James L. Mau, Biologist

FRONTLINE, in conjunction with ProPublica and McClatchy media, investigate the country’s most notorious act of bioterrorism.

New questions arise to shed doubt on the FBI’s conclusion that USAMRIID microbiologist Dr. Bruce Ivins is responsible for the anthrax mailings in October of 2001.

The FRONTLINE program can be viewed in its entirety on the FRONTLINE website HERE.

Watch The Anthrax Files on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Not a $#%@-y idea. Maybe this should be proposed as an X-Prize-like competition.

Call it: Z-Poop Prize…

Learn more at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/sanitation.

Rhionaeschna californica - California Darner

Here too is another visitor cruising the airspace above my driveway this summer. This little guy I have seen here before (or at least his mom and dad were here prior).

I have an interesting story to tell you about this guys ancestors from a couple of years back I will write up and post here in a couple of days. I have a fond affection for dragonflies, always have. But, this story makes that affection even stronger.

Location: Ashland, OR

Photo Credit: Jim Mau © 2011

Copyright: James L. Mau, Biologist © 2011

I have three dragonflies (Order: Odonata, Suborder: Anisoptera) that share the airspace immediately above my driveway this summer.

The trio were actively hunting there yesterday morning just prior to the noon hour and seemingly doing quite well after the morning’s rain.

Libellula forensis - Eight spotted Skimmer

Interestingly though, just as the University’s clock tower began to strike the noon hour, all three suddenly vanished all at once as if the bell tower’s striking twelve noon called an end to their shift.

Nature, go figure…

Location: Ashland, OR

Photo Credit: Jim Mau © 2011

Copyright: James L. Mau, Biologist © 2011

Bee-like Robber fly. Possibly Laphria fernaldi

This little guy decided to be surprisingly photogenic on a woodland walk this past weekend. It looks to be what is called a Bee-Like Robber fly, looks like the Genus Laphria possible species fernaldi (Family: Asilidae).

Location: Ashland, OR

Photo Credit: Jim Mau

Copyright: James L. Mau, Biologist © 2011

It is not that the earth is in danger

For the planet will survive humanity.

It is humanity that is in peril

For humanity may not survive itself…

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"Humm"?

One of my Medical Terminology students recently coined a new term for a part to the human anatomy…the “utereterus“.

While I am not exactly certain of the correct anatomical location nor precise physiological function of this body part, I am quite certain that its function does not interfere with that of the “nasospondylactum“.

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What we could all use…           What?           a wet worm?

Young Budding Biologist pictured contemplating the meaning of Biodiversity at an early age.

As a young budding biologist in college I, like most, struggled to memorize countless taxonomic genera and species. Then, one day, a wise old ‘stuffed’ owl fell from an upper level shelf in a laboratory storage locker hitting me squarely upon the head and in that epiphanal moment I realize that each g.s. name did not refer to just the color of the feathers on this old bird or the length of its curled beak nor talons but in its unique relationship to the specific ecological niche it once inhabited. There is a theory in biology which infers that only one organism can ultimately occupy any given ecological niche at any given time. If this is so, then the taxonomic g.s. of this old owl defined not simply the morphology of the old ‘hoot’ but just as specifically its unique ecological niche.

Finally the world made sense.

The biological niche of an organism can no more be separated from the ecological niche it inhabits than the atmosphere can be separated from the oceans that drive it nor environments from the climates that dictate them. Bio (logical) diversity is just as much ecological diversity and the two can not be separated.

Whether as reductionists we decide to include the aspect of genetic ‘abundance’ in the definition of ‘biodiversity’ (in consideration of the comment re: gene pool) as compared to the aspect of genetic ‘diversity’ to this biological / ecological convergence or not is a fair question. Certainly this genetic abundance will have its fair share of influence in response to selective pressures placed upon any said organism and its niche (not to sound intentionally Darwinian) as this seems to be in a fair way how most species tend to move along through time. Some would call this evolution but that, as they say, is another blog...

On a plane one day preparing to land

In the seat before me sat a mother and her son, his age that of four perhaps five. As we began our decent, the young lad’s ears began to hurt due the increase in cabin pressure.

The young boy turned to his mother and complained of his problem where in she reached into her purse and handed him two pieces of wrapped chew candies and said “Here, these will release the pressure in your ears” and turned away to prepare the boy’s sibling sister for landing.

He looked at her a bit puzzled, then at the two chew candies and proceeded to attempt to stuff the two chew candies into his ears…

— True story…