I was outed to both my boss and several folks high up in the Michigan Powers That Be as the author of the Bug Blog.
I have deleted several posts about the recent Michigan budget issues at their request. I’m very sorry if your comments disappeared with them.
I am really happy that people like my work [...]
PNAS recently published a really interesting paper that estimated what the cost was, in terms of ecosystem services, of planting all that corn for ethanol production. Basically, when you plant just one crop, you reduce the amount natural control of pest insects by beneficial insects.
I’ve mentioned corn and ethanol before here–the change in the US [...]
I was surfing about, and this image happened to catch my eye on Flickr. It turned out to be part of this.
It’s apparently from an art show by Regina Silveira: Mundus Admirus e Outras Pragas.
(“Mundus Admirabilis and other plagues”; Mundus is Latin for “clean”, but I need help with Admirabilis; “wonder” or “admiration doesn’t quite [...]
I thought a long time about what I could write for Mr. Darwin–but I really just don’t have anything I think will do him justice.
How about you check out the Brand New edition of Evolution: Education and Outreach, which has a special Darwin Edition? I especially liked this essay on Darwin, which comes close to [...]
Millard Fillmore (or his bathtub, anyway) tagged me with a historical meme. I’m supposed to:
Link to the person who tagged you.
List 7 random/weird things about your favorite historical figure.
Tag seven more people at the end of your blog and link to theirs.
Since I was tagged almost a year ago, I’ll pass on giving this chain [...]
I’m sure somewhere you’ve heard about the silliness about dueling bus slogans in Britain and elsewhere. Now someone has created an online Bus Sign Generator. You had ta’ know I’d go there:
What can you come up with?
I also made one for another common arthropod.
You might remember me covering this bill before–it’s now The Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (H.R. 669). Currently, species may be imported unless declared “injurious” under the Lacey Act–which can only happen after an animal has caused demonstrable harm.
A few highlights from an Ecological Society of America Press Release:
The bill would establish a new [...]
When you email me about an internship I’ve posted, and tell me YOU are looking for an internship for your son/daughter, that pretty much puts the kibosh on me ever hiring your kid right there. (BTW, It’s especially not helpful if you use the words “lost”, “adrift”, or “confused” to describe your child.)
I’m sympathetic. Figuring [...]
I have a super busy schedule today, so how about you cruise over to Scienceray and look at their pretty photos of…insects eating each other. This lovely robber fly is a great example.
You can also just surf around in stboed’s photostream–lots of neat photos like this one there.
Also, since there are lots of academics here–how [...]
Looks like there could be a new repellent compound to choose from on your shelves soon!
The compound, isolongifolenone, is made from a tree with the charming name of Bastard Bulletwood. From the abstract:
We show that (Ð)-isolongifolenone deters the biting of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (L.) and Anopheles stephensi Liston more effectively than the widely used [...]
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