This program contains graphic scenes of violence and adult themes. Viewer discretion is advised. – – – THE SCENE Light is pouring into the courtroom. A tense background of hushed conversation fills the room. The defendant, Nosema enters the room. He is a microsporidian parasite. He’s roughly oval shaped and dressed in an orange jumpsuit. He appears infinitesimally small and has a thick cell wall. He stares at the floor, dull and unblinking. Two guards carry him in solemnly. The judge enters. Bailiff: All rise for the honorable Judge Kara Phyte. All rise and as the Judge settles in her…
The Science Creative Quarterly
The Science Creative Quarterly (SCQ) is not a quarterly, but instead publishes new material at a non-linear rate. Currently, it is sleeping and in a sort of stasis (turpor?) It used to seek science writing of any genre, and your contribution would have involved checking out our submissions guidelines.
The Science Creative Quarterly (SCQ) has a single print edition so far (half SCQ pieces, and half fake science journal – see here for more details). Also, badges?
Stay safe everyone!
HOW MANY SPECIES ARE THERE ON EARTH? A FINAL, DEFINITIVE, AND PRECISE ANSWER
ABSTRACT There are 42, exactly. – – – Key acronyms: JAL, EO, UW, CSU, MSU, ATBI, INBio, OUTBio, NTFC, and BINGO! INTRODUCTION For what seems to be an interminable period of time biologists have been whining that all of the other sciences know more about their basic inventories than we do. Chemists have filled out the periodic table (except for rare reports of newly discovered, ridiculous elements, such as Whocaresium with a half-life of a picosecond); physicists have completed their quark menu (including all 31 flavors), astronomers have catalogued the stars (in fact, they have a few dozen catalogues suggesting…
INTRODUCING THE PHYLOMON PROJECT! KEYWORDS POKEMON AND BIODIVERSITY
(From http://phylomon.org) (Facebook group: link) – – – “When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all.” ~ E. O. Wilson. Well 2010 is here, a.k.a. the International Year of Biodiversity, and to us at the SCQ, it means that we’re finally ready to go ahead with our long awaited phylomon project. Please repost, reblog, retweet, phone a friend – whatever you can do to spread the word. WHAT IS THIS? Good question. Well, it’s an online initiative aimed at creating a Pokemon card type resource but with real creatures on display in…
UNTITLED
whole green leaves eaten away across an expansive canopy of undergrowth. soft wet soil pulled slowly toward the sea as bits of rocky structure show through and red-brown, mossy trunks cling low & climb high to chase the water and the light.
INTERESTING AND SOMEWHAT RANDOM ASSORTMENT OF ORGANISMS OR INAPPROPRIATE ANIMAL NAME FOR BROWNIE GIRL GUIDE LEADERS
Barricuda Fox Tit Minx Cougar – – – Greetings everyone! Please join us in ushering the International Year of Biodiversity! For those with science and badge affections, this includes a special New Year’s resolution whereby an amendment to the Science Scout drinking game rules is hereby now effective. For the year 2010, any mention of the word “biodiversity” during drinks, merits an upstanding hoisting your glass and cheer of recognition.
HOW THE PINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!
(There are more science Christmas plays by Vince LiCata here, here and here). Cast: Generic Faculty Member Pinch Narrator The Dean The Chair Cindy Lou Who Darth Vader Santa – – – NARRATOR: Every Who Down in U-ville Liked their research a lot… FACULTY: (pipeting): I sure like research a lot. I love running gels, I get bored when I’m not. NARRATOR: But the Pinch Who lived just North of U-ville Most certainly, did not. FACULTY: Now, who wouldn’t love labwork? I’m sure I don’t know. They’d have to be a real jerk, Or perhaps a bit slow. He sings:…
HELIUM PILLS FOR REINDEER AND OTHER TRICKS OF THE CHRISTMAS TRADE
Other kids may be convinced that Santa Claus uses some kind of Christmas magic to get the job done. Not my offspring. They have told me that obviously, Santa is putting his trust in science. (And also technology. But the holidays are no time for ugly spats about disciplinary boundaries.) From the younger offspring: Santa needed to do research, of course, to work out the details of flying reindeer. Apparently, much of this was online research. (Also, it looks like Santa uses a MacBook.) From the elder offspring, two items science relies on: The elastic in that bag must be…
WHAT IS TWITTER GOOD FOR?
Well, it’s been about three weeks since I signed up for a personal account on twitter (you can follow me here if you’re interested – my handle is @dnghub), and threw out my first “tweet.” Since then, I’ve found myself fully immersed in the web tool, and feel like I can say a few intelligent things about it, especially if you’re reading this as someone who is resisting signing on, or someone who just wants to know a little more about it. It might help if I first start off with a bit of context. For instance, my lab sort…
EVOLUTIONARY DEAD ENDS: PLANT SPECIES
In an earlier essay, some of the now extinct species of animals were presented. Their characteristics were described as best as the evolutionary biologists can presently determine, and various theories were put forth as to the reasons they became extinct. It is now time to examine some of the plants on which those biologists have done research. Once again, we are not talking about old maid Sunday School teachers, even though many of them probably have the petrified flowers of a futile romance pressed between the pages of their hymnals. – – – PREHISTORIC CANNIBUS There is much debate about…