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Blog Network Highlights Monday May 20, 2013

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The Artful Amoeba
For Plants, Polyploidy Is Not a Four-Letter Word
By Jennifer Frazer | May 19, 2013 |
Jennifer Frazer is a AAAS Science Journalism Award-winning science writer. She has degrees in biology, plant pathology/mycology, and science writing, and has spent many happy hours studying life in situ.

Follow on Twitter @JenniferFrazer.
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Expeditions
Chimps in Uganda: Resilience
By Maureen McCarthy | May 19, 2013 | 1
Maureen McCarthy is a PhD Candidate in Integrative and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Southern California. She received her Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from Central Washington University, where she studied the gestural communication of chimpanzees who have acquired American Sign Language. She has more than a decade of experience studying captive and free-ranging primates. Maureen is currently in Uganda for a year to study the behavioral ecology and genetics of chimpanzees in fragmented forest habitats. Dr. Craig Stanford advises her research. This is Maureen’s fourth trip to Uganda—she’s been there several times before to volunteer as a research assistant and to collect pilot data for her dissertation. When she’s not busy collecting chimpanzee poop or getting malaria, Maureen enjoys birding, hiking, and photography. This research would not be possible without the generous support of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, the USC Jane Goodall Center, Primate Conservation, Inc., and the American Society of Primatologists.Follow on Twitter @mccarthymaureen.
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Guest Blog
Dear American Consumers: Please don’t start eating healthfully. Sincerely, the Food Industry
By Patrick Mustain | May 19, 2013 | 18
Patrick Mustain earned an MPH from The University of Minnesota School of Public Health and an MA from the University of North Carolina School of Journalism & Mass Communication. He is a veteran of the US Navy, a freelance videographer and multimedia producer, and a skeptical fitness professional. Patrick is interested in how commercialization shapes the way people think about and pursue health, especially in the fitness, nutrition and weight-loss realms. His other interests include food advertising and policy, obesity prevention, health promotion, the effects of media consumption on health, consumer advocacy, outdoor recreation and fitness, parks, environmental determinants of health behavior, music, biking, climbing, snowboarding and he really, really loves food. You can find more of his work at his website, patrickmustain.com.Follow on Twitter @patrickmustain.
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MIND Dog Spies
Dogs and Cats in the Home: Happiness for All?
By Julie Hecht | May 19, 2013 | 1
Julie Hecht is a canine behavioral researcher and science writer in New York City. She would really like to meet your dog.Follow on Twitter @DogSpies.
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Overthinking It
Science in Aggregate: Week 20
By Kyle Hill | May 19, 2013 |
Kyle Hill is a freelance science writer and research fellow who specializes in finding the secret science in your favorite fandom.Follow on Twitter @Sci_Phile.
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Rosetta Stones
33 Years Ago Today...
By Dana Hunter | May 18, 2013 |
Dana Hunter is a science blogger, SF writer, and geology addict whose home away from SciAm is En Tequila Es Verdad. Follow her on Twitter: @dhunterauthor.Follow on Twitter @dhunterauthor.
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MIND The Scicurious Brain
Friday Weird Science: What's your fart volume?
By Scicurious | May 18, 2013 | 1
Scicurious is a PhD in Physiology, and is currently a postdoc in biomedical research. She loves the brain. And so should you.Follow on Twitter @Scicurious.
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Cocktail Party Physics
Physics Week in Review: May 18, 2013
By Jennifer Ouellette | May 18, 2013 |
Jennifer Ouellette is a science writer who loves to indulge her inner geek by finding quirky connections between physics, popular culture, and the world at large.Follow on Twitter @JenLucPiquant.
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Extinction Countdown
Deadly Snakes, Ugly Critters, Leonardo DiCaprio and Other Links from the Brink
By John R. Platt | May 18, 2013 | 1
Twice a week, John Platt shines a light on endangered species from all over the globe, exploring not just why they are dying out but also what's being done to rescue them from oblivion.Follow on Twitter @johnrplatt.
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Octopus Chronicles
Unusual Offshore Octopods: The See-Through "Glass" Octopus [Video]
By Katherine Harmon | May 18, 2013 |
Katherine Harmon is a freelance writer and contributing editor for Scientific American. Her book Octopus! will be published October 31 from Current/Penguin USA. Follow on Twitter @katherineharmon.
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STAFF The Network Central
#SciAmBlogs Friday - quantum computing, rationalilty, armed Treebeard, Giant African Land Snails, invasive ladybugs, and more.
By Bora Zivkovic | May 17, 2013 |
Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web.Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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MIND Illusion Chasers
Vision is all about change
By Susana Martinez-Conde | May 17, 2013 |
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik are laboratory directors at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Follow on Twitter @illusionchasers.
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Cocktail Party Physics
C'mon Baby Light My (Magnetic) Fire
By Jennifer Ouellette | May 17, 2013 |
Jennifer Ouellette is a science writer who loves to indulge her inner geek by finding quirky connections between physics, popular culture, and the world at large.Follow on Twitter @JenLucPiquant.
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STAFF Observations
With Drones Circling, How Should Lawmakers Respond?
By Larry Greenemeier | May 17, 2013 | 5
Larry is the associate editor of technology for Scientific American, covering a variety of tech-related topics, including biotech, computers, military tech, nanotech and robots.Follow on Twitter @lggreenemeier.
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The Curious Wavefunction
An invasive ladybug uses a biological weapon to kill off competitors
By Ashutosh Jogalekar | May 17, 2013 | 3
Ashutosh (Ash) Jogalekar is a chemist interested in the history and philosophy of science. He considers science to be a seamless and all-encompassing part of the human experience.Follow on Twitter @curiouswavefn.
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The Urban Scientist
#DispatchesDNLee: Giant African Land Snails
By DNLee | May 17, 2013 | 3
DNLee is a biologist and she studies animal behavior, mammalogy, and ecology . She uses social media, informal experiential science experiences, and draws from hip hop culture to share science with general audiences, particularly under-served groups. Follow on Twitter @DNLee5.
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Compound Eye
On not overdiffusing flash in macro photography
By Alex Wild | May 17, 2013 | 2
Alex Wild is an Illinois-based entomologist who studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books, and media outlets. Follow on Twitter @myrmecos.
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Overthinking It
Treebeard Joins the NRA
By Kyle Hill | May 17, 2013 | 9
Kyle Hill is a freelance science writer and research fellow who specializes in finding the secret science in your favorite fandom.Follow on Twitter @Sci_Phile.
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Expeditions
Bush-crow diaries: Settling in with the Borana
By Samuel Jones | May 17, 2013 |
Samuel Jones is an early-career ornithologist and conservation scientist. An avid naturalist and field ornithologist since childhood, he has been involved in a wide variety of work worldwide, particularly in expedition environments throughout the new and old world tropics. He is currently completing postgraduate study at Imperial College London.Follow on Twitter @samuel_ei_jones.
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Guest Blog
Is It Quantum Computing or Not?
By Alan Woodward | May 17, 2013 | 3
Alan Woodward is a Professor at the Department of Computing, University of Surrey, where he specialises in cyber security, computer forensics, cryptography and steganography. Alan began with a degree in physics but did his postgraduate research in signal processing at a time when computing power began to enable some radical changes to what was possible. He began his career working for the UK government, was involved in delivering some of the most challenging IT developments of the past 20 years for a variety of organisations and has for the past 10 years since when he has also been Chief Technology Officer a company called Charteris which he helped to build from a start up and float on the London Stock Exchange. As well as writing extensively in the UK on technology as well as presenting on current affairs issues relating to technology for the likes of BBC TV and radio, Alan remains actively involved in the daily battles that occur in cyberspace.Follow on Twitter @profwoodward.
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MIND MIND Guest Blog
What Rational Really Means
By Jag Bhalla | May 17, 2013 |
Jag Bhalla is an entrepreneur and writer. His current project is Errors We Live By, a series of short exoteric essays exposing errors in the big ideas running our lives, details at www.errorsweliveby.comwww.errorsweliveby.com. His last book was I'm Not Hanging Noodles On Your Ears, a surreptitious science gift book from National Geographic Books, details at www.hangingnoodles.comwww.hangingnoodles.com. It explains his twitter handle @hangingnoodlesFollow on Twitter @hangingnoodles.
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STAFF The Countdown
Why Barns Are Red, and More - The Countdown, Episode 22
By Eric R. Olson | May 17, 2013 |
Eric Olson is the resident video editor and producer for Scientific American. Follow on Twitter @EricROlson.
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STAFF The SA Incubator
Bora's Picks (May 17th, 2013)
By Bora Zivkovic | May 17, 2013 |
Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web.Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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Symbiartic
Is Homosexuality Natural? Yes. So is male lactation.
By Kalliopi Monoyios | May 17, 2013 | 17
Kalliopi Monoyios is the illustrator of several best-selling science books including Neil Shubin's The Universe Within, Shubin’s Your Inner Fish, and Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution is True. Her illustration portfolio can be found at kalliopimonoyios.com. Follow her solo on Twitter at @eyeforscience. For tweets from the whole Symbiartic crew, Follow on Twitter @symbiartic.
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MIND The Moral Universe
Eliminating political divides through morality: The case of climate change
By Jamil Zaki | May 17, 2013 |
Jamil Zaki is an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University, studying the cognitive and neural bases of social cognition and behavior. Follow on Twitter @jazzmule.
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STAFF The Network Central
#SciAmBlogs Thursday - Mathematical Organisms, DNA Sequences, Frontal Cortex, green spaces, and more.
By Bora Zivkovic | May 16, 2013 |
Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web.Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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MIND Literally Psyched
Want to be happier and live longer? Protect green spaces
By Maria Konnikova | May 16, 2013 | 3
Maria Konnikova is a writer living in New York City. She is the author of the New York Times best-seller MASTERMIND (Viking, 2013) and received her PhD in Psychology from Columbia University.Follow on Twitter @mkonnikova.
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Compound Eye
Thrifty Thursday: The Digital Herbarium
By Alex Wild | May 16, 2013 | 3
Alex Wild is an Illinois-based entomologist who studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books, and media outlets. Follow on Twitter @myrmecos.
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Cross-Check
Should Research on Race and IQ Be Banned?*
By John Horgan | May 16, 2013 | 173
Every week, hockey-playing science writer John Horgan takes a puckish, provocative look at breaking science. A teacher at Stevens Institute of Technology, Horgan is the author of four books, including The End of Science (Addison Wesley, 1996) and The End of War (McSweeney's, 2012).Follow on Twitter @Horganism.
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Plugged In
Why we know about the greenhouse gas effect
By David Wogan | May 16, 2013 | 1
An engineer who explores the relationships between energy, technology, and policy. Based in Austin, TX.Follow on Twitter @davidwogan.
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