TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Microbes are eating BP oil without using up oxygen By SETH BORENSTEIN 2010-09-07T22:15:23ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- Government scientists studying the BP disaster are reporting the best possible outcome: Microbes are consuming the oil in the Gulf without depleting the oxygen in the water and creating "dead zones" where fish cannot survive.... hosted.ap.org |
Really?: The Claim: Replacing Your Desk Chair With an Exercise Ball can Improve Your Posture. Exercise balls are becoming a popular alternative to plain old office chairs, a way — some say — to burn more calories and improve posture. feeds.nytimes.com |
Mystery Bird: Zanzibar red bishop, Euplectes nigroventris This spectacular African mystery bird owes its dramatic coloring to what aspect of its natural history?Zanzibar red bishop, Euplectes nigroventris, also known as the Zanzibar bishop, photographed at Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania.Image: Dan Logen, 10 January 2010 (with binoculars).Nikon D300, 200-400mm lens at 400 ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/640 sec.Question: This spectacular African mystery bird owes its dramatic colouring to what aspect of its natural history?Response: This is a young male Zanzibar red bishop, Euplectes nigroventris, in a heavy moult. The black throat rules out other Bishop species. This bird owes its spectacular plumage to the evolutionary power of female choice. During the non-breeding season, male and female Zanzibar red bishops are visually indistinguishable. However in breeding season, this species is strongly dimorphic. The males' dramatic plumage evolved because the birds are polygynous (this is the natural history trait I was asking about) and the females select their mates based on their plumage colour. Often, all of the females in a particular location will end up selecting one or a very few males as their mates in each breeding season. There are several reasons for the females' choice: illnesses and infections are indicated by the quality of a bird's plumage. The brightest males are healthiest, and thus have better genes than those with dull plumage. This is known among biologists as an honest signal, because the male cannot fake it. Another reason for the females' choice is that bright plumage is a maladaptive trait that makes males more conspicuous to predators. Females perceive brightly plumaged males that survive as being fittest, and thus most desirable as mates.If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Letter: Animal research and the squeeze on science funding Scientists across the country will be awaiting the outcome of tomorrow's comprehensive spending review with understandable trepidation (Letters, 16 October).Inevitable cuts to the UK science budget will likely have a devastating impact on Britain's research effort. Those of us whose work focuses on or benefits from novel 3Rs approaches replacing, reducing and refining the use of laboratory animals may have particular cause for concern.Securing funding for 3Rs research is already a challenge. There are precious few dedicated 3Rs funders and mainstream funding sources seldom prioritise innovation aimed at reducing dependency on live animals or proposing entirely new approaches aimed at replacing animal models altogether.Reducing and replacing animal research wherever possible is, quite rightly, a requirement on all scientists. The government recognises the very real scientific and animal welfare advantages produced by novel alternative techniques in toxicology as well as medical research.The government's National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) demonstrates what can be achieved when sufficient state funding for alternatives is in place. After years of funding neglect, alternatives are now far better supported and consequently Britain has become a world leader in alternatives technology development. But for how much longer?Three Rs approaches like three-dimensional test tube models of disease and non-invasive neuroimaging offer exciting new answers to existing research questions. Many of the techniques already replacing traditional animal use are also far swifter and cheaper at producing results. But the societal benefits of exploiting such techniques will be lost if the funding environment becomes so squeezed that there is little room left for taking research risks. Innovation needs to be encouraged, not stifled and marginalised.Professor Geoff Pilkington University of Portsmouth, Professor Miles Whittington Newcastle University, Dr Franco Falcone University of Nottingham, Dr Charles Knowles Queen Mary University of London, Dr Craig Winstanley University of Liverpool, Professor Michael Coleman Aston University, Professor David Baker Queen Mary, University of London, Dr Leslie R Noble University of Aberdeen, Professor CV Howard University of Ulster, Dr George McKerr University of Ulster, Professor Philip Stephens Cardiff University, Dr Deborah Holliday University of Leeds, Professor Susan Jobling Brunel University, Dr Deborah Mason Cardiff UniversityAnimal researchAnimal behaviourResearch fundingHigher educationResearchguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
British barn owls rely on humans Three quarters of British barn owls now live in man-made nest boxes, according to conservationists. news.bbc.co.uk |