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POPSField biologist George Schaller to receive 2008 Indianapolis Prize "Dr. Schaller turns 75 in May and shows no signs of slowing down. He has worked for months on the Tibetan Plateau at altitudes of 16,000 feet and more; traveled remote, war-torn areas of Afghanistan; and, in 2006, revisited the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the site of one of his early forays into the wild in 1956 and the start of his lifelong devotion to conservation." "In recognition for his lifetime achievements, Dr. Schaller will receive $100,000 and the Lilly Medal at a gala ceremony presented by the AES Corporation and hosted by award-winning actress and environmentalist Jane Alexander on Sept. 27, 2008, in Indianapolis." "True to his view of working with locals and an eye on the future, Schaller plans to use the Prize money to give grants to young biologists in their own countries enabling them to gain experience in wildlife research and conservation." Thank you, Dr. Schaller!
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POPSNature Insight on Proteomics This Insight covers some of the most vibrant areas of research into the 'protein world', taking a journey from single protein dynamics to functional proteomics and drug discovery, through some of the latest technological developments in structural, cellular, evolutionary and computational biology.
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POPSPregnant? Backache? It could be worse It could be worse rarely seems like much consolation, but one example of the difference the back adaptations, is that half way through a pregnancy the weight can shift to be carried by the back in the same way a man can't carry a beer gut of the same weight (Luckily beer is reputed to be an excellent remedy for back ache-either you stop feeling any pain, or you have to lie down and take some weight off.)
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POPSFungus that feeds on radiation in Chernobyl A truly amazing feat of nature. From the most infamous nuclear power plant accidents in the world, life springs forth. In conditions that would kill any other organism. I have a hard time believing that it's even possible.
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POPSLions and Tigers and Bears? Oh, no! It's Aphids and Larvae and Ants!: Hilton Pond Formica ants, aphids, fly larvae, and parasitic wasps--isn't nature fascinating! It turns out that the body of the dead aphid on the fly maggot likely contained the pupa of a braconid wasp, a small parasite that lays its eggs on living aphids. The fly maggot was consuming the luckless aphid. And the ants were fooled by the maggot's camouflaging chemicals into letting it remain in the aphid herd--a wolf in sheep's clothing, so to speak. Go to the source for the whole story. It's a great website.
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POPSMillions of Missing Birds, Vanishing in Plain Sight "In our everyday economic behavior, we seem determined to discover whether we can live alone on earth. E.O. Wilson has argued eloquently and persuasively that we cannot, that who we are depends as much on the richness and diversity of the biological life around us as it does on any inherent quality in our genes. Environmentalists of every stripe argue that we must somehow begin to correlate our economic behavior — by which I mean every aspect of it: production, consumption, habitation — with the welfare of other species. This is the premise of sustainability. But the very foundation of our economic interests is self-interest, and in the survival of other species we see way too little self to care. We look around us, expecting the rest of the world’s occupants to adapt to the changes that we have caused, when, in fact, we have the right to expect adaptation only from ourselves."
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POPSAt Least 3 Good Reasons to Plant Butterfly Plants 1. You will help the butterflies find food vital for their existence. 2. You will get to enjoy the monarchs in your yard or other waystation. 3. You will get to enjoy new plants. Also, "Anyone who plants at least two species of milkweed and at least four nectar plants that bloom at different times of year will earn the right to post a certified “Monarch Waystation” sign and be listed on the International Monarch Waystation Registry maintained by the nonprofit group Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas."
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POPSLife after Chernobyl - fungi fed on radiation This also raises the possibility that animals and plants could evolve a melanin molecule efficient at protecting against a range of environmental stresses that involve cell damage, including that of solar UV radiation, the precursor to skin cancer.
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POPS"Long Live Linnaeus": a powerful & colorful force in the history of science The Linneaeus Museum and Garden sound magnificent. I would love to see them and the Swedish countryside. More from the source: “When Linnaeus started, natural history was a mess, and people needed guidelines,” said Thierry Hoquet, an associate professor in the philosophy of science at the University of Paris X-Nanterre. “Do you know in Greek myth the story of how Ariadne fell in love with Theseus, and gave him a ball of string to help him find his way out of the Minotaur's Labyrinth? Linnaeus gave us the thread.”
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POPSCarolus Linnaeus: obsessed with order and sex, classified the natural world 
From author's blog: "He talked about "concubines" and "hermaphrodites" and in one passage, described a flower's calyx as a curtained bridal bed "perfumed with so many soft scents that the bridegroom with his bride might there celebrate their nuptials. ... When the bed is so prepared it is time for the bridegroom to embrace his beloved bride and offer her his gifts." Even racier was his description of flowers with multiple stamens as having "twenty males or more in the same bed as the female." "This brought a charge of "loathsome harlotry," from Johan Siegesbeck, who ran the botanical garden in St. Petersburg and charged that "several males to one female would not be permitted in the vegetable kingdom by the Creator. Who would have thought that bluebells, lilies, and onions could be up to such immorality?" "Siegesbeck had Linnaeus' work banned in Russia as a dirty book. Linnaeus took his revenge. He named a foul-smelling and otherwise undistinguished weed Siegesbeckia after his critic
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POPSTermites are actually social cockroaches: study DNA analysis reveals some unexpected relationships among animals, including this startling discovery: The order Isoptera is no more--termites are now more properly classified as members of Order Blattodea, along with the cockroaches. Remarkable creatures, all.
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POPSExecutable Biology: Computer Science Sheds Light on Animal Development A new approach to creating biological models reveals much more about cellular processes than traditional biological models. The research scientists are excited because they will be able to save laboratory time and resources for their best leads as to how biological systems respond to variation. This could be a real boon to cancer research.
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POPSOrganic Bees NOT Dying Does size matter? Have we just pushed bees too far? Have they simply just reached their biological breaking point, further aggravated by external stresses?
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