Long before any of us were old enough to watch “Jurassic Park”, we were seized with the urge to dig. At a tender age, our family regaled us with bedtime tales of mighty beasts towering over the landscape. According to the stories, paleontologists appeared to simply find some exotic locale, dig a hole, and the next thing you know they were posing for pictures beside a bone thicker than their […]
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No Comments My neighborhood was populated by kids born at the tail end of the boomer years. The street was filled with modest, ranch-style houses, driveways that were made for a single car, and lights that came on at dusk and told us it was time to get inside for supper. Each September, a squad of eight to ten of us would assemble at one driveway to make the trek to […]
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1 Comment Note: A couple of years ago, I visited the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island and spoke with Dr. Chi Chan. In case you didn’t read this in your local paper, the story is reprinted here. -HJM To say the space is cramped would be an understatement. There are, in no particular order, many mice, a toeless turtle, a cormorant, a robin, opossum, several seagulls, a broad winged hawk who may […]
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When darkness falls, most people retire to the comfort of their lighted homes. Human bodies are programmed by circadian rhythm to seek rest when night comes, letting the creatures of the darkness – owls, opossums, bats – move through the shadows. We do not follow their comings and goings, and perhaps we do not want to know what they are doing out there. We prefer to let nature’s nocturnals take […]
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I write stories about, well, science and nature. While I often interview scientists for my stories, what I write isn’t considered “hard” science. It’s intended for the lay person interested in the ways the natural world weaves in and out of our lives, and about the amazing work scientists are doing that most folks don’t know about. I love doing what I do, and when it came time to come […]
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No Comments July 2013 The warm sun is setting over the pond, and it seems like a nice time for your first flight of the day. As a mosquito, you aren’t exactly going to win any popularity contests, but hey, it’s a living. Off you go in search of a tasty treat, hopefully from one of those large creatures wearing floppy hats you see floating on the water in their brightly colored […]
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In a restaurant, on a plate, filled with meat and stuffing, the blue crab is a sight to bring a smile to the diner’s face. In a trap, on a crowded boat, filled with snapping claws, this very lively crustacean prompts much more caution than contemplation. It’s this latter encounter that URI Research Associates Barbara Somers and Chris Parkins are wrangling with on en early autumn morning on Point Judith […]
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At first, I thought the wind was making the glass door rattle. Even the second time I heard the small thud, I didn’t process what was happening. It was a stifling hot day, the air conditioner was running, and there was the oil burner guy who came to do a tune-up to attract my attention. It wasn’t until he was bringing his equipment out to his truck that I figured […]
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3 Comments The trip to the edge of the woods would be a quick one. The air had been steam sauna wet, and even now only recalled the tepid dampness of someone else’s towel. Worse, the yawn of days like this had produced a ravening hoard of mosquitoes that laughed openly at the casual wave of a hand. My dog, Shadow, for whom this trip to the woods had been necessary, […]
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No Comments It’s silly and I know it. There’s no logical reason, but try as I might, I fall victim to it again and again. Anthropomorphism. Giving human characteristics to non-human creatures is hardly new. The term comes from the Greek words “anthropos” (human) and “morphe” (shape), but this notion is universal. Still, that’s no excuse. At the moment, the animal in question is the Red Bellied Woodpecker. The Sibley Field Guide […]
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