Semi-Quick Links 11.4

On a Thursday!

• First, something that put a smile on my face. One of my posts was included in the most recent edition of Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) blog carnival! There are plenty of great blog posts about science in this edition about everything from drunk bats and venomous mammals to discussions of the peer-review process. So go check it out!
• Cosmic curiosity reveals ghostly glow of dead quasar– discovered through the citizen science project Galaxy Zoo!
• Do you ever get sad from reading about endangered species and losses of biodiversity? Then you must read Back from the Brink: Victories in Conservation over at Southern Fried Science. It discusses a recent paper in Science which shows conservation efforts are helping to slow extinctions. I couldn’t help but notice that a few of the success stories they highlighted are in part thanks to zoo breeding programs, including that of the the Asian Wild Horse. The Minnesota Zoo played a significant part in their recovery, and here’s a great video on that story.
• And related to my rant yesterday, I think the paper mentioned above supports how important scientific publications can be, especially considering the paper provides evidence that conservation efforts work and need more support. In addition, one of the co-authors is none other than the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Bear Biologist David Garshelis. He is also co-chair of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group, and was recently on The Colbert Report sticking to his story that he’s not afraid of bears. Videos below!

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Quick Links 10.27

I’ve had zero time to blog lately. Hopefully, I will have some time by the end of this week. But, I did still get the chance to put together a quick links for this week!

• It’s almost Halloween! If you will be giving out candy this Halloween, make sure it doesn’t contain non-sustainable palm oil that harms Orangutans and other wildlife by following the Orangutan Friendly Halloween Candy Guide (.pdf file). You can learn more about Orangutans and the Palm Oil Crisis here.
• More reasons why I wish I had a smart phone: What kind of beetle? This app knows.
• New tools use citizen science to monitor wildlife diseases and human health.
• From the Star Tribune: The Bear Whisperer. An in-depth look into Lynn Roger’s and The Wildlife Research Institutes’s Black Bear Research. However, I don’t think the article fully delivers on the “But not everyone agrees with methods of Lynn Rogers” aspect of the story and the controversies surrounding this research and bear hunting. I may write more on this if I get enough time in the near future.
• In my last Quick Links, I asked if anyone could name the favorite plant of Carl Linnaeus without looking it up. No one answered! I’ll give you all one more chance to answer (you can even look it up this time- but then you have to add some extra info you find interesting :)). Either way, I’ll write up a post this weekend with the answer.

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Quick Links 10.13

I recently discovered twitter. I had of course heard of it before and occasionally stumbled over there. But now that I’ve actually signed up and am using it, I am overwhelmed by the flow of information. There is so much to read!

Anyway, here are some links I’ve stumbled across recently. I know I wanted to add more, but I’ve read so much that I’ve lost track of them…

• New Citizen Science Project! Old Weather is a croudsource project from Zooniverse asking people to help scientists build better climate models by going through ship logs from the early 1900s. Should be fun for both history and science enthusiasts!
• In zoos, animal shelters, and in the wild, humans tend to favor helping more attractive or cute animals. Check out It’s Raining (Black) Cats and Dogs and The advantage of attractiveness… in the zoo.
• Do you think that birds sleep in nests, beavers pack mud with their tails or penguins fall over when a plane flies overhead? Then be sure to read Top Ten Nature Myths Debunked.
• Check out these photos from around the word taken during 350.org‘s global work party for climate action on 10/10/10.

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Quick Links 10.6

• The Dingo- Austrailian’s Wildlife Watchdog– This is an excellent piece similar to the recent article about wolves and Yellowstone. It lays out how apex predators are essential for a healthy ecosystem. The article is also a response to the New York Times op-ed piece on how carnivores should go extinct… Yea you read that right.
• Did you know that half of all plant and animal species live in a single country? Find out more about these Living National Treasures!
• Science Friday is facing funding cuts– When I worked in an ecology lab, Science Friday (along with other podcasts) helped me from going insane when there were weeks full of entering data or chopping up leaves. Please donate if you enjoy their programming or just want to keep science lab technicians sane.

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Quick Links 9.29

• One of my favorite features of the Planet Earth DVD set I own is the behind the scenes look at the challenges of capturing nature on film. (If you haven’t seen them, be sure to watch the Tropics: Birds of Paradise one. It’s entertaining to anyone who has every done fieldwork.) However, Chris Palmer discloses in the Washington Post (and his new book) that wildlife and nature film making isn’t as “all-natural” as you might think and addresses the ethical dilemmas this creates.
• This is a news website article about a scientific paper. And on a related note, David Rowan discusses How to save science journalism.
• From air pollution to watershed monitoring, more and more smart phone apps are being developed for citizen science.
• Ever wondered what a manatee fart sounds like?

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World Rhino Day: Quick Links & Events 9.22

Roundup of citizen science, wildlife, conservation, and ecology news, stories and events

For this week’s Quick Links & Events, I am focusing on Rhinos for World Rhino Day.

• 25 Things You Might Not Know About Rhinos from the International Rhino Foundation.
• The Economist came out with a thought provoking article on Rhino conservation earlier this month.
• There has been a number of unfortunate news stories as of late concerning Rhino poaching.
• Do you like to bowl and want to help save Rhinos? Then check out Bowling for Rhinos. It is an annual event hosted by local chapters of the American Association of Zookeepers. You can find a chapter near you by clicking here.

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Quick Links & Events 9.15

Roundup of citizen science, wildlife, conservation, and ecology news, stories and events.

News

• From visiting cemeteries to hunting for earthworms, scienceforcitizens.net came up with 10 back to school projects for citizen scientists
• Mapping Traffic’s Toll on Wildlife– New York Times article on roadkill being used for citizen science
• Protecting Tigers’ Final Strongholds & World’s Last Remaining Tigers Clustered in 6% of Available Habitat– New study lays out what needs to be done to save tiger populations
• Star Tribune’s Interactive Fall Color Report– includes pictures of leaves to identify Minnesota tree species (though, I think they should have included Northern Red Oak instead of Black Oak)
• If you’ve seen a dragonfly swarm, The Dragonfly Woman would like to hear from you.

Events

• 9.17 – 9.19- Hawk Weekend at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth. Many activities including field trips and seminars.
• 9.18 – Reminder Waterfowl Banding at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
• 10.01 – Duke Lecture: “Tracking Apex Predators”– Dr. L. David Mech and Mark Martell will speak on researching wolves, osprey, bald eagles, and golden eagles. Found originally at birdchick.com

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