Nobel Prize in Physics

The Nobel Prize in Physics was announced yesterday morning and once again some Bay Area scientists won.

George F. Smoot of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and John C. Mather of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for their research that found the first overwhelming evidence for the Big Bang as the origin of the universe.

Prof. Smoot is a physics professor at UC Berkeley. He actually teaches Physics 7B, the second semester of introductory physics class. Can you imagine being a freshman or sophmore, coming to class to find out that your professor just won a Nobel Prize? The Award ceremony in Sweeden is the day of the class final.

Dr. Mather was a UCB doctoral grad, studying under another Nobel prize winner, Charles H. Townes.

More seriously, Smoot explained how he, Mather and their teams of colleagues had successfully united the science of quantum mechanics, which deals with the smallest things in the universe, and the science of cosmology, which concerns itself with the largest.

Humble congrats to both and enjoy the parking spot.

Photo via Creative Commons Search, credit ereneta

College Radio

My friend Evan, a law student at UCLA, does a radio show on the UCLA college radio station on Mondays from 2-4 PM called Pocket Full of Rock. If college style radio is your thing, and if you consider yourself the least bit hip it should be, then check out http://uclaradio.com/

Its on now.

Nobel Prize time

So its that time of year, when the Nobel Prizes are announced. Although there is no Nobel for the field sciences, we will still post a bit about them, because well it is interesting. That simple.

First up is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine which went to two US scientists, Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for their work looking at how some genes are regulated in the body. They discovered RNA interference which is responsible for down-regulation of certain genes. It has also become a very important tool for scientists studying certain proteins. The technique pioneered by the Nobel laureates allows one to artificially "knock-down" a gene and study how the protein of interest effects the cell or animal model by making observations in its absence.

We use this very new technique in my lab and it is instrumental in understanding the effects of proteins in cell and tissue physiology.

DNA holds the information needed to build all the proteins that make life possible. The information in a gene is first copied into a molecule known as mRNA (messenger RNA), which is then used as a template for making a protein (get a genetics overview.)

But unlike DNA, which generally exists only as a double-stranded molecule with two matching sides, mRNA is single-stranded.

Fire and Mello found that injecting a cell with the matching strand for a certain mRNA silences all expression of the associated gene—the protein is simply not made. The scientists reported their discoveries in a 1998 issue of the journal Nature.

The matching strand binds to the target RNA to create a double-stranded RNA molecule, similar to DNA.

This double-stranded RNA, scientists later discovered, is destroyed by a set of proteins as a natural defense mechanism against viruses, as well as a tool to regulate the expression of certain genes.

Photo via Creative Commons Search, credit ereneta

Study Finds Tarantulas Spin Silk From Their Feet,

What does a tarantula do when it comes across a slippery surface in its travels ... It spins silk out of its feet to aid in locomotion. It is believed that tarantulas are the only animal to use silk in locomotion. The study was written by Stanislav Gorb, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart, Germany.

Gorb and colleagues found that zebra tarantulas secrete tiny bits of silk from nozzlelike structures in their feet. These tethers allow the arachnids to scale vertical surfaces.

The discovery supports a hypothesis that ancient spiders first evolved to produce silk from their feet before changing to the modern configuration of producing it in their abdomens.

"It makes sense actually," Gorb said. "We know that all the extremities of ancestor arachnids probably had this possibility to adhere during locomotion, for example, or during prey capture."

Alternatively, the foot secretions may have evolved independently in tarantulas to help the relatively large spiders move around safely, he adds.

The study can be found in the current issue of Nature, which if you don't have a university paying for it, costs a fortune.

Bush Administration Blocks Hurricane Report

The Bush Administration has blocked a report that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has compiled which suggests that Global Warming may be a cause of stronger and or more frequent hurricanes.

The Bush administration has blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes, the journal Nature reported Tuesday.

The possibility that warming conditions may cause storms to become stronger has generated debate among climate and weather experts, particularly in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

In the new case, Nature said weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ? part of the Commerce Department in February set up a seven-member panel to prepare a consensus report on the views of agency scientists about global warming and hurricanes.

According to Nature, a draft of the statement said that warming may be having an effect.

In May, when the report was expected to be released, panel chair Ants Leetmaa received an e-mail from a Commerce official saying the report needed to be made less technical and was not to be released, Nature reported.

