| Scientists Criticize System of Certifying Fisheries A group of fisheries scientists argue that the Marine Stewardship Council, an influential body that ranks fish sources as sustainable, grants its seal of approval too easily. As a result, some fish populations may be more endangered than consumers believe. feeds.nytimes.com |
Today's mystery bird for you to identify | GrrlScientist This African Mystery Bird will present you with an ID challenge, and the question that accompanies it is a hint to its ID (but only if you already know what the bird is)Mystery Bird photographed at Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, northeastern Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Dan Logen, 23 January 2010. [larger view]. Nikon D300, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender, ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/1250 secDue to our historic misunderstanding of avian evolution and taxonomy as well as the vagaries of giving birds common names, part of this African Mystery Bird's common name is shared with an Australian group of birds -- and even one North American species -- none of which are closely related. Can you name this bird, and its similarly-named non-relatives?Daily Mystery Bird Rules: 1. Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification, keeping in mind that more than one field mark is often necessary to distinguish between species. IDs without any supporting information are not valid and may be deleted by the moderators. 2. Expert and intermediate level birders: do NOT try to be the first to blurt out the mystery bird's ID. Instead, please provide helpful hints, such as descriptions, literary references, puns, personal anecdotes, and other forms of discussion and assistance for beginning birders and for those following on their iPhones without naming the species. Expert and intermediate birders are free to name the bird species 24 or more hours after it was first published.3. Each mystery bird is usually accompanied by a question or two. These questions can be useful for identifying the pictured species, but may instead be used to illustrate an interesting aspect of avian biology, behaviour or evolution, or may be intended to generate conversation on other topics, such as conservation. 4. Each bird species will be demystified 48 hours after publication. 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 |
Claims to BP Fund Attract Scrutiny People are submitting questionable claims that range from grocery money to $20 billion, with little documentation. feeds.nytimes.com |
Scientist at Work: Trip to Kolombangara Island Scientists travel through one of the world's biggest lagoon systems to reach Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands. feeds.nytimes.com |
This week's science and medical blog carnivals A list of all the recent blog carnivals in the sciences and medicine that have been recently publishedDiamond Light Source Synchrotron, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.Image: GrrlScientist, 2 September 2010 [Galacticize]In addition to showing you one of the photographs I snapped whilst visiting the Diamond Synchrotron this past summer, I wanted to provide a list of blog carnivals that have been recently published. Not too long ago, I shared some of my thoughts about about blog carnivals. In that essay, I told you that blog carnivals are online electronic magazines that are administered and published on a regular basis by blog writers themselves. I also mentioned that blog carnivals played a significant role in the evolution of blog communities. The hosting blogs are an interesting combination of new writers who are seeking to establish themselves in particular topic areas, and long-time writers who remain active members of the blog carnival scene. Below the fold, I've linked to all of the recent blog carnivals that have been published in the sciences and medicine so you can explore those that might interest you. There's quite a few listed that focus on a wide variety of topics, so there should be something here for everyone. ScienceScientia Pro Publica: a rotating biweekly blog carnival devoted to promoting the best writing in the blogosphere about science, environment, medicine and nature.The 43rd edition, 25 October, was published by Traversing the Razor. The 44th edition, 8 November, will be hosted by BioFortified. Carnival of Evolution: A rotating collection of blog essays about all aspects of evolution. The 28th edition, was published at the Carnival of Evolution's index page. The 29th edition, will be hosted by Byte Size Biology. MolBio Carnival: A monthly rotating collection of blog essays discussing peer-review articles, techniques, books and related topics molecular and cellular biology. The 3rd edition, October, was published by Alles was lebt. The 4th edition, November, will be hosted by Skeptic Wonder. Carnival of the Blue: A monthly rotating compilation of the "best of" ocean blog writing. The 41st edition, October, was published by CephalopodCast. The 42nd edition, November, will be hosted by The Beacon. The Accretionary Wedge: A monthy rotating carnival that celebrates the best writing in the blogosphere about the geosciences. The 27th edition, October, was published by Outside The Interzone. The 28th edition, November, will be hosted by Research at a snail's pace . The Carnival of Space: A weekly rotating collection of blog writing about astronomy and space. The 174th edition, 18 October, was published by Beyond Apollo. Scientiae: A monthly rotating carnival that collects stories about and by women in science, engineering, technology and math.The 46th edition, October, was published by PodBlack Cat. The 47th edition, November, will be hosted by The Happy Scientist. Diversity in Science: a rotating monthly blog carnival about minority scientists. The 3rd edition, October, was published at DrugMonkey Blog. This blog carnival is currently seeking hosts.The Giant's Shoulders: a monthly rotating blog carnival that promotes writing about classic science papers. The 28th edition, October, was published at From the Hands of Quacks. The 29th edition, November, will be hosted by Heterodoxology. The Carnival of Mathematics: A monthly rotating carnival about maths and statistics. The 70th edition, October, was published at General Musings. The 71st edition, November, will be hosted by Theorem of the Day. AnimalsCircus of the Spineless: A monthly rotating blog carnival that celebrates insects, arachnids, molluscs, crustaceans, worms and most anything else that lacks a spine (except politicians). The 55th edition, October, was published at Wild About Ants. The 56th edition, November, will be hosted by CephalopodCast. An Inordinate Fondness: a monthly rotating blog carnival devoted to all things beetle-y.The 9th edition, October, was published by Beetles in the Bush. The 10th edition, November, will be hosted by Coleopterist's Corner. House of Herps, a monthly rotating blog carnival devoted exclusively to reptiles and amphibians. The 11th Edition, October, is published at Mainly Mongoose. The 12th edition, November, will be hosted by A Natural Evolution. Four Stone Hearth: is a rotating biweekly blog carnival that focuses on the study of humankind, throughout all times and places, focusing primarily on archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, bio-physical anthropology and linguistic anthropology. The 103rd edition, was published by The Prancing Papio. The 104th edition, will be hosted by Sorting out science. I and the Bird: a biweekly rotating blog carnival that celebrates the interaction of people and birds, and is an ongoing exploration of the endless fascination with birdlife all around the world.The 136th edition, 14 October, was published by The BirdChaser. The 137th edition, 28 October, will be hosted by The Greenbelt. PlantsBerry Go Round: A monthly rotating blog carnival devoted to highlighting recent blog entries about any aspect of plant life. The 31st edition, September, was published at A Blog Around The Clock. The 32nd edition, October, will be hosted by 10,000 Birds. Festival of the Trees: A monthly rotating blog carnival for all things arboreal. The 52nd edition, October, was published by Kind of Curious. The 53rd edition, November, will be hosted by Trees, Plants & more. MedicineGrand Rounds: one of the grand dames on the internets, this blog carnival has been ongoing for many years. It is a weekly rotating carnival of the best of the medical blogosphere. Volume 7, Number 4, 19 October, was published at A Medical Resident's Journey. Volume 7, Number 5, 26 October, will be hosted by Notes from Spice Island. Change of Shift: is a biweekly rotating blog carnival about nurses and for nurses. Volume 5, Number 7, 30 September, was published by EmergiBlog. Cancer Research Blog Carnival: is a monthly rotating discussion of what's new in cancer research. The 38th edition, October, was published by Highlight Health. This carnival is currently seeking hosts. GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |