One of the perks of being an entomologist is traveling and collecting. I put a few thousand miles on the car every summer and these are two of the best places in Arizona to collect. The top image is from the Baboquivari Mountains (Baboquivari Peak in the middle), Brown Canyon Research Station. The bottom image…
Despite being pretty disinterested in butterflies, they are pretty to look at. Here is a really great video by a guy I know down in Southern CA. His time-lapse videos of lepidoptera life cycles are pretty impressive, and this one in particular is beautiful. If you cut to about 3:00 in, you will see dozens…
The brief comment about Linus Pauling and Vitamin C below made me remember this video first posted a while ago by Pharyngula. This is Kary Mullis, the inventor of PCR, and a Nobel Prize winner. His invention basically made DNA analysis possible. But like Pauling, he is also completely and totally nuts. If you have…
This is an old image of mine, so it’s not perfect. If you can tell me this butterfly to species you get a high-five. If you know the subspecies, I’ll send you a new pack of #3 stainless steel pins! Only hint: It’s from the western USA.
Today I found this article in NY times health – touting the benefits of acupuncture used for depression relief in pregnant women. I have a few problems with the journalist, Shirley S. Wang, failing to remain skeptical in her piece. But this comes as no surprise, so I won’t bother to point out obvious flaws…
I love Ming Tsai and his cooking empire as much as the next 3-am TV viewer. Actually, his recipes are fantastic and you should make them yourself. But I have noticed an odd tendency for him to say (paraphrased) “you should always use organic, it’s much better for you”. This leaves me a bit puzzled. What…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc] I really enjoy this autotuned Sagan, makes me with I was this eloquent. Watch more videos here at the Symphony of Science.
So, how do I begin a new blog? Tough question, but perhaps this is a good time to show off a fun new species. This moth was collected last year outside of Santa Barbara, CA. The massive wingspan, at 15mm, makes it pretty large for a Gelechiid moth. The genus, Gnorimoschema (pronounced nor-a-mosh-ma), seems to…