Is anyone surprised that this administration blocks science that does not agree with their world paradigm.

Cactus Bloom Photo Blogging

Ariocarpus fissuratus

If you aren't checking in with the guys over at the Cactus Jungle blog a few times a week you are really missing out. They have been posting a ton of beautiful bloom pictures. If you see something you like head on over there because they tend to have cactus for sale that are a few weeks away from blooming, so you will get to enjoy the flower at home for the entire length of it's bloom. And as far as I know, unlike a lot of other nurseries, blooming or pre-bloom plants won't cost you a dime more.

More Andes Pics

The Andes Mountain range outside of Mendoza, Argentina. (See map below)

Friday Gecko Blogging

Rhachodactylus ciliatus

Photo from good friend of the store Ryan Garrett. Go tell him to update his photo blog, Observing the Process Will Change It, more than once a month.

Big Reptile Show Weekend

For the first time in recent memory we will be doing two reptile shows in the same weekend. The bigger show is the NARBC in Anaheim, Ca. Stop by the booth and say hello to Sean and John.

The second show is the North Bay Herpetological Society's Tenth Annual Reptile Bazaar in Petaluma, Ca on Saturday only. Myself and Carlos will be manning the booth.

Feel free to drop off beer at either show.

Electoral College

I read about this a few months ago, but had no idea that the bill was sitting on Ahnold's desk. A Stanford University professor has devised a way around the electoral college with out needing the 2/3 vote to ratify the constitution. Basically if enough states (an electoral college majority) create state laws that their electoral college votes will all be awarded to the winner of the popular vote in the presidential election, it will guarentee that the winner of the popular vote wins the election. It will take 11+ of the most populus states for this plan to work, but it behooves the larger states to pass laws like this in order to weild more power on the national landscape. Our last two presidential elections were basically decided by Floridians (with the aid of the Supreme Court) and Ohioans. the most populus states all tend to be blue, with the exceptions of Texas and Florida, so this idea will require bipartisan support. But it would transform our Republic (or is it a Federation) into a more of a true Representitive Democracy. Everyone's vote would actually be equal under a true Representitive Democracy.

The first fruit of his effort, a bill approved by the California legislature that would allocate the state’s 55 electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, sits on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. The governor has to decide by Sept. 30 whether to sign it, a decision that may well determine whether Dr. Koza’s scheme takes flight or becomes another relic in the history of efforts to kill the Electoral College.

“It would be a major development if California enacts this thing,” said Tim Storey, an analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. “It will definitely transform it from a smoldering thing into a fire.’’

There have been many efforts over the decades to kill the Electoral College, the little-known and widely misunderstood body that actually elects the president based on the individual states that a candidate wins. Most recently, former Representative John B. Anderson of Illinois and former Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana spearheaded a drive, Fair Vote, for a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College.

Concert Review

So a bunch of us went to a show at the Stork Club in Oakland last Saturday night.

The opening band, Harold Ray Live, was pretty good. Six guys or so in suits playing James Brown-esque toons. They were very high energy and the organ player hit the keys so hard the entire organ bounced around the stage.

Up second was Bob Log III who was amazing. From the Kansas City Star ...

"He keeps time with two busy feet, kicking a cymbal and a bass drum and tow-tapping two drum machines. The first thing you'll notice about him, though, is the bubble-mask motorcycle helmet he wears, which is wired with a microphone - a masquerade that hides his face and warps his voice.

And as for the swizzle stick - the frank truth is he'd rather his drink be stirred by a bare female breast, and these days Bob Log is so popular (or persuasive) he's been getting his way. He is a one man band playing a bass drum with one foot, a snare drum with the other and slide guitar."

If you are familiar with his Fat Possum label mates The Black Keys, the sound is similar. Throw in a little Squidbillies, and some Howard Stern humor and you have Bob Log III. He definitely stole the show.

The closer was BlowFly, the self-proclaimed "original dirty rapper." And uh yeah ... he was quite dirty. Imagine a ~70 year old man, with an abnormally long, boney middle finger aggressively pointing to and fro while some of the funniest, dirties lines you have ever heard come out of his mouth. It was quite interesting indeed. I won't reprint any of his lyrics as this blog may be read by 12-year olds looking for leopard gecko pictures, but don't let your mom read them over your shoulder. Blowfly is a very charismatic, very entertaining man.

