Ocean Life

Here's a link to the Science News slideshow "An Oceanic Endeavor: Census of Marine Life".
Click here to view this amazing compilation of the most fascinating marine creatures. Marine organisms are truly extraordinary and come in various odd and crazy shapes, colors and size. So much abundance of life in the ocean is often overlooked but there is literally a whole world out there with creatures like the sea cucumber, nemartean, and numerous others. The unique morphology and characteristics are unbelievable and remind us to  conserve the beauty of these ocean entities by reducing our often destructive effects on the ocean with oil spills and other human activities.

Double Helix Drama

In a recent article about the discovery of DNA, they discuss the fierce competition and jealousy that existed among contributors and discoverers such as Francis Crick, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling. Letters surfacing after decades reveal that Crick disliked Franklin and was pleased with her early exit, even calling her a witch. Wilkins too was in a power struggle with Franklin. Watson and Crick were very insecure about their research and feared they would be overshadowed by Pauling. Such drama, jealousy and bitter intentions show a human side to these exemplary individuals and Nobel prize winners but also reveals the passion they had for their work. The discovery of the DNA double helix was a breakthrough in molecular biology and greatly contributed to the advancement of biology in general.
Article Link: http://news.discovery.com/history/dna-discovery-drama-revealed-in-letters.html

The Dodo: Revealing a Past, Inspiring a Future

In biology we often study the living things around us but equally important are those organisms that are extinct and remain as examples that reveal the past and inspire the future. The dodo bird is an example of how fast a species can go extinct due to human activity. According to the American Museum of Natural History website (http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Treasures/Dodo/dodo.html?dinos), the dodo bird serves as an example of both evolution and extinction, two key issues in biology. In evolving the dodo actually lost its ability to fly because it was deemed unnecessary in its new home in Mauritius where there were no predators or competition. Regardless the dodo faced its biggest danger in the form of humans. As humans came in and deforestation occurred the dodos lost their homes and succumbed to extinction within less than a century of their first discovery. At the American Museum of Natural History, the dodo bird is presented in one of its exhibitions "Expedition". I first knew dodo birds as the one I saw in the Warner Bros. cartoons, Gogo Dodo, but actual dodo birds and other extinct species like it are a signifcant part of biologcal history.



Warner Bros. Gogo Dodo



Museum of Natural History

         

     

Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research is a controversial topic that has implications for the future of of mediccal practices and government policies. Here's a useful video for those who don't know what stem cells are and how they are used. Nice and simple video to show students in Biology class.

 

Here's a short clip from Family Guy regarding stem cell research. Very funny if you like or  have watched Family Guy.