Ecology & Zoology

First of all, yes, I know not to expect any better of the Express. But it's coming up on a year since Squid Says: What's for Dinner? Probably Not You, so it must be time for another rant. I just can't help taking the bait, even though this i ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Sep 3 2010 - 12:06pm

Saola: 'Unicorn' Sighted In Laos

A non-mythological unicorn? So it seems. Unicorns have been mentioned throughout history, in mythology and in the works of The Bible and Pliny the Elder's Natural History. Today the modern westernized unicorn is pure white and hangs out with v ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 17 2010 - 1:40pm

Waking Up Too Soon: White-Nosed Syndrome

The United States is home to some 40 different species of bat. Thanks to stories of blood-sucking vampire bats, they've somewhat developed the reputation of a fearsome pest, but in fact they are a vital part of our local environment. Many bats can ea ...

Article - Jane de Lartigue - Sep 22 2010 - 4:12pm

Drug Resistance- How Bugs Adapt!

We know bugs adapt to resist drugs. How do they do it? We help them, really. Incomplete dose regimen, self prescription and indiscriminate disposals let them develop resistance. One of the ways by which antibiotics work is by inducing heavy metal (such as ...

Article - Raghuveer Ramacha... - Sep 26 2010 - 10:59am

No Tuxedo- Prehistoric Giant Penguin Inkayacu Paracasensis Was Brown And Grey

A 36-million-year-old penguin fossil from Peru shows the new giant penguin's feathers were reddish brown and grey, much different from the black tuxedoed look of living penguins- and it had scales. The new species, Inkayacu paracasensis, or Water Kin ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 30 2010 - 4:53pm

Squid-A-Day Returns, Squid Day Coming Up

The dissertation is complete, the post-dissertation vacation is finished, and Squid-A-Day is back, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! And oh boy, have I got news for you. It's no accident that Squid-A-Day is emerging from its PhD chrysalis (note to self: n ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Oct 1 2010 - 6:03pm

But is it so obvious?

Geoffrey Lean, the hard-pressed environmental correspondent of the Telegraph, has come in for some stick again. He published Rubbish saves birds, a major study finds And this was typical of the replies. Gosh! Incredible scientific insight. Animals thrive ...

Blog Post - Robert H Olley - Oct 2 2010 - 3:08pm

The Robust Clubhook Squid Is Also Quite Large

Humboldt squid have gotten so much press off the west coast of the Americas that pretty much any big squid found in these waters is immediately labeled a Humboldt. For example, a Mr. Anderson and his dog Chance recently found a Big Squid Strayed Too Far No ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Oct 2 2010 - 3:50pm

Sloppy eating habits can be hazardous to your health

If you're a squid, that is. Apparently squids of the species Martialia hyadesi like to eat oily fish. They're messy, so they leave oil in the water, which floats to the surface. Grey-headed albatrosses, meanwhile, like to eat squid. They cue in t ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Oct 3 2010 - 10:19pm

Sonar, Squid, and Oxygen

US News&World Report has a nifty writeup from the NSF about research on Humboldt squid, featuring my PhD advisor and various collaborators. Both the title and the subtitle make me laugh: Exploring How Jumbo Squid Use Oxygen to Survive Research could ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Oct 5 2010 - 12:49am