evolutionary relationships within the Cephalopoda, from the magnificent Tree of Life website.

Squid Star in Droid Game

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

More cephalopods in pop culture: not anime this time, but games! Mobile phone games, to be specific. "Squibble" sounds like a lot of fun:

A mad scientist has captured your cutesy, albeit deranged-looking octopus-self and locked you away in the attic of his mansion! Using your amazing brain-capacity (don't forget, there was once an octopus who predicted soccer finalists) and your two prehensile, sticky little tentacles, you'll need to make your way from the lab back to the ocean... where, I'm guessing you'll get eaten by a shark.

Anime-ika

Dec 03 2010 | comment(s)

Did you know about the anime Squid Girl? Apparently it came in third in the 2010 "Net Buzzword Awards," a competition that was heretofore unknown to me.

Ammonites, Monterey, And Argentina Again

Dec 02 2010 | comment(s)

Yesterday I finished two novels. One was Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and I have babbled about it here. The other was my own invention. The working title is A Girl and her Squid, and that is what it is about. I am intending to make it a great deal better--perhaps four or five hundred drafts will be enough--and then publish it.

Now, on to the squid news that I missed during the last month of frenzied noveling!

Ammonite shells have bite marks in them that suggest they may have eaten by squid:

Squid Can Fly, Hear, Teach, And Recover From (Over?) Fishing

Nov 15 2010 | comment(s)

I am 26,160 words into my squid racing novel, about halfway through the plot, and enjoying NaNoWriMo quite thoroughly. But I just had to pop out of my month of hibernation to link a few really cool squid-in-the-news stories. Evidence continues to build that squid are basically awesome:

SQUID FLY: We've known for a long time that squid can fly, but a recent review paper summed up all the evidence and made some cool calculations about velocity and body postures.

November Squid Hiatus

Nov 02 2010 | comment(s)

November is National Novel Writing Month--NaNoWriMo to those in the know. This year, for the first time, I am participating.

Today, November 1st, I started a novel about squid racing.

I have decided that Squid-A-Day will go on break for a month, so I can concentrate all my squidly energies on the novel. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you, and rest assured I shall return to my wonted non-fiction ways on December 1st.

Maybe I will even write an essay about how fiction can be an excellent venue for informal science education.

Meanwhile, here is a silly sketch from '02 to keep everyone entertained whilst I am gone: