Natural History articles from March 2005

Natural History archives from March 2005

Spiking the lunch.(The Natural Moment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Take a spring walk in the woods, and you'll see twittering birds, rustling underbrush--and a tree spiked with corpses? The songbird family of shrikes that is responsible for such carnage is well represented by the woodchat shrike (Lanius...

Milestones.(Up Front)
March 1, 2005... Dennis Flanagan, the founding editor of the modern Scientific American, who died this past January on the day the Huygens space probe landed on Titan, never liked anniversaries. They were lame excuses, in his estimation, for the common practice...

Fruit cocktail.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... In "The Drunken Monkey Hypothesis" (12/04-1/05) Dustin Stephens and Robert Dudley suggest that human alcoholism is rooted in the evolutionary history of primates. They reason that frugivorous primates evolved mechanisms for tolerating dietary...

Good cause.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I was deeply touched by James A. Zingeser's article, "Sight for Sore Eyes" (12/04-1/05). Mr. Zingeser's straightforward description of the disease touched my heart, as I imagined how constant the misery of trachoma would be. I have become...

Come together.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... As one of the originators of the mission, it was a special pleasure for me to read John C. Zarnecki's account of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan ("Destination: Titan," 12/04-1/05). One of the most satisfying aspects...

Naming rights.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... In Peter M. Whiteley's article "Ties That Bind" (11/04), the credit given for the portrait of the Hopi Chief Kewanimptewa on page 26 was incomplete. The painting is by Eben Cummins; it is part of the collection of the Michael and Margaret B....

Room to breathe?(Samplings)(narwhals)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sea ice in the Arctic is decreasing, right? That's certainly true overall: 9 percent of the "perennial" ice and 3 percent of the annually formed ice have been disappearing each decade for the past quarter century. But in some areas the ice has...

Telling teeth.(Samplings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... That the rich are healthier than the poor is no surprise. But a recent study puts a new face on that dismal truism: centuries ago in Japan, the samurai had healthier teeth than their less affluent neighbors. Best known as warriors, the...

Titan, ho!(Samplings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... On January 14 the European Space Agency's Huygens probe landed on Saturn's largest moon. From a height of five miles, Huygens photographed what appears to be a ridge with drainage channels that lead to a flat plain.

Battlefield protocol.(Samplings)(spotted hyenas)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Social complexity is often cited as the driving force behind the evolution of intelligence. Until recently, animal behaviorists thought only primates displayed the intellectual abilities necessary for complex cooperation or for selfish...

Birds of a Feather Sink Together.(Samplings)(Cormorants)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Divers keep warm in cold water by wearing a dry suit, which traps a layer of air between suit and skin. Unfortunately, the foam insulation inside the suit also makes divers more buoyant and even less able to swim downward. To compensate, they...

Dazzler.(Samplings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... What's the brightest thing a telescope has ever detected? Answer: a burst of radiation from a small, dense star 12,000l light-years from Earth--a pulsar known as B1937+21. Pulsars spin much like the searchlight in a lighthouse, except they...

Is Mars alive?(Samplings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Geologically speaking, most planetary scientists have given up Mars for dead. Although the Red Planet bears the scars of faulting, volcanic eruption, and even glaciation, investigators have generally concluded that any such activity took place...

Marriage of convenience.(Samplings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... In the rivers and lagoons of northern Mexico and southern Texas lives a fish called the Amazon molly. Every Amazon molly is a female. Yet unless her eggs meet some sperm, they won't grow into embryos. Who, then, supplies the sperm? Obviously...

Housing shortage.(Samplings)(tree hollows, vertebrates' habitats )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... For many creatures, there's no cozier shelter from the storm than a hollow in a tree. In Australia, more than 300 species of vertebrates hide or make their nests there, often in one of the continent's multitudinous species of eucalyptus, and...

The great outdoors ... places to restore the soul.(Newfoundland and Labrador)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... Come to the place where the day dawns first. Come to the place where the New World begins. Newfoundland and Labrador. Where the Atlantic Ocean and the dawning sun make their first appearance in North America. Cape Spear, where Newfoundland...

Living space: the universe is filled with the chemical ingredients of life--and there are plenty of places to get the chemistry going.(Universe)
March 1, 2005... If you ask people where they're from, they will typically say the name of the city where they were born, or perhaps the place on Earth's surface where they spent their formative years. Nothing wrong with that. But an astrochemically richer...

