Behavioral Ecology Blog

I believe PZ has the corner on the Egnor-bashing… Thanks PZ.
He mangles science, now he defames history. Michael Egnor is like the Swiss army knife of creationist hackery.
Former Vice President Al Gore famously claimed to have invented the Internet because years ago he was in the Senate and sponsored a bill. The assertion that Charles [...]

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Does anybody know what the relationship is between autoimmunity and MHC heterozygosity? I am wondering if people suffering from MHC linked autoimmune disorders are more or less likely to be heterozygous at a given locus.

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Germ-line chimerism and paternal care in marmosets (Callithrix kuhlii)
The formation of viable genetic chimeras in mammals through the transfer of cells between siblings in utero is rare. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we show here that chimerism in marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii) twins is not limited to blood-derived hematopoietic tissues as was previously described. All somatic tissue [...]

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C’mon are these guys serious? They are apparently unaware that generally speaking, non-human males are not visually stimulated as are human males- can you say abstraction?? Morons…

Authorities at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand hope the images will encourage him to mate with his partner, Lin Hui, and serve as an instructional [...]

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My day just got a lot better! I’m not sure I’ll be able to do anything else but smile and brag for the rest of the day!!

Dear Matthew MacManes:
Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) award. [...]

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Here is the intro to an old essay by Geoffrey Miller, on why we buy the crap we do.

At the top of Sennheiser’s range is the “Orpheus Set”, stereo headphones that retail for 9,652 pounds. They are good headphones no doubt, well-reviewed and finely crafted. But to most ears, they deliver a sound [...]

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I am an environmentalist, I try to conserve and be respectful of nature. I completely agree that human consumption vastly oversteps production, and that this is not sustainable. We are the primary cause of global working, contemporary mass extinctions, and most other bad things. There are MANY ways to go about changing things, ceasing [...]

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There is an interesting post over at bug_girl where she argues against the idea that rape is adaptive. Now before everybody gets their dander up. I am talking about non-human animals, and do not endorse rape as a human strategy- but only because it violates Kant’s categorical imperative.. The idea is [...]

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A few months ago, I was motivated to muse about all the reasons I hate starbucks.. I posted them here. In summary, Starbucks coffee:

Is expensive
The people are pretentious
The coffee tastes like shit- remember- even McDonalds is better!
Their business practices are not eco-friendly.
No (or very limited) Fair Traded coffee
Bad music…

Now, even worse.. Starbucks coffee is supporting [...]

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A new blog popped up on my radar today: Bug_Girl Blog, which I saw after she left a comment on my success in academia post.
Bug_Girl writes about bugs and science in general, out slacker prez and politicians, and other cool stuff. Go visit her..

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