During one of the set changes herp student walks up to us and says "figures I would see a bunch of herpers at BlowFly." We were all wearing our EBV shirts, but yes BlowFly definitley fits in with the herping crowd.

The above photo is called "The freakish, funky finger of Blowfly points out a Hole Man in the crowd" and was taken at the April 12th, 2006 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 by Michael Pilmer © 2006

Local Music

So I am going to expand the blog a bit to include some local music adventures since the fine employees of EBV tend to do the whole afterwork fieldtrip to a local music show about once a month or so. So if indie music is your thing look out for some concert and band reviews. Not all of it will be wimpy indie-rock; we'll have some indie-hip-hop and indie-punk and indie-fill in the blank, but a lot of it will be sensitive, ephemeral indie-rock.

Fish in the coal mine

A cnn.com story discusses municipalities using sunfish as a "canary in the coal mine" against terrorist attacks agianst drinking water. Glad to hear we are actually doing something besides "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here."

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A type of fish so common that practically every American kid who ever dropped a fishing line and a bobber into a pond has probably caught one is being enlisted in the fight against terrorism.

San Francisco, New York, Washington and other big cities are using bluegills -- also known as sunfish or bream -- as a sort of canary in a coal mine to safeguard their drinking water.

Small numbers of the fish are kept in tanks constantly replenished with water from the municipal supply, and sensors in each tank work around the clock to register changes in the breathing, heartbeat and swimming patterns of the bluegills that occur in the presence of toxins.

Will Ferrell as Dubya on Global Warming

Andean Condor

All the tegus were still in their winter holes ... so an Andean Condor picture instead. I'll post a few more Argentina pics this week.

Great White Shark

Monterey Bay Aquarium has a new White Shark on display in their Outer Bay exhibit. These are the most amazing creatures to see in person. Jaw-dropping is not an exaggeration.

For only the second time, there's a healthy young white shark in our Outer Bay exhibit. 5 feet 8 inches long and 104 pounds, he arrived on August 31 and is making himself right at home in the million-gallon exhibit. Each day he's here, he'll teach us more about white sharks and how we can protect these thrilling—and threatened—animals in the wild.

A little more than it could handle

A reticulated python in Indonesia needed to be removed from a roadway after eating a pregnant sheep. Apparently it was so bloated it couldn't slither off of the road. That's gonna leave some stretch marks.

Sacramento Show Pictures

The Sacramento Show was a big success. It was very crowded, especially on Saturday. Here are a few pictures from Sunday.

Super heros like beaded lizards

Sean explains animal husbandry

Emo kids like snakes

All the way from Japan

Smiling for the camera

Tashara, our ZooMed Rep, hurting Sunday morning

Best of the East Bay

This is a few months old but I never managed to blog it. East Bay Vivarium was named the Best Specialty Store in the "The Deadly Sins: Best of the East Bay 2006" category by the East Bay Express, a great weekly newspaper.

Ophidiophobes, arachnophobes, herpetophobes, and general zoophobes should steer clear. But if you adore snakes, spiders, reptiles, and amphibians, you've hit pay dirt at this West Berkeley institution. The specialty pet store and de facto zoo peddles a menagerie of nature's most curious and/or intimidating creatures.

...

Vivarium co-owner John Emberton estimates that half of his visitors stop in just to look around. Store regulars bring their newbie friends, and parents come looking for free kiddie entertainment. The staff is cool with all that. "We have school groups and birthday parties coming through, Cub Scout and Girl Scout groups, and they don't buy a thing," Emberton says. "It's free advertising. It's trickle-down. They're not all gonna come back and buy something down the road, but if one in twenty does, then it's worth it." So after your Sunday brunch on yupscale Fourth Street, walk over and view some stuff that would give those soccer moms the creepy-crawlies.

Resturant Review

Our friends at Cafe Rouge on 4th Street got a brief write-up in the East Bay Express this week.

Fur Seals Return to the Farallons

The SF Chronicle reports that for the first time since 1834 Northern Fur Seals have returned to the Farallon Islands off of the San Francisco coast.

A few started returning in the early 1970s, but this year their numbers surged -- an indication of the islands' enduring vitality and proof that a sensitive species can revive under favorable circumstances.