How trees get high: and the limit on their height is set by the force that holds water together.(Biomechanics)(mendocino tree)
March 1, 2005... On a hike recently in the Montgomery Woods State Reserve, near Ukiah, California, I wandered among the area's massive coast redwoods with my friend Al Richmond. We were looking for the Mendocino Tree, which, although it rises 367 feet above the...

Social lives of rattlesnakes: because the snakes bask, breed, and hibernate together, recognizing their relatives is a key advantage, especially for females.
March 1, 2005... So, what good are they anyway?" I sigh as I hear this question, yet again, about the animals I study: rattlesnakes. I suppose anyone who spends taxpayer dollars studying animal behavior has to deal with that kind of skepticism at some...

Maryland: this spring, explore the state that has it all.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... Maryland has it all: mountains and forests, Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay shorelines, the Potomac and Patuxent rivers and more. With such a diversity of ecosystems, it's no wonder that this state draws nature lovers from near and far. And best of...

Testing Einstein (again): in 1959, just two years after the launch of Sputnik I, investigators began work on a space-based experiment to verify the general theory of relativity. Their efforts are about to come to fruition.(Albert Einstein)
March 1, 2005... Ptolemy made a universe, which lasted fourteen hundred years. Newton also made a universe, which has lasted three hundred years. Einstein has made a universe, and I can't tell you how long that will last.--George Bernard Shaw (1930) On...

The flower and the fly: long insect mouthparts and deep floral tubes have become so specialized that each organism has become dependent on the other.(meganosed fly)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... The meganosed fly (Moegistorhynchus longirostris) of southern Africa, like its literary counterpart, Pinocchio, has a bizarre appearance that reveals an underlying truth. Its proboscis, which looks like a nose but is actually the longest...

Peak experience: the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia harbors rainforest reserves and a drive-in volcano.(This Land)
March 1, 2005... Beginning in my high school days, whenever I happily browsed through books on geography and travel, I was fascinated by pictures of the Pitons, two pyramidal volcanic peaks that rise along the coast of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. My...

Sable Island: the Strange Origins and Curious History of a Dune Adrift in the Atlantic.(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Sable Island: The Strange Origins and Curious History of a Dune Adrift in the Atlantic by Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle Walker & Company, 2004; $24.00 Before I picked up this book, I'd never heard of Sable Island. But the seafaring...

Beast of Never, Cat of God: the Search for the Eastern Puma.(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search for the Eastern Puma by Bob Butz The Lyons Press, 2005; $22.95 There are wild things among us. Who would have thought, just a few decades ago, that suburbanites would come to view the white-tailed deer...

Mendel in the Kitchen: a Scientist's View of Genetically Modified Foods.(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist's View of Genetically Modified Foods by Nina Fedoroff and Nancy Marie Brown Joseph Henry Press, 2004; $24.95 It is marvelous how submicroscopic strands of DNA, through their many permutations, can...

Fyi: reader service.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... 1. ADVENTURE LIFE JOURNEYS Small group travel in the Andes, Amazon, Galapagos, Patagonia, Antarctica, and Central America. Expert local guides lead our cultural and ecological explorations and naturalist cruises. 2. ADVENTURES ABROAD...

Einsteiniana.(nature.net)(Web sites on Albert Einstein)
March 1, 2005... This year marks the centennial of Einstein's annus mirabilis, a commemoration that, to my mind, is far more significant than the centennial of the great physicist's birth. In 1905 the young Einstein published a remarkable series of four...

Seeing red: in distant galaxies that shine with a ruddy glow are stars that look older than the universe that begat them.(Out There)
March 1, 2005... To an astronomer, color is just as important as it is to an interior designer--though in quite a different way. To both, what the eye perceives as red is light of relatively long wavelength; the wavelength of the light the eye perceives as blue...

The sky in March.
March 1, 2005... Mercury is the first planet to look for as the twilight fades in early and mid-March. The little planet is highest and brightest from about March 1 through the 10th. Look low in the west about forty-five minutes after sunset; Mercury is the...

Los Angeles.(California)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY Ongoing: "Megamouth." Don't miss the world's rarest shark. Only seventeen sightings of the creature have been reported since it was first discovered in 1976, and this fourteen-and-a-half-foot-long...

San Diego.(California)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Through May 1: "Chocolate: The Exhibition." Discover how a small seed from the rainforest changed the world. This exploration of one of nature's greatest delights includes the natural history of the cacao tree,...

