10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

The potpourri covers some interesting bird related science of the last few weeks, and the promise is this: I’ll get to that other stuff soon, I promise! From Science Daily : Crows have the brain power to solve higher-order, relational-matching tasks, and they can do so spontaneously, according to new research.

Science 151

Science Iraq Oregon Charlotte 151

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

If you’re feeling fearful or ignorant, well, I can recommend vox.com’s coverage (as in most things), but you could also do worse that picking up Spillover – Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. The book is about zoonoses, diseases that jump from animals to people.

Humane 162

Humane Animal Ukraine Africa 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

There is a fantastic paper just out in Science : “Sustained miniaturization and anatomoical innovation in the dinosaurian anceestors of birds” by Michael Lee, Andrea Cau, Darren Naishe and Gareth Dyke. So, for example, humans are apes. and contains apes is referenced to indicate the complete clade.

Camels 200

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

There is a bit of science news. At some point perhaps I’ll write up for you how the evolution of humans, specifically the ape-human split, and Galapagos bird evolution are the same thing in this regard. But there were a gazillion of them. Birds Bird evolution character displacement conservation biology mumeration'

Bald Eagle 181

Bald Eagle Zoos Philippines Apes 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2013

This was the local name meaning “ugly” used for these primates by the people of the Gonder area in northern Ethiopia when the German naturalist Rüppell “discovered” this species for science in the 1830’s. Their scientific name is Theropithecus gelada, the former word meaning “beast-ape” in Greek. Gelada lip flare and yawn.

Ethiopia 160

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 160

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 20, 2007

Here are three paragraphs from a recent essay by Roger Scruton : As I suggested, science provides authority for this weird morality only when clothed in moral doctrine. They, unlike human beings, “return our affection regardless of our merits.” To live with a human being is hard; to live with a mere animal is easy.

Animal 40

Animal Apes Morals Animal Rights Movement 40

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2013

Birds are less compelling to human interest than our fellow primates, in many regards, but surely they are more arresting than a big wad of tentacled whale chow. Now why should this be? Birds cryptids Eskimo Curlew Ivory-billed Woodpecker'

Apes 160

Apes Primates Woodpeckers Whales 160