rhino reproduction

Open Archive Day

One of the collateral benefits of playing wrong notes in public is that I get to meet lots of random people who do interesting things, and quite a few of them doing really exciting science. Recently, I came across someone starting a project on fertility treatments for rhinos, with a view to aid their conservation - I am sure this will make a great story one day. While we're waiting for the rhinos to get their reproduction sorted out, here is my feature on the current problems in rhino conservation, from the first issue of last year:

Last call to save the rhinos



The southern subspecies of the white rhino has been a conservation success story after narrowly escaping extinction at the end of the 19th century. (Photo: Cindy Harper.)

father to son

Crikey, looking up my entry on JS Bach's partita I realise that I spent half a year trying to get my head round his son's response, CPE Bach's sonata for solo flute, also in A minor. Slightly less catchy than the father's opus, the son's work is weird in a whole new range of ways, sometimes so modern that the time gap could be 300 years rather than 30. I really like this recording by Georgia Browne, on a baroque flute.

Not sure if any musical psychoanalyst has worked out what this piece tells us about CPE's relationship to his dad, but it surely would be an interesting exercise in understanding humans through the music they produce.

In any case, I had great fun with the first two movements and maybe didn't appreciate the third quite as much, so now decided to move back to the father's work.

Here's my still life with an edition of solo pieces which contains both the CPE sonata and the partita as well as lots of other solo works useful for those who don't have a tame pianist at hand ...

first molecules - ever!

I might have naively assumed that the first molecules in the universe were hydrogen ones (H2) as H is the simplest atom, but I have now learned that this was not the case. In fact, helium hydride has a strong case for being the first altough the search for this molecule in the current universe has only discovered it recently. I've discussed all of this together with the science of another very early hydrogen compound, trihydrogen, in my latest feature about the chemistry that happened before the first stars were born (mindboggling thought):

Dawn of chemistry

Chemistry & Industry 83, No. 7, pp 30-33.

access via:

Wiley Online Library (paywalled)

SCI (members only)

Any access problems give me a shout and I can send a PDF.

Have a sneaky peek at the first page:

exploring odour space

Can't believe it's four years since my feature about how the human sense of smell is underappreciated in modern society, which was mainly based on Asifa Majid's work on hunter-gatherer groups in South Asia who are much better at defining smells in words than we are. So when a major paper came out doubling the number of assignments of olfactory receptors to specific odours, I was glad for the opportunity to revisit the human sense of smell and check up how Asifa's work is progressing.

The new "smelly" feature is out now:

Odour space - the final frontier

Current Biology Volume 29, issue 14, pages R663-R665, July 22, 2019

FREE access to full text and PDF download




The smell of lavender is recognised as pleasant and soothing. Perception of
the relevant compound linalool is variable between individuals, however. (Photo: © Tiomax80/
Flickr (CC BY 2.0).)

22052 tweets

So as of today, 17:17h (BST, I assume) I have been on twitter for ten years exactly.

In those years I have posted 22052 tweets
accumulated 1275 followers
and followed 2090 other accounts.

I now realise that following that many was a mistake as it makes the timeline unmanageable and I don't want the algorithm to pick "top tweets" for me. But hey - just @ me if you think I should read a specific tweet of yours, because most of the rest will just float by.

Back in 2009, I signed up to twitter just a few weeks after coming back from a science communication conference where some of the other participants were already using it and talking about it all the time. The adoption was also accelerated by the fact that MySpace was beginning turn into a ghost town at around that time, and many of the contacts I had there migrated to twitter.

Since then, the tweets of a certain racist in high office have spoiled the experience a bit, I lost control of my timeline, and I also don't like the direction that twitter is changing (to become more like facebook, apparently). When the new version hit me earlier this week, I thought I would have to leave as I hated it so much, but then I discovered the North Star symbol in the top right corner above the timeline, where you can switch from algorithm-controlled nonsense (now including random people's likes - why?) to a simple format where all tweets are listed chronologically as they should be.

