July 7, 2006, 7:22 AM CT

Tigers Get A Business Plan

The Wildlife Conservation Society has launched an ambitious new program that calls for a 50 percent increase in tiger numbers in key areas over the next decade, as per an article in this week's journal Nature. The new initiative, called "Tigers Forever," blends a business model with hard science, and has already attracted the attention of venture capitalists who have pledged an initial $10 million to support it.

The program involves a dozen WCS field sites where an estimated 800 tigers currently reside. Building on WCS successes in places like India's Nagarahole National Park and the Russian Far East where tiger numbers have rebounded, the new plan says that tigers can grow to an approximately 1,200 individuals across these sites. The total population for tigers remains a mystery, though some researchers think that perhaps 3-000-5,000 remain in the wild.

Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, who directs WCS big cat programs, notes that this kind of accountability with specific numbers over a specific time period, is a new concept for conservationists. "We're putting our reputations on the line and holding ourselves accountable that we can grow tiger numbers," said Rabinowitz. "At the same time, we have the knowledge, expertise and track record to accomplish this goal."

The plan calls for working closely with local governments and other partners to gain baseline knowledge on tigers in places like Myanmar's Hukawng Valley - the world's largest tiger reserve - while stepping up anti-poaching activities in other sites, including Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng and Thung Yai protected areas. In some sites, like the Russian Far East, tiger numbers may not increase from their current estimated population of 500 animals.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink         Source

July 4, 2006, 9:58 AM CT

The Birds and the B's European Starling

The European starling - long known as a virtuoso songbird and as an expert mimic too - may also soon gain a reputation as something of a "grammar-marm."

This three-ounce bird, new research shows, can learn syntactic patterns formerly believed to be the exclusive province of humans.

Led by Timothy Q. Gentner, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego, a study reported in the April 27 issue of Nature demonstrates that starlings have the capacity to classify acoustic sequences defined by recursive, center-embedded grammars.

Recursive center-embedding refers to the common characteristic of human grammars that allows for the creation of new (and grammatically correct) utterances by inserting words and clauses within sentences - theoretically, without limit. So, for example, "Oedipus ruled Thebes" can become "Oedipus, who killed his father, ruled Thebes" or "Oedipus, who killed his father, whom he met on the road from Delphi, ruled Thebes," and so on.

Chomskian linguists have held that this recursive center-embedding is a universal feature of human language and, moreover, that the ability to process it forms the computational core of a uniquely human language facility.

"Our research is a refutation of the canonical position that what makes human language unique is a singular ability to comprehend these kinds of patterns," Gentner said. "If birds can learn these patterning rules, then their use does not explain the uniqueness of human language."........

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July 1, 2006, 9:17 AM CT

Don't Swat at Yoda

Ever wonder what it would be like to see Yoda fly by your head or hear Chewbacca buzz instead of roar? Now you can find out thanks to entomologists Arnold Menke and David Vincent. These bug experts named new wasp species discovered in 1983 after their favorite Star Wars characters: Polemistus chewbacca, Polemistus vaderi, and Polemistus yoda.

"For a recent paper we chose to review the New World species of the poorly-known wasp genus Polemistus," Menke explains. "After borrowing material for this study, we found several new species which we then named after Star Wars characters. Naming a new species is commonly done by a scientist working on a particular group of organisms. Sometimes such a person will name a new species after the discoverer, as a tribute or as an acknowledgement".........

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July 1, 2006, 8:47 AM CT

replacing the rotting shark

Damien Hirst is in talks with US hedge fund manager Steve Cohen to replace the shark in his iconic work, The physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living, 1991.

The animal suspended in formaldehyde has deteriorated dramatically to the naked eye since it was first unveiled at the Saatchi Gallery in 1992 because of the way it was preserved by the artist. The solution which surrounds it is murky, the skin of the animal is showing considerable signs of wear and tear, and the shark itself has changed shape.

In a statement to The Art Newspaper, Hirst's company Science Ltd said: "Damien will happily help to refurbish [the shark] as he would with any of his works that are over 10 years old."........

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June 28, 2006, 0:28 AM CT

Symbiotic Fungus Does Not Depend On Fungus-farming Ants

Fungus-farming ants around the world cultivate essentially the same fungus and are not as critical to the reproduction of the fungi as previously believed, biologists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered.

Fungus-farming ants are dependent on cultivating fungus gardens for food, and it has been widely believed the fungi also evolved dependence on the ants for their dispersal and reproduction. When young ant queens establish new colonies, they take a start-up crop of fungi with them from their parental garden.

Graduate student Alexander Mikheyev and Dr. Ulrich Mueller, professor of integrative biology, have now found that the fungi reproduce sexually and disperse widely without the aid of their ant farmers.

Different genera of the ants, it turns out, are essentially cultivating the same fungus across wide geographical areas.

The scientists' finding provides a new perspective on coevolutionary processes. Coevolution, like that between honeybees and the flowers they pollinate, occurs when two or more species influence each other's evolution over time. Mikheyev says that two species don't necessary need to have a very specific, one-to-one relationship in order to coevolve.

"This shows that coevolution can proceed without specificity at the species level," said Mikheyev. "It has been believed that mutualistic interactions, as well as parasitic ones, are very specific and one-to-one. We are beginning to realize that this is not necessary for long-term coevolutionary stability, with the leaf-cutting ants being a dramatic example."........

Posted by: Erica      Permalink         Source

June 27, 2006, 11:58 PM CT

Wanted! Better Beetles

Beetles from Uzbekistan are more prolific salt cedar eaters than beetles from Greece. At least that's what Texas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists hope.

