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Gift for the bicycle rider wine-lover
OK, firstly, TPP abhors the rush into the Christmas season, so he is very happy to be avoiding some of it. However, TPP does not live in a cave so it is hard to ignore all the ads. This particular...
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Field trip packing
The only thing worse than packing for a field trip is repacking everything for the trip home. All the careful packing has degenerated into near chaos as students have pursued their projects, and then...
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Hyperamminids: A Rough Retort
Hyperammina elongata, photographed by Onno Groß.Agglutinated foram time again! In previousposts, I've described how these aquatic amoeboids construct coverings for themselves by cementing together...
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My Favorite Time of the Year
From hereOne of the courses I teach culminates with blog posts written by the students. This is the third year I have used this assignment and is one assignment the students actually enjoy doing (at...
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December 2013 Desktop Calendar
The fact that I have exhausted my moss photos from summer hiking definitely means that I am in need of some outdoor time with plants. Fortunately winter in California means it is possible to see mosses...
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Two new books on evolution
Here are two new books on evolution. I wrote chapters for both :oPredicting Evolution and Visualizing High-Dimensional Fitness LandscapesEffects of Epistasis and Pleiotropy on Fitness LandscapesYou can...
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Turtle Moms Choose Their Babies' Genders by Where They Build Their Nests
If turtles had realtors, their motto would also be "Location, location, location!"—but not because they care about a scenic vista. The spot a mother turtle chooses to dig her nest determines whether...
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What's the deal with inclusive fitness theory?
You may not be aware of it, but there is a battle afoot in the theory of evolution. The fight is over inclusive fitness theory—an approach to studying the evolution of cooperation. I, together with...
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Return, re-entry, and readjustment
Returning from the tropics to the northern temperate late fall is not a good idea, just a necessity. At the coffee shoppe this AM the friendly clerk asked if it were still warm outside? It was 40 F....
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Cloud of dots or person walking in a snowstorm? Paranormal believers see...
Imagine yourself walking on your own through a dark forest. Each and every movement that you perceive will result in the feeling that another person or animal is present. From an evolutionary point of...
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Isotope and the hidden women of science
It was a century ago today that the word isotope first appeared in print, in a letter to Nature from Frederick Soddy, who would go on to win the Nobel prize in 1921. Nature Chemistry has a Thesis...
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80 years of wetness
80 years ago this week the 21st amendment was ratified which repealed the 18th amendment and the 13 year social experiment in the USA called prohibition ended. Of course prohibition did not mean...
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Leaping Land Fish Has Perfect Camouflage, Is Not a Hoax
You might never spot them if not for the jumping. On the coast of Guam, Pacific leaping blennies blend in perfectly with the rocks they live on, their limbless bodies maintaining a sleek profile. But...
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New discovery of something old in Costa Rica
TPP has been going to Costa Rica for research and teaching for 20 years, so discovering completely new things outside of the rainforest happens a lot less frequently. So it was with a bit of surprise...
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The Signature of All Things: Part 2 - Catching bryophyte fever
***Spoiler Alert*** This post may contain plot details and quotes from Parts 1 & 2 of The Signature of All Things. Proceed with caution! The second part of The Signature of All Things focuses on...
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TMI Friday: The worst way to be caught dead
There are many things that we all do in our private time when no-one can possibly see us. Things that could potentially embarrass us. Like farting yourself a warm spot in bed. Or rearranging ones...
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End of the semester student blues
To compensate for a missed class, TPP's students were given an out-of-class assignment before Thanksgiving break that is 16 days ago and it was due today. However on Weds when normally they would have...
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Controversial GMO corn study being retracted over the authors' objections
Retractions are always interesting. When a scientific paper is retracted, it usually means the authors have found a serious error, and that the major conclusions are no longer valid. The error can be...
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The future of nuclear energy: Let a thousand flowers bloom
The interior of a TRIGA nuclear reactor at Oregon State University (Image: Oregon State University)In the summer of 1956, a handful of men gathered in a former little red schoolhouse in San Diego....
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Wintery weather
A light dusting of snow and the gathering dusk has produced a rather cold-looking landscape study in black and white. After the lushness of the tropical rain forest this stark coldness is particularly...
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