Anyhow, I guess I will stick around a bit longer, but don't expect me to see everything you tweet.




For reasons unknown, my twitter has reverted to the old style after a few days with the new one - so I'm immortalising its look here, in case they switch me again and I might never see the old twitter again.

Oh, and one of the things that I still love about twitter is that it is prepared to speak Galician to me. (Facebook should do, in theory, but often falls into English, and at one point sneakily tried to switch my language to English without asking my permission.)

keeping up with the germans

Keeping Up With the Germans: A History of Anglo-German Encounters

Philip Oltermann
Faber and Faber 2012


Philip Oltermann regularly writes for the Guardian explaining all things German to a UK audience, and also for German media explaining British things, so I’ve come across his writing quite often in recent years and was curious what this book about German-English encounters would be like, which I discovered by accident at an Oxfam shop.

It is structured as a series of eight anglo-German encounters, some of which happened, while others might have or didn’t actually happen. These are structured vaguely chronologically, beginning with Heinrich Heine visit to London in 1827, and ending with Astrid Proll’s visit in 1978. Along the way we also learn how the author was transplanted from Hamburg to London as a teenager (he’s now back on German soil, as the Guardian’s bureau chief in Berlin). In the epilogue he also slips in a Nazi-era encounter, although in the main chapters he deliberately skipped the time that for most would be the first association with Germany, on the grounds that far too many books have already been published about those.

If you ever wondered why an obscure 1950s comedy sketch starring Freddie Frinton is shown on multiple German TV channels every New Year’s Eve, there’s a whole chapter about that, and I thought the author’s description of two TV executives from Hamburg stumbling through a rainy Blackpool night and making that crucial discovery was actually funnier than the sketch itself.

I may have skipped a page or two when the author described football matches in too much detail, but other than that it was a fascinating read and very helpful in filling one or two gaps in my own experience of the very same culture clash - I arrived in the UK three years before he did, so we basically experienced the same period of Anglo-German history in real time.



The book is also available in a German edition with the title:
Dichter und Denker, Spinner und Banker


Update 30.9.2019: Here's Oltermann discussing a new exhibition on Anglo-German relations at Bonn.

science news 19.7.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


astrobiology

Drinking red wine on the red planet
"... a daily moderate dose of resveratrol significantly preserved muscle function and mitigated muscle atrophy in an animal model mimicking Mars' partial gravity. Novel model innovated by BIDMC researchers will help scientists fill in the blanks about the little understood physiological consequences of partial gravity."


nanoworld

A dynamic genetic code based on DNA shape
a biological role for DNA segments that switch between right and left-handed helical form.


evolution

How mammals' brains evolved to distinguish odors is nothing to sniff at
"Neuroscientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego have discovered that at least six types of mammals--from mice to cats--distinguish odors in roughly the same way, using circuitry in the brain that's evolutionarily preserved across species."



The image shows a section of the front part of the piriform cortex, an area of the brain involved in the sense of smell. The cortex layers are stained with florescent antibodies to better distinguish key differences. Layer 1 contains two separate sections; the layer closest to the black-colored surface (1a) is stained bright green, while the second part (1b) is stained orange. Layer 2 is stained white and contains a high density of neurons. Olfactory bulb neurons, important in smell processing, send signals to the branches of neurons in layer 1a. These neurons have cell bodies located in layer 2. Layer 2 neurons communicate with one another in layer 1b.
Credit: Salk Institute


ecology

Lionfish ear-bones reveal a more mobile invasion


insects

Simulation explores how insects glean compass direction from skylight


climate change

Strong storms also play big role in Antarctic ice shelf collapse


humans

Depressed by Facebook and the like
I like the headline, for once.


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plant-based milk replacements are gaining popularity in the UK, reports the Guardian.