"We're ecstatic to see any marine mammal recovery, but it's especially gratifying when you're talking about a sensitive species like northern fur seals," said Clyde Morris, manager of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. "Their comeback is probably due to the high protection from human intrusion the Farallones receive."

The Farallons are really a special place so its great to see it as a home to another species.

RIP Steve Irwin

RIP Croc Hunter

A DOCTOR and witnesses have told of the desperate efforts to save Australian icon Steve Irwin after the Crocodile Hunter was struck in the chest by a stingray barb today.

Irwin, 44, died this morning after being fatally injured while filming a nature documentary off Queensland.

The news has shocked the nation and prompted a rush of tributes from politicians and the public alike.

Irwin's wife Terri was in Tasmania at the time of the tragedy and had to be contacted by police with the terrible news.

Hiatus

I am going on a two week holiday to Argentina, so probably no blogging during that time. Hopefully pics of tegus when I return. Sacramento Show pictures too. I neglected to line up a guest blogger, so see you in a bit.

-JK

Friday Gecko Blogging

Oh so Late ... Rachodactylus auriculatus

Iraq for the last time this week

We have several friends and customers who have fought in Iraq or are currently fighting there. This quote from President Bush is quite depressing.

We're not leaving, so long as I'm the President. That would be a huge mistake.

More reptile posts for the rest of the week. I promise.

60 Books!

The White House claims that President Bush has entered a reading contest with Karl Rove and that W. has read 60 books so far this year. 60 books! Wow that is one of the worst lies they have come up with in his entire tenure, and there is a lot of competition.

I consider myself a fairly avid rader and have read maybe 12 books so far this year.

According to Dan Froomkin's math:

Of the twelve books listed, I come up with a total page count of 5,356 pages, including 1,585 pages not available until at least 4/2006 of this year. That is an average page count of 450 pages per book. Multiply by his 60 books so far this year for a total page count of 27,000. 27,000 pages means the President would have to average a little over 115 pages per day. Reading a quick pace of a little over a minute per page, that is two hours a day of reading, and let's be honest, longer if you want to retain information in these types of books. And this from a man who prides himself in not reading the paper. I don't buy it.

I find this too incredible to believe. And when the Carpetbagger puts Bush's summer days in context it becomes evn more incredible.

And those are just the 12 books Walsh listed. The White House press office gave C-SPAN a list of 25 books — which were just part of the president's summer reading list. For a guy who likes to get to bed early, who devotes a couple of hours a day to exercise, and who ostensibly oversees the executive branch of government during a war, let's just say this is more than a little "ambitious."

Even if we assume that this is all transparent White House spin, and that the president didn't read "The Stranger" or much else from his reading list, the question then becomes, why bother with this narrative anyway?

USNWR's Walsh wrote that "portraying Bush as a voracious reader is part of an ongoing White House campaign to restore what a senior adviser calls 'gravitas' to the Bush persona. He certainly needs something."

We started a book club the this month and are looking at averaging 100-150 a week. Modest, but a good ammount for busy people. And I hope that our president is busier than I am. If he really did take the time to read this much though, maybe it would explain why our foreign policy and economy is falling apart. It's hard to figure out a new game plan for our war in Iraq otherthan "stay the course" when you are nose deep in Hamlet and MacBeth everyday.

Snakes on a Plane!

The SF Chronicle interviews EBV about the movie "Snakes on a Plane."

"It seems like they had some real cobras, too," said Owen Maercks, co-owner of Berkeley's East Bay Vivarium, the most comprehensive reptile pet store in the country.

In Saturday's Datebook review of the movie, there appears to be a photo of a harmless king snake terrorizing actor Tygh Runyan. Dude, relax. King snakes are a gentle species, not prone to bite.

The fake snakes on this plane, hopped up on the biologically false premise that pheromones inspire their fang frenzy, fly out of cubby holes, hiss like felines and snap like bullwhips as they pursue a terrified captive audience of warm-blooded prey.

Part of the movie's perverse appeal lies where the fake snakes strike: an eyeball, a poor urinating fellow's genitals and, William Tell-like, smack dab on a naked nipple. In nature, snakes strike at whatever body part is closest to them, usually hands, fingers, arms and bare feet. The greatest marksman in the snake world is the spitting cobra, which has an uncanny ability to nail its victim in the eyes.

