As a recent college graduate I have had the privilege to learn the
importance of model organisms in scientific research. I understand the need
for small genomes, fast generations, and prolific reproduction. I
understand this though only because I majored in biology. Now considering
that I am pro
A large part of Sonia Altizer's work uses monarchs and their parasites as a
model system for host-parasite coevolution in general. (For example, why
don't parasites always evolve to become harmless if their existence depends
on their hosts?) This, of course, includes human pathogens. So, even if on
Costs have to be attached to any gov funded research because we spend
taxpayers' money to conduct the research for the benefit of the taxpayer.
Ask any Congressman.
As a consumer, I like to know that every dime I spend in a grocery store
buys me the product I want at a price I think is reasonab
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Now I am really confused... Paul is claiming to know a lot about
butterflies and has told the press that the Monarchs are probably
declining because of an introduced pest:
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/03/plight-of-the-butterflies/
Yet, this seems to contradict what he saying here
As someone who has done basic research on butterflies with some NSF
support, I'm grateful to those who have come to its defense in this forum.
But as someone who also does research on tephritid fruit flies, I note
that Gov. Palin's criticism of fruit fly research in Paris, France
appears to re
My mother worked for Dr. Novee at Argonne National Laboratory in their
search for the nutrino. One day, she asked why it was important. He
said something to the effect of, "right now we don't know what it will
be good for, but we can't use it if we can't find it."
So it is with most knowledge.
Migratory monarchs may exist in all 48 states, but they tend to follow
specific migratory paths (flyways) -- unless you choose to ignore the
mark-recapture data obtained from migrating monarchs over the rest of
their range.
Monarchs do not breed in their overwintering sites, therefore as
butt
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I think there's a role here for us as individuals to reach out to our
friends and family. Maybe for those of us celebrating, this Thanksgiving
would be a good chance to say, 'I'm thankful we live in a country that can
afford to fund basic scientific research, and here's why...'. My immediate
fami
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Regarding Mr Cherubini's contrarian comments regarding basic science and the
lack of obvious economic benefit to society, we should always recall the
Japanese physicist who, at the outset of WWII, had all his funding cut off
because he was working on the "ridiculous" subject matter of nuclear ph
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In what specific ways do "People tend to love Monarchs to
death," as Altizer says with substantial negative effects on
the survival and reproduction of the species on a continental
scale (migratory monarchs occur in all 48 mainland States
of the USA)? In what specific ways is it conceivable that
The Kellogg Biological Station has 2 spring internships available to current
or recently graduated students. We will accept applications until Nov. 5th,
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or
http://tinyurl.com/5kasr3
These 15-week
Graduate Opportunities for River and Wetland Engineering Research at
Virginia Tech
The departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Biological
Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech have openings for several highly
qualified and motivated graduate students interested in stream, wetland, an
The scary thing is, if Stephen were to remove the sections with the flippant
tone, he could probably sell these ideas to a mass audience. I realize that
Jay Leno's "Jay Walking" episodes are edited to emphasize stupid responses,
but still, it is scary that Jay finds any adults at all (who are ofte
I am surprised to learn that Monarchs are economically unimportant. Aside
from their ecological roles (pollinators, food for birds, etc.) they have a
significant impact on the tourist industry, and if their magnificent
migrations ended it would have severe economic reprecussions.
It's nice to
As I do not know what fruit fly research Palin was referring to, my comments
may be irrelevant. But California spends millions of dollars trying to control
the fruit flies that endanger their multibillion dollar fruit industry. That
sounds like a good investment. Of course this fruit fly prob
On Oct 29, 2008, at 9:36 AM, malcolm McCallum wrote:
The fact of the matter is that basic research must be in place before
applied research can utilize that information. Until American society
as a whole understands what research is and why it is important, these
kind of simple-minded attacks w
What about a springtail?
Does anyone really value a springtail?
what is its financial value?
And yet it is a primary component of the soil ecosystem.
How would it look if this was a study on the migration of springtails?
It would get a lot of laughs, but if they went extinct no one would be laug
To some observers Monarch butterflies may indeed simply be
charismatic species. However, as pollinators, they also provide
ecosystem services and can have ecological effects that are
disproportionately large, relative to their abundance in the
environment. As is noted at
http://www.desertmus
The fact of the matter is that basic research must be in place before
applied research can utilize that information. Until American society
as a whole understands what research is and why it is important, these
kind of simple-minded attacks will continued. Unfortunately, America
is not composed o
Umm. THis is an economically important insect, it just happens to
not be a financially important insect. These are not the same thing.
This insect would be a non-market good in the economic system. While
it may not currently have a cash value, it may later develop a cash
value. Additionally
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I agree. What's frivolous about the monarch research? Aside from being a
disease model, it's a species that many, many people value greatly. The fact
that you can't eat monarchs, or (at this point) use them for biomedical
research is not the point. People simply like them. It's no different to
spen
Why chain ourselves to economic importance of a species as a barometer
on whether we should conserve it? Granted, economic importance is a
good boost for conservation of some species. However, it sure isn't the
only reason to conserve something.
Jason
Paul Cherubini wrote:
Jason L Kindall
Mr. Cherubini you make an excellent point.
The monarch study you refer to would seem frivolous to an uninformed and
ignorant person, who doesn't understand science and who doesn't know that
there is a connection between disease transmission and animal migration and
that a subject of study does not
Altizer's own words give a good reason why that might actually be money
well spent. I am sure Palin and the Joes would gladly fund work on the
Liberty Bell or restoration of one of the oldest American flags... the
monarch butterfly is inconic to North America and its culture, and it is
certainly vu
When I wrote the comment to which Dr. O'Malley replied I didn't realise that
words like "slacker," "idiot," "fool," "birdbrain" were used primarily by
intellectuals. Certainly on a research vessel you are much more likely to
hear the boatswain call a crew member a slacker or an idiot than you ar
I didn't know anyone measured the quality of basic science research in
such a manner. Applied scientific research, maybe, but not basic
scientific research.
Dave
Paul Cherubini wrote:
David M. Lawrence wrote:
What's frivolous about basic research like this?
What potential return on the ta
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