Author Archives: elsa
Free Audio Book: The Descent of Man
LibriVox, an all-volunteer all-free audio book project, has just finished recording Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. I did a few of those many chapters, the ones on arthropods and insects, of course! “My” … Continue reading
Why Ant-garden Ants Carry Seeds
Divergent Chemical Cues Elicit Seed Collecting by Ants in an Obligate Multi-Species Mutualism in Lowland Amazonia from PLoS ONE December 30, 2010 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015822) (OK, not exactly a clip. Still clearing old grad school research off the desk, and here’s the … Continue reading
In the News: Time Flies East to West
from American Scientist January-February, 2011 This issue’s roundup looks at how an Australian culture represents the passage of time, how fear changes ecosystems, the reason that some birds have trouble watching where they’re flying, and more. Read more pdf
Speaking for the Data
Book review in American Scientist January-February, 2011 Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter. Nancy Baron. xxii + 246 pp. Island Press, 2010. $55 cloth, $27.50 paper. Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to … Continue reading
Calorie Counters, Stand Tall
from ScienceNOW Daily News November 12, 2010 How many French fries did that 3-mile stroll burn off? It depends on how tall you are. When walking the same distance, short people burn more calories per pound of body weight than … Continue reading
Local Food, Nutrition, Hunger and Bacteria
Science Cafés Focus on Food Safety and Security Originally posted on the Sigma Xi website October 26, 2010 RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — How can local food fight obesity? When do you want bacteria in your food? These and other … Continue reading
In the News: Spiders Versus Plants
from American Scientist November-December 2010 In this roundup, we learn how spiders and plants compete for food, how bacteria sniff each other out, how dog brains got contorted during domestication, and more. Read more
Forget Mice, Elephants Really Hate Ants
from ScienceNOW Daily News 2 September 2010 A nose full of biting ants can really spoil your appetite. Especially if your nose is 3 meters long. African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) avoid this discomfort by refusing to munch on acacia … Continue reading
Creating Urban Ecosystems
from Technician August 13, 2006 Will Hooker and his family grow 25 percent of the food they eat, and they do it on a 1/5 acre residential plot within walking distance of campus. This fruitful back yard isn’t just a … Continue reading