Interesting Science Picture: Part II

Figure 1. Melanosomes in the feathers of the male zebra finch. (a) Optical photographs of lateral (top) and ventral views of the specimen sampled. (b, c) Optical photographs of breast feather (b) and flank feather (c). (d-i) SEM images of melanosomes inside barbs and barbules. (d-e) Eumelanosomes (at arrows in (e) in the barb of [...]

Primate Brain Evolution And The Hobbit

BMC Biology has a 64 page paper on brain evolution in primates. The paper focuses on Homo floresiensis and concludes that (from the abstract): Our results confirm that brain expansion began early in primate evolution and show that increases occurred in all major clades. Only in terms of an increase in absolute mass does the [...]

Four Stone Hearth Volume #85 Is Up!

Check out the best that anthropology has to off at A Very Remote Period Indeed.

Herskovits At The Heart Of Blackness: A Review

Melville Herskovits was one of a number of Boasian anthropologists. Like Kroeber, and a plethora of Boas’ other students, Herskovits founded an anthropology department. He wrote economic anthropology and cultural relativism. He is not really mentioned in theoretical overviews (such as in High Points in Anthropology) and I hardly ever heard him in mentioned in [...]

PhyloCode: Love It? Hate It? Totally Indifferent To It

Lately, I’ve been getting into the literature on taxonomy and systematics. At this point I don’t know enough to say much about it one way or the other. I am interested in what you, my knowledgeable readers, think about phylocode. I’m particulary interested in what impact it will have on the taxonomy of primates and [...]

Time For A Leadership Change In The Democratic Party

At least that is what this says to me: The worst is that I can’t help but feel like the main emotion people in the caucus are feeling is relief at this turn of events. Now they have a ready excuse for not getting anything done. While I always thought we had the better ideas [...]

Sorting the butchered from the boiled: An Interesting Picture Of Collagen

Fig. 4. Shows TEM images which are representative of the collagen from the ‘cooked’ (group A) and ‘uncooked’ (group B) bones. In group A (images a, b and c) the collagen was mainly observed as long intact fibrils with frayed ends and beaded regions. In group B (images d, e and f) the collagen was [...]

Darwinism Illustrated

The picture below comes from Darwinism Illustrated: Wood Engravings Explanatory of the Theory of Evolution by George Romanes. There are over a hundred such illustrations.

Doing Science

This is great!

The Return of Northstate Science

I keep meaning to mention this, but somehow kept putting it off. Anyway, Northstate Science has returned! Welcome back!

Need Help On An Archaeopteryx Photo And Begging For An Article

Some years ago Darksyd published a picture of Archaeopteryx on my blog Transitions. I’m not sure where the picture came from but I need a high resolution copy – or any picture that refutes Hoyle’s contention that the feathers are fraudulent. Seems there is a commenter at Talk Rational propagating Hoyle’s false claims and Monad [...]

The Experimental Darwin: More on Microscopes and Plants

Darwin was quite experienced with the microscope. In this experiment we see another aspect of the “experimental Darwin”. Here Darwin is examining the effect of ammonia on plants (this is part of his research in insectivorous plants)

Missouri Becomes Second State To Introduce Creationism Bill In 2010

Sigh. Missouri has become the second state to introduce creationist legislation in 2010. Unlike the Mississippi bill, which specifically singles out human evolution, the Missouri bill is one of those “academic freedom” bills.

An Interesting Take on Avatar

I haven’t seen the movie yet. I have read a lot of the hype in the blogoshpere about it and so far this post by Amanda Marcotte has the most interesting perspective on the movie. Check it out.

Four Stone Hearth Is Up

Volume # 84 is at A Primate of Modern Aspect. Check out the best writting anthropology has to offer!