BioScience articles from September 2008

BioScience archives from September 2008

Something like this?(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... In 1974, Thomas Nagel famously grabbed the attention of philosophers by asking, What is it like to be a bat? In the article starting on p. 737, Gerald Kerth finally provides some answers. The answers are probably more complicated than Nagel...

REDD herring?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... William Laurance (BioScience 58: 286-287, doi:10.1641/B580402) concluded that "REDD is becoming a reality, and might serve as a model of how environmental scientists can help affect international policy." REDD (reducing emissions from...

Cameroon's lessons in conservation for sub-Saharan Africa.(Viewpoint essay)
September 1, 2008... Sub-Saharan Africa's political and economic troubles are well known, but global media coverage usually ignores equally significant and persistent challenges: nature conservation and environmental protection. The region needs to decisively...

Animal reservoirs: harboring the next pandemic: recent studies of emerging infectious diseases show most are zoonoses transmitted to humans from domesticated animals and wildlife.
September 1, 2008... There's a dead blue jay lying on your front doorstep. Outwardly, you see no sign of bodily damage. It could have flown into a window and broken its neck, or, more ominously, it could signal the beginning of the West Nile virus season. West Nile...

Critical conversations: the 2008 Biology Education Summit: representatives from 44 scientific societies and biology education organizations converged in Washington, DC, for the 2008 Biology Education Summit, co-organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Biological Sciences.(Special Report)(Conference news)
September 1, 2008... On 15 and 16 May, 77 invitees, selected for their ability to effect change in biology education, met in Washington, DC, for the 2008 Biology Education Summit. They came to hear updates from leaders in the biology education reform movement;...

Sweating the small stuff: environmental risk and nanotechnology.(Washington Watch)
September 1, 2008... Nanoscience, or nanotechnology, is science or technology that creates functional materials from atomic particles. Once considered to be little more than science fiction, nanotechnology is now a well-established field, as evidenced by various...

The molecular biology toolbox and its use in basic and applied insect science.(21st Century Directions in Biology)(Report)
September 1, 2008... This overview examines recent progress in the application of molecular tools to the study of insect biology and the development of pest management strategies. The sequencing and annotation of insect genomes, coupled with analyses using...

Vulnerability of permafrost carbon to climate change: implications for the global carbon cycle.(Report)
September 1, 2008... Thawing permafrost and the resulting microbial decomposition of previously frozen organic carbon (C) is one of the most significant potential feedbacks from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in a changing climate. In this article we...

Unintended consequences of urbanization for aquatic ecosystems: a case study from the Arizona desert.(Report)
September 1, 2008... Many changes wrought during the construction of "designer ecosystems" are intended to ensure--and often succeed in ensuring--that a city can provide ecosystem goods and services; but other changes have unintended impacts on the ecology of the...

Warfare ecology.(Report)
September 1, 2008... Among human activities causing ecological change, war is both intensive and far-reaching. Yet environmental research related to warfare is limited in depth and fragmented by discipline. Here we (1) outline a field of study called "warfare...

Causes and consequences of sociality in bats.(Report)
September 1, 2008... Bats are among the most diverse and most gregarious of all mammals. This makes them highly interesting for research on the causes and consequences of sociality in animals. Detailed studies on bat sociality are rare, however, when compared with...

Walking the line between lab and computation: the "moist" zone.(Professional Biologist)(Report)
September 1, 2008... Epistemological differences between "wet" and "dry" research (experimentation and computation, respectively) result in practical problems in daily cooperation between researchers. We introduce wet and dry research as different styles of science...

Deforestation, mosquitoes, and ancient Rome: lessons for today.(Biology in History)(Report)
September 1, 2008... This article highlights the complex interactions between anthropogenic ecological change and mosquito-borne disease patterns. Ancient Rome provides a historical case study of the possible interplay between deforestation and an increasing...

A grand conversation on evolutionary genomics.('Evolutionary Genomics and Proteomics' by Mark Pagel and Andrew Pomiankowski)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Evolutionary Genomics and Proteomics. Mark Pagel and Andrew Pomiankowski, eds. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, 2007. 295 pp., illus. $54.95 (ISBN 9780878936540 paper). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Genomics is, by its nature, a discovery-based...

The big book of animal physiology.(Physiological Ecology: How Animals Process Energy, Nutrients, and Toxins)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Physiological Ecology: How Animals Process Energy, Nutrients, and Toxins. William H. Karasov and Carlos Martinez del Rio. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2007. 744 pp., illus. $65.00 (ISBN 9780691074535 cloth). [ILLUSTRATION...

Multifunctional Agriculture: more than bread alone.('Multifunctional Agriculture: A Transition Theory Perspective' by G. A. Wilson)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Multifunctional Agriculture: A Transition Theory Perspective. G. A. Wilson. CABI, Cambridge, MA, 2007. 368 pp., illus. $130.00 (ISBN 9781845932565 cloth). A growing number of policymakers, academics from a variety of disciplines, farmers,...

New titles.(Bibliography)
September 1, 2008... Albatross: Their World, Their Ways. Tui De Roy, Mark Jones, and Julian Fitter. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, 2008. 240 pp., illus. $49.95 (ISBN 9781554074150 cloth). Arctic Fox: Life at the Top of the World. Garry Hamilton. Firefly Books,...

Nothing fishy: AIBS and NSC Alliance take icthyologists to congress.(American Institute of Biological Sciences, National Science Funding )
September 1, 2008... On 25 June 2008, the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) held its 14th Annual Capitol Hill science exhibition and reception, "The Path to Innovation: Scientific Discovery and Learning." MBS and the Natural Science Collections Alliance...

Bad science education sanctioned in Louisiana.
September 1, 2008... In recent months, lawmakers in Louisiana have attempted to pass legislation that, according to science education experts, would create a foothold for local teachers to include pseudoscience in the science classroom. The latest challenge to...

AIBS comments on American Academy of Arts and Sciences White Paper.(American Institute of Biological Sciences)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In June, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released a White Paper titled "Advancing Research in Science and Engineering: Investing in Early Career Scientists and High-Risk, High-Reward Research." With the release of the White Paper, the...

NEON receives new NSF funding.(National Ecological Observatory Network and National Science Foundation)
September 1, 2008... The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and representatives of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) have completed two Cooperative Support Agreements that will fund the design and development of the NEON project as...

Recent education reports online at www.aibs.org.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... * Results of a survey on plant pathology education in America: Current status and future challenges * New assessment database to support research on undergraduate STEM education * New BioClub for students * Call for examples:...

Recent articles online at www.actionbioscience.org.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Original interviews * "Computer Games in Teaching Science," with Eric Klopfer, director of the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program * "Why Is Dengue Fever on the Rise?" with Duane Gubler, professor and chair of Tropical Medicine,...

Recent public policy reports online at www.aibs.org.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Public Policy Report for 21 July 2008 * Academies report on need for professional science masters degrees * Cheney staff censored climate testimony, says former EPA official * EPA warns that warming is threat to humans * FDA...

Calendar of meetings.(Brief article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... Calendar of meetings September 21-25 Radiation Research Society, Boston; www.radres.org/ECOM radres/timssnet/common/tnt_ frontpage.cfm 25-26 Association of Ecosystem Research Centers, Washington, DC; www.ecosystemresearch.org/...

Readings of the fossil record.(BioBriefs)
September 1, 2008... STEPPING STONES ACROSS THE GAPS A significant gap in the fossil record has been filled recently by the discovery of two types of primitive flatfish from the Eocene epoch of Europe (50 million years ago). Matt Friedman, a graduate student at...