Flora
By sequencing the DNA of two tiny marine algae, a team of scientists has opened up a myriad of possibilities for new research in algal physiology, plant biology, and marine ecology.
For bryologists, mosses and liverworts are a focus of study from which they can learn much about the habitats in which these often overlooked plants are found.
Fauna
A member of one of the rarest shark species in the world, the Megamouth Shark, was caught – and subsequently eaten – in the Philippines this past week.
Deep-sea corals from about 400 meters off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands are much older than once believed and some may be the oldest living marine organisms known to man.
The torrential rain of recent summers has hit the UK butterfly population hard.
Natural Resources and Public Policy
While most governments’ eyes are on the banking crisis, a much bigger issue – the environmental crisis – is passing them by.
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon have sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy about concerns over the potential environmental and economic impact of expanded training off the Pacific coast. As the primary concern is the effect of sonar used in such training on marine mammals, a recent essay on the subject by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Joel R. Reynolds might be useful to those interested in the subject.
Podcasts
BirdNote – Bitterns, sandpipers, Wood Ducks, and a little Emily Dickinson for good measure.
Ecological Society of America Podcast – Made in the Shade: are closed-canopy forests truly less susceptible to invasion by exotic plant species as compared with disturbed forests, or has the “biotic resistance” of these intact communities been overstated?
Green Week in Review – A review of the results of ten days of international talks on climate change that recently concluded in Bonn, Germany.
Nature – Cancer genomes, the role of Nickel in oxidization, DNA and the effects of radiation, and the risk taking effects of testosterone.
On Six Legs – The magnificent Birdwing butterflies are described and discussed.
Sierra Club Radio – Michael O’Gorman of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, Lindsay Allen from Greenpeace on how your tissues may be made from endangered forests, and what you can do about it, Kirsten James from Heal the Bay explains a new bill to reduce disposable plastic bags, and Myke Bybee from the Sierra Club’s Washington, D.C. office tells us about a new wilderness bill that will protect over 2 million acres of wilderness across the country.
This Birding Life – Julie Zickefoose began writing a new regular column called “True Nature” for Bird Watcher’s Digest in 2008. Her November/December 2008 column about the hunting of sandhill cranes set records for the number of reader letters and e-mails it generated. In this episode of “This Birding Life,” Julie reads her controversial column, titled “Love and Death Among the Cranes.”