"On a reality meter, it's a total failure," Maercks said. "But you can't judge a movie like that on a reality meter. It was fun. It's every person's worst fear of snakes to their most basic level."

...

In a delightful bit of irony, Maercks' partner at the East Bay Vivarium, John Emberton, flew to Daytona Beach, Fla., over the weekend with real-life snakes on a plane. He attended a reptile show and brought with him a variety of snakes and lizards.

Rather than stoked with a blood lust for human flesh, Emberton's docile snakes were safely packaged in Tupperware-like containers with perforated lids and placed in Styrofoam packing boxes and then into cardboard boxes marked "Live Animals."

It is actually a very good entertainment piece. You should read the whole thing. And damn that Owen is sexy. He should have been a film star.

College Rankings

University of California, Berkeley (my alma mater) is once again the number one ranked public school in the nation and #21 overall according to US News and World Reports. We have many faculty and students as customers so a congratulations to all.

Stanfurd University was ranked #4 overall. Since many faculty and students at Stanfurd are also customers a begrudging congrats to you guys too.

And for a quick critique on why college ranking are bull and heavily favor private schools.

The Crazy Fringe

The newest CNN poll says:

Just 35 percent of 1,033 adults polled say they favor the war in Iraq; 61 percent say they oppose it -- the highest opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three years ago.

Intersting to see that 61% of Americans are now part of what Cheney et al. like to call the Crazy Fringe of America.

www.dictionary.com defines fringe as "4) Those members of a group or political party holding extreme views: the lunatic fringe."

Maybe the Neocons need a little vocabulary brush-up.

Friday Gecko Blogging

Real late but here it is. He's damn cute.

Diplodactylus williamsi

Conservation and Castro

It seems that Cuba has some of the most pristine environments left in the world. Western leaders want to deny the Cuban leader any credit in conservation and instead claim that Cuban waters and forests are relatively intact because of stagnant economic growth and a minimal tourism industry. Others wish to give Castro full credit for protecting his countries environmental jewels. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

More than half of Cuba's plants and animals, and more than 80 percent of its reptiles and amphibians, are unique to the island.

Endemic birds include the Cuban trogon, the Cuban tody, and the Cuban pygmy owl. The world's smallest bird, the bee hummingbird —which weighs less than a U.S. penny —is found there.

Whatever the reason it is encouraging to see environments protected. Maybe some day we can go experiance the wonder legally.

The Day We Have all Been Waiting For

"I am tired of these mother f*cking snakes on this motherf*cking plane"

UPDATE:

Some reviews

National Geographic does a snake round-up

Samuel L. Jackson on the Daily Show:

Bonus Animal Blogging

Friday Whippet Blogging

Friday Snow Leopard Blogging

Friday Dog Blogging

And if you are confused ... A NY Times article on the history of friday animal blogging

And damn you Atrios where are my cat pictures today?

Update: Atrios was just a bit late today with his Friday Cat Blogging

At the Bottom of the Evolutionary Ladder

Of the 34 countries in a recent study the United States is the 33 most accepting of the Theory of Evolution. The only country more hostile than the US is Turkey; a country with a large Islamic Tribal population (although with about 1000 Turkmen polled, who knows if the tribal villages were polled).

So much for being on the intellectual and scientific forefront.

Friday Gecko Blogging

Uromastyx Addition:

Uromastyx ornata

EBV Blog Readership

We have readers on four continents with a great showing in Europe. Australia and South America, you really need to get in on this action. You know you want to. All the cool continents are doing it.

UPDATE:
Australia and South America have gotten in on the action ... on to Antartica

Project Heloderma Fundraiser

At this years NRBE in Daytona, Florida (the largest North American Reptile Expo) a fundraising auction will be held for the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard. The International Reptile Conservation Foundation sends out the following:

We invite you to donate your art, products, services, and other items to be auctioned on behalf of the endangered Guatemalan Beaded Lizard on August 19, 2006. No more than 200 Guatemalan Beaded Lizards are left on earth and your help is desperately needed. Wayne Hill and the NRBE will be supporting the conservation effort on their behalf. All auction proceeds will go toward the "Project Heloderma" fund.

