Happy May Day! (Circus Of The Spineless #62)

Happy May Day! (Circus Of The Spineless #62)

Welcome to the month of May! The time of Beltane and Walpurgis Night, flowers and maypoles and springtime dancing. Want a May Basket? Well, um, how about a nice gall instead? Dave Hubble zooms in…
Squids In Space--Seriously

Squids In Space--Seriously

The last flight of the space shuttle Endeavour will be both manned and squidded. The most famous science experiment on board, of course, will be the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which will set up…
Why Is Squid Skin So Complicated, Anyway?

Why Is Squid Skin So Complicated, Anyway?

It's not exactly news--the Navy's decision to fund a huge, interdisciplinary research project on squid skin is so last year--but the topic cropped up again and started me wondering: why do squid use…
Tsunami vs. Squid?

Tsunami vs. Squid?

So this is puzzling. The headline is Jumbo flying squid feels impact of tsunami, but after reading the article about a dozen times, I still can't tell what the "impact" is. The situation of the jumbo…
Can Loud Noises Really Kill Squid?

Can Loud Noises Really Kill Squid?

Hot new squid research has the world of cephalopod reporting all abuzz! The press release came out last Monday, so I'm a bit late to the game, but hey, that means I get to meta-report on the way…
Sharks Nom Ammonites

Sharks Nom Ammonites

Earlier this year, paleontologists gave us a glimpse into the diets of ammonites, those ancient cousins to squid. I had always thought of ammonites as aggressive predators, so I was charmed to learn…
Ants, Termites Can Boost Dryland Wheat Yields

Ants, Termites Can Boost Dryland Wheat Yields

Ants and termites have a significant positive impact on crop yields in dryland agriculture, according to a paper published in Nature Communications.   The authors say it is the first study to…