Uzbekistan salt cedar beetles being released by the Experiment Station's entomology department are the same species as those released on the salt cedar stands near Lake Meredith. They are just from a different collection point, said Vanessa Carney, Experiment Station entomology research associate.

Scientists first looked at latitude and longitude to find the beetle they thought would be best suited to this region, and they came up with salt cedar beetles from Posidi, Greece, Carney said.

"Because some of the releases in other states haven't been successful, we're starting to think it may be more complicated than that," she said. "These beetles from Uzbekistan seem to be most suited to our climate at the same latitude and longitude".

At the Meredith site, the Posidi beetles released in 2004 have made it through two winters and had two summers of success, Carney said. However, because of an early warm-up followed by a cold spell, they seem to be less prolific this summer and haven't exploded in numbers.

Dr. Jerry Michels, Experiment Station entomology research project leader, and Carney are making new releases of the Uzbekistan beetle this year in the heavy salt cedar stands on private land north of Borger. The new site was selected because of its remote location and because it is not subject to other control methods, such as fire and chemical therapys, Carney said.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink         Source

June 26, 2006, 7:46 PM CT

Greater Snake Danger This Year

Bob Norris has a rattlesnake named Jake in his office, along with some other slithering companions. Yes, he likes them, but they also serve an educational purpose: it could be a big season in Northern California for these and other poisonous critters. Bob Norris pointed to a bag under the reporter's chair.

"Sure, I've got a rattlesnake with me today I could show you," said Norris, MD, associate professor and director of the division of emergency medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His name is "Jake the Snake" and he was apparently sleeping peacefully in a well-secured bag under the unsuspecting visitor's chair in Norris' office, a visual aid for a presentation earlier in the day to a group of doctors about the dangers of spring.

Rattlesnakes, spiders, bees, ticks - when it comes to anything that bites or stings during the spring, Norris is the medical expert. And after several rainy years in a row in the Bay Area, there may be even more of this worrisome wildlife out this season. An expert in environmental toxicology, in particular snake venom poisoning, Norris virtually oozes helpful information for the average wilderness lover.

"Don't ever pick up a rattlesnake. If you get bit by a rattlesnake, don't wait to get medical care; the venom starts working its adverse effects immediately, though the average death commonly doesn't occur until sometime between 12 and 48 hours," he said. "Wear light-colored clothing when you're out hiking in the wilderness so you can spot the ticks more easily; bees prefer bright colors. Use tweezers to remove a tick, lighting a match under its rear won't work. Apply ice to bee stings and spider bites".........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink         Source

June 26, 2006, 6:47 PM CT

Underwater Microscope Finds Biological Treasures

Researchers towing an underwater digital microscope across the Atlantic have found possible missing links to the global nitrogen cycle, which in turn is linked to ocean productivity.

In a recent report in the journal Science, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found abundant colonies of Trichodesmium. The multi-celled, filamentous organism is thought to play a significant role in the input of nitrogen to the upper layers of the tropical and subtropical ocean, nearly half of the Earth's surface.

Lead author Cabell Davis, a senior scientist in the WHOI Biology Department, and co-author Dennis McGillicuddy, an associate scientist in the WHOI Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, suggest that nitrogen fixation rates for Trichodesmium may be 2.7 to 5 times higher than previously estimated from traditional sampling.

Trichodesmium is one of a number of tiny photosynthetic organisms that use the sun's energy, carbon dioxide and other nutrients to make organic material that constitutes the basis of the marine food web. Production of biomass in surface waters is typically limited by nitrogen, but Trichodesmium is able to escape that constraint by virtue of its ability to utilize nitrogen gas, which is plentiful in the atmosphere and upper ocean.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink         Source

June 22, 2006, 9:28 PM CT

Human-Dolphin Partnership Becomes Protected Area

The government of Myanmar has established a protected area for, of all things, a partnership between fishermen and a small, gray beakless dolphin with a knack for herding fish into nets, as per the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Specifically, some 70 kilometers of the Ayeyarwady River have been protected to safeguard the cooperative fishery. It also supports one third of the river's population of Irrawaddy dolphins, a species that is threatened throughout much of its coastal and freshwater range.

"This is a big step forward toward saving this cetacean in the Ayeyarwady River and the fishery that benefits both humans and dolphins," said WCS researcher Brian D. Smith, who has conducted research on the species in the region for several years. "Balancing the protection of a critically endangered wildlife population with local livelihoods and preservation of a unique cultural tradition is a win-win situation for all."

The fascinating partnership involves fishermen summoning the dolphins to voluntarily herd schools of fish toward the boats and awaiting nets. With the aid of the river-dwelling dolphins, the fishermen can increase the size of their catches by threefold, and the dolphins appear to benefit by more easily preying on the cornered fish in both nets and on the muddy banks of the river.........

Posted by: Erica      Permalink         Source

June 22, 2006, 7:08 PM CT

Hubbard's Fish Anatomy Site

Hubbard's fish anatomy site is an excellent site for those who are interested in fishes. Gives detailed accouts of anatomy of fish.The site feature pictures and artilcles.

"I hope that you can learn from these photos that eventhough fish have fundamentally similar structures, there are real differences that permit them to fill their niche and behave the way that they do. Don't forget that these differences are a direct result of at least 400 million years of evolutionary processes that have resulted in over 24,600 living species (Moyle and Cech 1996, Fishes An Introduction to Ichthyology)".........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink         Source