If you are going to Daytona consider throwing some cash their way and in return you could have a One Week Stay in North Carolina Beach House, Hand-made Quilt by Mae Hill (Wayne Hill's mother), Signed Plates from "The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere", a 1 Week Stay on Cocoa Beach FL, Ocean Front Condo or many other items. A worthy cause that works with locals on education and conservation in this beautiful lizards' habitat.

Crazy Cat Ladies

If you are really bored try kittenwar.com Beats the hell out of the previous war post. Someone needs to start a herpwar.com.

The Cost of War

In the midst of many catastrophies on both sides of the Isreal-Lebannon conflict is an environmental one. Three weeks ago Isreal bombed refineries on the Lebanon coast and created a toxic spill that will rival the Exxon-Valdez spill. Because of the constant fighting very little is known about the exact extend and the immediate toll on wildife. The American Prospect's Christopher Moraff writes the following.

For the past four weeks a mass of black sludge composed of between 15,000 and 35,000 tons of medium/heavy grade oil has been creeping unhampered up the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon. International environmental groups are calling the mid-July destruction of Beirut’s Jiyyeh Power Plant -- and the massive oil spill that resulted -- one of the worst environmental crises in the region’s history.

On July 13, Israeli bombs destroyed the plant -- 20 miles south of Beirut -- setting fire to five fuel tanks and sending thousands of gallons of oil into the Eastern Mediterranean. The Lebanese Ministry of Environment estimates the total spill could rival the Exxon Valdez catastrophe of 1989. In addition to the oil, the burning tanks sent black clouds of toxic smoke into the sky over Beirut that were visible from as far as 30 miles away.

By the start of August, the oil spill had already polluted more than 90 miles of the Lebanese coastline -- destroying Beirut’s once pristine beaches in the process. On August 2, satellite images revealed that the slick had reached the Syrian coastline and is spreading north. “We have never seen a spill like this in the history of Lebanon,” the country’s environment minister, Yacoub al-Sarraf, told Al-Jazeera.

Read the whole thing.

Something is Right in Kansas

It looks like the tide has finally turned in Kansas and the pro-creationist, anti-science School Board is turning towards actually teaching science in Kansas science classes.

For a much better run-down than I could give see DarkSyde's Diary over at dailykos or the Northern Virginia Reptile Rescue Blog.

Good for the voters in Kansas.

California Assembly Bill 2862

California Assembly Bill 2862 is a poorly written animal welfare bill. Although it's authors probably have good intentions and many of the provisions in the bill are worthy, there are numerous provisions that would be very harmful to reptile breeders and keepers.

Major areas of concern for reptile owners are the provisions relating to rodents (ie. banning sale of all non-weaned rodents). According to the PIJAC

"In fact, some of the anticipated amendments are worse than current language. For example, new language would require each hamster to be placed in its own cage. Another poorly crafted and ill- conceived change would effectively require “veterinary care” for such animals as brine shrimp. "

A recent response from the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council can be found here.

If you are feeling up to your democratic right to be properly represented by your state legislature contact your local representative. Others you might want to contact include members of the Business and Professions Committee who hear this bill in committee.

Contact info:

Senator Sam Aanestad– 916- 651- 4004
Senator Liz Figueroa- 916-651 -4010
Senator Bill Morrow - 916-651- 4038
Senator Joe Simitian- 916-651 -4011
Senator Dean Florez - 916- 651- 4016

And just so it is clear, we do not oppose much of this bill, and appreciate animal welfare. We do this because we love animals, not because we like to eat puppies. But California Assembly Bill 2862 is a mis-guided attempt to stop those who practice immoral animal husbandry.

Friday Gecko Blogging Bonus Addition

Oedura marmorata

Friday Gecko Blogging

Aeluroscalabotes felinus

Zidane Headbutts Castro

Not reptile related, but World Cup fever swept through the Bay Area and this is a great take on the Zidane headbutt.

Tips on Thursday

Many people mist with tap water, dechlorinated with a chemical product. Although this is fine for most of your animals (unless your water is quite hard) it can create unsightly water spots on your tank glass. To avoid water spots, mist with reverse osmosis water, deionized or distilled water. These softer waters have less minerals, which are responsible for the water spots on your glass. For many fragile, tropical animals, softer water is healthier. If you understandably don't want to spend the big bucks on an RO system, you can buy distilled water at most grocery stores for a few buck a gallon, and is more "pure" than RO water anyways.

