I learned about something called axial precession in astronomy class several years ago, which is the idea that as something rotates along its axis, it will slowly trace out a cone if the weight of the object isn't equally distributed. In the case of Earth, Earth isn't a perfect sphere as many of us may think it is -- it actually bulges out in the middle enough for it to allow this phenomenon to occur. At the time, all I really took from this concept was how fascinating it is for the north axial pole to move 1° every 72 years from where it is now, and complete one full cycle every 26 000 years. However, I never managed to understand how this concept could fit in to my understanding of why ice ages[1] occur, and why they too follow a specific ...

This is a butterfly gurnard fish. They have a large bony head and a bony rostrum on the snout with a very small median notch with tiny spines.  They are sandy with reddish bands and blotches and often turn red on capture.  The greenish pectoral fins are round with bright blue spots and margins, and a roundish black blotch with a bright blue margin and scattered blue spots inside.

Genetic modification is one of the most controversial topics in all of modern science and with the advancement of synthetic biology over the last decade or so it is sure to become even more of a talking point in the future. Genetic modification is a subject that most people seem to have an opinion on, but I must say that a great deal of those opinions are built upon misconceptions or influenced by the charm of organic propaganda. I cant help but find such misunderstandings quite ironic, for example, the man who strongly opposes the consumption of genetically modified foods, yet requires the injection of insulin produced via genetically modified micro-organisms to keep his diabetes under control, to name just one such example. It seems that ...

Genetic testing of giant squid corpses discovered all over the world has found that not only are they all the same species, they have surprisingly low genetic diversity. This suggests that some time in the recent past they were pushed to the brink of extinction, but managed to rebound and are now found throughout the worlds oceans.

No, I’m afraid that the quote above is a common misconception and one that this post aims to correct. I know that in previous posts I have emphasized the ambiguity of certain genetic lingo, but in this post I am to enforce the clarity of one such piece of lingo…Mutations.

All the ENCODE hype has certainly brought molecular genetics to the forefront of the scientific stage and such exposure inadvertently highlights some trivial mistakes. On numerous occasions, I have heard people (from all ranges of scientific backgrounds) use phrases very similar to that set at the top of this page. Phrases declaring that ‘he was unlucky to have the gene for Huntington’s disease’ or ‘it was just in h ...

This is how baby giraffes sleep.


Adult giraffes are even stranger. They sleep very little -- it's estimated that they sleep just half an hour to an hour every day, in short five minute naps through the night. During sleep they rest their neck on their hind legs but usually remain standing.

Varicose veins in a patient's lower leg. The veins, which carry blood back to the heart, are swollen, irregular and distorted. Varicose veins are most common in the legs, but may also be found in the oesophagus or testis. They occur when valves, which usually prevent the backflow of blood and support the pressure from the blood above, become leaky. The veins then stretch and bulge. Support stockings are usually used to treat the condition, although in some cases surgery is needed to remove the veins. Pregnancy, being overweight, and standing for long periods, all increase the risk of varicose veins. ...