I'm torn between switching to Oatly which comes in single use packaging and continuing to support the milkman delivering reusable bottles. Currently we tend to have a litre of oatly in the fridge as a backup for peak demands.
I always have to point out on these occasions, however, that almond milk cannot be a green solution, nearly all almonds come from industrialised farming in California, which has a huge environmental footprint, in terms of water use and what the growers do to the poor old bees pollinating their crops.

science news 18.7.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


chemistry

Improving the odds of synthetic chemistry success


nanoworld

A new spin on DNA
"... with DNA origami helicopters, researchers have captured the first recorded rotational steps of a molecular motor as it moved from one DNA base pair to another."
Can I have a DNA origami helicopter too?


evolution

Red algae steal genes from bacteria to cope with environmental stresses
not entirely new - I remember writing a news story about one such case a few years ago.


ecology

Predators' fear of humans ripples through wildlife communities, emboldening rodents
"Giving credence to the saying, 'While the cat's away, the mice will play,' a new study indicates that pumas and medium-sized carnivores lie low when they sense the presence of humans, which frees up the landscape for rodents to forage more brazenly."


conservation

Do marine protected areas work?
An old question but worth checking again ...



Modeling predicts blue whales' foraging behavior, aiding population management efforts

Endangered Bornean orangutans survive in managed forest, decline near oil palm plantations
See also my recent feature on orangutan conservation.



Two Malaysian orangutans.
Credit: WWF-Malaysia, Lee Shan Kee


cimate change

Artificial snowfall could save the West Antarctic ice sheet, but with high costs and risks



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From the news media:

A new edition of the IUCN Red List is out now - and even more species are at risk of extinction.

science news 17.7.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.

* Newsflash - I may have to rethink my science news processing again, as twitter has turned all horrible with the latest update - making the desktop version look more like a mobile and act more like facebook. May have to look at alternative services again, like I did without much success in December when tumblr went pear-shaped. All suggestions welcome. *



evolution

Salt regulation among saltmarsh sparrows evolved in 4 unique ways
"A new study in Evolution Letters finds that different bird species in the same challenging environment--the highly saline ecosystem of tidal marshes along ocean shores--were able to evolve unique species-specific ways to address the same problem."



Four species of saltmarsh sparrows studied.
Credit: L-R: Swamp Sparrow, Kelly Colgan Azar; Song Sparrow, Jennifer Taggart; Savannah Sparrow, Kelly Colgan Azar; Nelson's Sparrow, Brian Harris


ecology

Joshua trees facing extinction
Good to see an Earthwatch project featured in the PRs, I used to write about their work quite a lot back in the 00s, but kind of lost track in recent years.


Timing is everything for the mutualistic relationship between ants and acacias
"Ant-acacia plants attract ants by offering specialized food and hollow thorns in which the ants live, while the ant colony in turn defends its acacia against herbivores. This mutualistic relationship only occurs in older plants. New findings from University of Pennsylvania plant biologists, identify the genetic pathway that appears to regulate the timing of the acacia's ant-sustaining arsenal."

University of Guelph researchers track how cats' weights change over time
"University of Guelph researchers have become the first to access data on more than 19 million cats and have learned that most cats continue to put on weight as they age."
Might be a good thing, actually, as fat cat's won't catch as many birds?


humans

Scientists identified the metabolic features specific to the autistic brain


Study finds transgender, non-binary autism link





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from the news media

Discovery of the duelling dinosaurs.

science news 16.7.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


astrobiology

A material way to make Mars habitable
"New research suggest that regions of the Martian surface could be made habitable with a material -- silica aerogel -- that mimics Earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Through modeling and experiments, the researchers show that a 2 to 3-centimeter-thick shield of silica aerogel could transmit enough visible light for photosynthesis, block hazardous ultraviolet radiation, and raise temperatures underneath permanently above the melting point of water, all without the need for any internal heat source."


evolution

Strange new species of duck-billed dinosaur identified
How to combine an eagle-shaped nose with a duck bill:



An illustration: Aquilarhinus palimentus.
Credit: ICRA Art

Fossil of smallest old world monkey species discovered in Kenya


ecology

Sex, lies and crustaceans: New study highlights peculiar reproductive strategies of Daphnia


sustainability

More farmers, more problems: How smallholder agriculture is threatening the western Amazon

Meet the six-legged superfoods: Grasshoppers top insect antioxidant-rich list
"For the first time, a study has measured antioxidant levels in commercially available edible insects. For open-minded health freaks, it's good news: crickets pack 75% the antioxidant power of fresh OJ, and silkworm fat twice that of olive oil. And while even ladybirds fart, insects have a tiny land, water and carbon footprint compared with livestock -- so anything that encourages insect eating is good news for the planet, too."


climate change

Study bolsters case that climate change is driving many California wildfires

Thirty years of unique data reveal what's really killing coral reefs
"Coral bleaching is not just due to a warming planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being enriched with reactive nitrogen from sources like improperly treated sewage, and fertilizers. Nitrogen loading from the Florida Keys and greater Everglades ecosystem caused by humans is the primary driver of coral reef degradation in Looe Key. These coral reefs were dying off long before they were impacted by rising water temperatures. Elevated nitrogen levels cause phosphorus starvation in corals, reducing their temperature threshold for bleaching."

The rush to air conditioning in Europe pushed by urbanization and climate change
producing a positive feedback loop ...


humans

Extinct human species likely breast fed for a year after birth

Out of Africa and into an archaic human melting pot
"Genetic analysis has revealed that the ancestors of modern humans interbred with at least five different archaic human groups as they moved out of Africa and across Eurasia."


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from the news media:

Extinction Rebellion actions happening in London all this week - here's today's report in the Guardian.

And finally:
“At least at the level of neural activity … the brains of men and women respond the same way to porn.” - a study in PNAS, reported in the Guardian.

a world of genomes

Open Archive Day

A year ago I reported about the Earth BioGenome project, which aims to sequence the genomes of all eukaryotic species known to science (plus a few new ones to be discovered in the process) within 10 years. I love the uncompromising thoroughness of this approach, but boy, they must have an inordinate fondness for beetles ...

So that's nine years to go, maybe I should check back at half time how they are doing.

In the meantime, my feature from last July is now in the open archives:


The genome sequence of everything






Protists of the rhizarian supergroup, which includes Ernst Haeckel’s radiolarians, comprise a large number of species that are poorly characterised and not yet represented in genome research. (Scan housed at the Biodiversity Heritage Library, provided by Harvard University.)

fleur de tonnerre

A year ago I got the impression that the situation was perhaps improving re the showing of films in more interesting languages than English in UK cinemas, but this seems to have been a blip. This year has been a bit of a disaster in this respect, so I am left to catch up with my DVD collection and to watch out for movies shown on TV5Monde (no longer on Sky in the UK, but free on the Internet here).

This week I watched Fleur de Tonnerre, a biopic of Hélène Jégado who was executed for five murders but is alleged to have killed dozens and may have been the most prolific serial killer ever. The weapon of choice being arsenic, this counts as history of chemistry as well as history of crime.

Her life unfolded in rural Brittany, with the folk belief in Ankou as an impersonation of death, combined with her psychiatric problems, appear to have led Jégado to believe she had to obey Ankou's orders and kill people. The film handles this somewhat disturbing story with subtlety. Rural Britanny in the first half of the 19th century comes across as a dark place -we also meet people who operate a moving lighthouse in order to lure ships onto rocks and then scavenge the wrecks. Tellingly, the move into the city of Rennes spells the end of Jégado's killing career as her new employer discovers her phiol of arsenic and sends it off for analysis.

Déborah François is impressive in this - it took me a while to realise that I had seen her in three other films before, including Mes cheres etudes, Female agents, and the page turner. She made her debut with the Dardenne brothers. She also appears as the artist's wife in Cezanne et moi which I haven't seen yet, see above.




There also is an English title (Poisoning Angel) for the film and a poster in English, but IMDB doesn't list any release date for the UK.