2 Day Old Cat Gecko

Friday Gecko Blogging

Busy day ... A little late but here it is.
Rhacodactylus sarasinorum

Don't Eat Farmed Atlantic Tuna

The World Wildlife Federation warns that Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are nearing extinction. Much of this can be blamed on fish farms.

Bluefin tuna is near ecological and commercial extinction," said Sergi Tudela, head of the fisheries program at WWF in Barcelona, Spain.

Hammerhead vs. Tarpon

Tuesday Afternoon Monitor Blogging

Varanus prasinus

Interesting but Impractical Mosquito repellent

Its been much too hot for mosquitoes lately but they should be showing up again soon as the fog rolls in and temperatures cool a bit. Just in time is an paper from Australia showing that frog secretions are great mosquito repellent, and may serve as a DEET alternative sometime in the future. Only one problem

But human tests for a frog skin-based repellent haven't been carried out, and Williams and his team already foresee‚—or foresmell‚—some obstacles to making a commercial product.

"We tried putting some of the chemicals from frog skin in a lotion," he said, "but the odor was too strong."

Some of the frogs' secretions smell of rotting meat, the team reports. Others give off aromas of nuts or thyme leaves.

The researchers say the strong smell is what repels biting insects.

Not too promising. I remember from an Organic Chemistry class a professor telling us about the active molecule in catnip, nepetalactone, being 10 times more effective in repelling mosquitoes than DEET, his only concern was it was never tested in the presence of Mt. Lions. So here in Northern California, one may just be substituting one bit for another. Again, maybe not so promising although this product is currently on the market.

UPDATE: Edited for typos

How not to feed your snake

Idiots.

Friday Night

Watch carefully for the gecko in this video. You know this guy asked for a raise right after this segment was filmed.

What's that Nelly?

It's still hot in here ... so besides checking temperatures on both the cool and hot sides of your cages and adjusting your heat accordingly, make sure your animals are getting enough water. Water bowls should be full, and tropical animals should get extra misting. Give your snakes, tortoises and others a good soaking this weekend. Don't be afriad to give your desert animals a descent misting during this warm weather either.

Now you can "take off all your clothes"

Friday Gecko Blogging

Nephrurus amyae: Roman Moniz Stock

Snakes! Good for your eyes.

A study out of the University of California, Davis reports that humans' and primates' superior close-up, color vision may have evolved in response to snakes. According to the authors "A snake is the only predator you really need to see close up. If it's a long way away it's not dangerous." I think saying "the only" is probably a bit of a stretch as it is the case of all ambush predators.

Other predators such as big cats, and hawks and eagles, evolved later. And then venomous snakes evolved about 60 million years ago, which forced primates to get better at detecting them.

"There's an evolutionary arms race between the predators and prey. Primates get better at spotting and avoiding snakes, so the snakes get better at concealment, or more venomous, and the primates respond," Isbell said.

And there are no dangerously venomous snakes on Madagascar, and lemurs, which only live on that large island and which have poor eyesight, have not evolved much in other ways in the past 60 million years, either, Isbell added.

The idea of the lemurs is somewhat convincing, but there are non-venomous Malagasy snakes (such as the one pictured above) capable of eating smaller lemurs, at least from a size standpoint. It would be interesting to compare eyesight in the more susceptible smaller lemurs in comparison to the larger, less likely to be snake prey lemurs to see if this piece of evidence holds up.

Thanks to reader Xian for the link

Tip of the Week

Use under-tank heat pads or Pig-blankets and not bed "heating blankets" when trying to provide proper tempertures for your snake. This is only one reason (from the AP)

It took surgery to save a 12-foot Burmese python after it swallowed an entire queen-size electric blanket — with the electrical cord and control box.

The blanket must have gotten tangled up in the snake's rabbit dinner, owner Karl Beznoska said. He kept the blanket in the cage to keep the 60-pound reptile, named Houdini, warm.

"Somehow, he was able to unplug the electric cord," Beznoska said Wednesday. "He at least wasn't hooked up to the power. It might have been pretty warm there."

Veterinarian Karsten Fostvedt conducted a two-hour operation on the python Tuesday, and said afterward, "The prognosis is great."

