Spider web

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Photograph by John Trawick.

Photography Contest, Honorable Mention.

Spider web
Spider web – made visible by early morning dew at Lake Murray Reservoir, San Diego, California. Nikon D7100.



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Dolomedes triton

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Photograph by Mark Sturtevant.

Photography Contest, Honorable Mention.

Fishing spider
Dolomedes triton – fishing spider under water. The six-spotted fishing spider hunts on water for insects and even fish. They can also hide under water to escape danger, as is shown in this staged picture, which was taken from the under-side of an aquarium.



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Interview with “Executive CEO” of AIG

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Ark seen from rear
A view of the floatless Ark seen from the rear. Photograph by Dan Phelps.

Paul Braterman reported earlier that Martyn Iles is the new Executive CEO of Answers in Genesis. Professor Braterman found the appointment of Mr. Iles troubling.

Mr. Iles was interviewed the other day by Jolene Almendarez of the Cincinnati Enquirer. I will admit that I was slightly put off by Ms. Almendarez’s first comment, that “most” reputable scientists and educators debunk AIG’s “controversial” claims about the age of the earth and so on. Nevertheless, it was a good interview which asked pertinent questions – though I fear that it will make Prof. Braterman no less troubled.

An Immense World: newish book

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Book cover

I have been reading, intermittently, I afraid, An Immense World, subtitled “How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us,” by Ed Yong. The book is about senses: vision, touch, pain, hearing, taste, smell, but also heat, vibration, electric and magnetic fields, and echoes and echolocation. I am about up to the part where he tries to tell you, with a sort of apology to Thomas Nagel, what it is like to be a bat.

In the meantime, I heard Mr. Yong interviewed by Arielle Duhaime-Ross last week on Science Friday, under the title, Expanding our Umwelt: Understanding animal experiences. Umwelt is a German word that Mr. Yong borrows to mean “the part of [its] surroundings that an animal can sense and experience—its perceptual world.”

Additionally, The New York Times ran an article, A bird’s-eye view of a Technicolor world, by Emily Anthes. This article shows some videos supposedly demonstrating what the world might look like to a bird whose vision is sensitive to ultraviolet light. There seemed to be an implicit assumption that ultraviolet looked a lot like violet and the birds see the primary colors about the same as we do, but never mind.

Darwin Day is February 12

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Charles Darwin and son William
Daguerrotype of Charles Darwin and his son William in 1842. Photographer unknown. Cambridge University Library. Public domain, not subject to copyright in the United States.

Darwin Day, that is, the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth in 1809, is February 12. If you are sponsoring any Darwin Day events, or indeed if you know of any, please submit them to International Darwin Day. As I write, only a half-dozen events are listed, and I am sure that there are many more.

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