Say, Don't Spray

Say, Don't Spray

The news finally broke last week, months after the first anxious reports of browning and dying trees near lawns and golf courses across America.  Unlike their wild cousins in the Rockies and…
I Want To Go To New Zealand

I Want To Go To New Zealand

Giant squid are pretty cool, right? If you want to see one (without having to go fishing) then you have a number of museums to choose from. Specimens and models are abundant enough that Indie Squid…
Lolplankton

Lolplankton

A comment thread on my last post has gotten me thinking about the summer of 2009. I lived in La Jolla for a couple of months, sorting baby squid out of old preserved plankton tows, and then…
Celebrate Squid Babies

Celebrate Squid Babies

My paper on Squid Babies (which started out as a dissertation chapter) just got accepted! Well, technically it's Accepted with Revisions, which, for the non-academics in the room, means my co-authors…
Daniella Martin Wants You To Eat Bugs

Daniella Martin Wants You To Eat Bugs

Pesky animal rights activists may complain if you eat veal but they can't complain if you eat larvae, right?    Those are bugs and people sitting in trees have to eat something while they…
Squid School Surprisingly Near Surface!

Squid School Surprisingly Near Surface!

Check out this photo, taken a few weeks ago in La Jolla, Southern California. What do you think is most striking about it? Some people might be surprised by the sheer number of squid in the photo--…
Spider News: Messy Webs and Tarantula Hearts

Spider News: Messy Webs and Tarantula Hearts

Good morning/afternoon/evening, and welcome to the Spider News. Today, we have two arachnid novelties for you. Firstly, old age affects us all, even spiders. Researchers have found that, as spiders…
Tool Use In Fish?

Tool Use In Fish?

Once upon a time, tool use was considered to be a uniquely human feature, setting us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. But, when Jane Goodall observed chimpanzees using sticks to ‘fish’ for…