10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

There is a fantastic paper just out in Science : “Sustained miniaturization and anatomoical innovation in the dinosaurian anceestors of birds” by Michael Lee, Andrea Cau, Darren Naishe and Gareth Dyke. The point is, of course, that whales are not cows. The paper that just came out in science has the following spectacular conclusion.

Camels 198

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 198

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

There are variations on that theme, of course. A recent paper in Science, Brood Parasitism and the Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in Birds by Feeney, Medina, Somveille, et al, looks into this interesting possible relationship. Science (New York, N.Y.), doi:10.1126/science.1240039. Somveille, M., Heinsohn, R.,

Breeders 199

Breeders Breeding Birds Groups 199

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

And if you look into it enough, it presents a classic case where science can fail us. I believe in science. Science is based on logic and evidence, which I think is a very respectable way to look at the world. But what many people fail to realize, and too often scientists themselves, is that science is elastic.

Emotional 204

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 204