Neither Fostvedt nor fellow veterinarian Barry Rathfon had operated on a snake before. "We just basically called a couple of specialists and they told us where to go in," Fostvedt said.

X-rays showed the tangle of the blanket's wiring extending through about 8 feet of the python's digestive tract. The surgery to remove it took an 18-inch incision.

Specialists at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine told them it probably would have taken Houdini six hours to swallow the blanket and the snake probably would have died without the operation.

Other reasons include heat-blankets not being safe to use with a water bowl and their inability to precisely control temperatures.

Global Warming Is Killing Frogs

Ran across this study a few months back from Nature that claims Global Climate Change is responsible for massive amphibian die-offs in Central and South America.

The new study was led by J. Alan Pounds, the resident biologist at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica. In an accompanying commentary, two scientists not involved in the research say it provides "compelling evidence" that warming caused by human activity was already disrupting ecology.

"The frogs are sending an alarm call to all concerned about the future of biodiversity and the need to protect the greatest of all open-access resources - the atmosphere," write the scientists, Andy Dobson, a Princeton University ecologist, and Andrew R. Blaustein, a zoologist at Oregon State University.

This fungus is a major problem in wild populations of frogs and may be what was responsible for the sudden extinction of the Golden Toad of Monteverde.

King George says "No!"

Today President Bush used his first ever veto today on a bill designed to expand Federal Funding to new stem cell lines. Keep in mind that these lines would have been created from excess embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics which will be destroyed eventually anyways. This was a bill supported by Nancy Reagan and many very conservative Republicans such as Bill Frist (TN) and Orrin Hatch (UT).

"Each and every one of us began as an embryo," said Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana. "Therefore, I firmly believe that [neither] Congress, independent researchers nor any human being should be allowed, in effect, to play God by determining that one life is more valuable than another."

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a staunch opponent of abortion, said the bill is promotes life by encouraging research.

"I believe we are aiding the living, which is one of the most pro-life positions you can take," Hatch said.

Is our press going to ask him when he plans on banning IVF and expose his hypocrisy? I wouldn't hold my breath. The Republican War on Science continues.

UPDATE: For some good information on stem cell research see here. 66% of Americans are for embryonic stem cell research. This isn't a right vs. left issue. The American people overwhelmingly want stem cell research to go forward. The will of the people has been shot down.

It's Gettin' Hot in Here ...

Temperatures across the nation are reaching record highs as we are hit with a massive heat wave. So check your cage temperatures and adjust accordingly. Be extra diligent about making sure animals have shade in sunning pens.

Friday Gecko Blogging

Diplodactylus galeatus

N.M. power outage blamed on snake, bird

A power outage in New Mexico was blamed on a snake and a bird. According to the AP

"The customers lost their electricity Tuesday after a bird dropped a bull snake on a power line, shorting out the line, El Paso Electric Co. spokeswoman Teresa Souza said."

Weird.

Photo is actually of a brown tree snake

Tuesday Gecko Blogging

I know this is traditionally done on Fridays in the blog world, but blogger wouldn't cooperate with images last Friday ... Uroplatus sikorae

"Chameleon" Snake found in Borneo Forest

A new species of poisonous snake was found in the Borneo forest by the WWF.

"I put the reddish-brown snake in a dark bucket," Mark Auliya, a German reptile expert and WWF consultant, said in a press release. "When I retrieved it a few minutes later, it was almost entirely white."

Pretty cool to see a change in color happen as a defense mechanism to go along with venom. Can't wait to hear some more information about this snake.

Science Friday

Today's Science Friday dealt with the issue of coral bleaching in our oceans. This will continue to be a major problem as our earth continues to warm. As sea water temperatures rise, the bacteria which live in corals and provide energy in a symbiotic relationship die or are purged from the corals. We aren't quite sure why yet, but do know that high temperatures are the cause. For a good run down see here.

Global Climate Change, also brings us to the upcoming hurricane season. The same warmer sea temperatures are expected to create stronger hurricanes than in years past. We had a lot of friends effected during the last hurricane season and wish them Godspeed this season.

Climate change is also leading to an increase in forest fires and more intense fires.

If you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" go see it. This stuff is for real.

UPDATE: More links to Global Climate Change and forest fires here, here and here