Denver.(Colorado)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE Ongoing: Ancient Denvers. When we think of the Rockies we envision massive mountains and jagged peaks, but this land has looked dramatically different. In 1999 a museum team drilled a well nearly half a mile...

New Haven.(Connecticut)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Through July 31: "Elephants!" In an exhibition all about the largest living land animals, visitors can learn about elephants' evolutionary history, the woolly mammoths that roamed North America, and the latest...

Gainesville.(Florida)
March 1, 2005... FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Ongoing: Hall of Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land. In this new permanent exhibition, visitors can take a walk through time, examining the state's changing environment and the flora and fauna that...

Tampa.(Florida)
March 1, 2005... MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY (MOSI) Ongoing: "SPACE: A Journey to Our Future." Touch actual rocks from the surfaces of Mars and the Moon, "ride" a recreation of the first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon, or walk through a model of the...

Atlanta.(Georgia)
March 1, 2005... FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Through May 1: "Frogs: A Chorus of Colors." Hop into a herpetological world in this exhibition devoted to the evolution and biology of frogs. More than 100 living frog specimens--representing species from...

Honolulu.(Hawai'i)
March 1, 2005... BISHOP MUSEUM Ongoing: Hawaiian Science Garden. This outdoor, walk-through exhibition recreates part of an ahupua'a, a section of land extending from the mountain to the sea, which was part of the traditional Hawaiian land-division system....

St. Louis.(Missouri)
March 1, 2005... ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER Through May 15: "Gadget Lab: Imagine It, Design It, Build It." An "inventor's workshop" for kids of all ages, this new exhibition lets visitors explore basic principles of design and engineering. Come up with an idea;...

Lincoln.(Nebraska)
March 1, 2005... UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STATE MUSEUM Ongoing: Mesozoic Gallery. Enter a dig, view ancient sea giants, and use interactive paleontology exhibits in the new gallery focusing on the "age of dinosaurs" and featuring Nebraskan fossils of Mesozoic...

Albuquerque.(New Mexico)
March 1, 2005... NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND SCIENCE Ongoing: Age of Giants. A new permanent exhibition focuses on the Jurassic period, and features a dramatic display with two huge dinosaurs fighting one another: a Seismosaurus, one of the longest...

Buffalo.(New York)
March 1, 2005... BUFFALO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE Through May 22: "Busytown." Join Huckle Cat, Hilda Hippo, and the other beloved characters of Richard Scarry's books. Youngsters ages two to ten can count, sort, weigh, and build while playing the parts of factory...

New York.(New York)
March 1, 2005... AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Through July 10: "Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest." Hundreds of pieces of jewelry, both historic and contemporary, help visitors understand how Native...

Durham.(North Carolina)
March 1, 2005... NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF LIFE AND SCIENCE Through May 1: "Memory." You'll never forget this informative exhibit that examines different types of memory and how we use them. Subjects include recollections triggered by the five senses, the way we...

Raleigh.(North Carolina)
March 1, 2005... NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES Through June 12: "Treasures Unearthed?' A stunning display of emeralds, garnets, gold, meteorites, rubies, sapphires, silver, and other specimens, this exhibition explains the reasons for North...

Cincinnati.(Ohio)
March 1, 2005... CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER Ongoing: The Cavern: A World without Light. Trek through a recreated limestone cave, and discover how such caverns are formed. Large open chambers, stalactites, a waterfall, an underground stream, and a colony of live...

Philadelphia.(Pennsylvania)
March 1, 2005... THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES Through March 20: "Lewis and Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition." More than 600 artifacts help tell the story of how the explorers mapped the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, collecting animal,...

Houston.(Texas)
March 1, 2005... HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE Through August 7: "Gold! Natural Treasure, Cultural Obsession." Some of the world's largest golden nuggets are on display in this exhibition, helping to illustrate the processes of prospecting, mining, and...

Salt Lake City.(Utah)
March 1, 2005... UTAH MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Through April 23: "Traits of Life." A variety of living, virtual, and dead organisms showcase some of the fundamental principles common to all living things: cells, energy use, replication, and change over time....

Milwaukee.(Wisconsin)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM Opens March 5: "Pearls: A Natural History." The exhibition combines a display emphasizing the cultural significance of these lustrous and highly treasured gems with a biological look at mollusks--the animals that produce...

Drama at my feet.(Endpaper)(ants)
March 1, 2005... On a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada some years ago, I was sitting in quiet contemplation at my campsite beside a small alpine lake, when I became aware of a flurry of activity going on around me. Narrowing my senses to ground level, I...