blivet radio
The Radio weblog of Hal Rager

Tuesday, April 9, 2002

Mortimer Adler. "You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order to have things occur to you, to let your mind think." [Motivational Quotes of the Day] So tough to do... 8:06:38 PM    comment   trackback []

Scripps Scientists Find "Ignored" Species Play Key Role In Ecosystem Interactions. [Science Daily] "Scripps scientists Enric Sala and Michael Graham have produced a new study showing that so-called "intermediate" players in natural communities can often have as much and greater impacts than larger species.Sala and Graham conducted field experiments and lab studies evaluating interactions between predators and prey (also called "interaction strengths") in a kelp forest community. They found that previous conclusions about interaction strength in natural communities may not be as general as some believe, and that intermediate-sized predators, pound for pound, can represent the ecosystem's most significant consumers."In this paper we have shown that species that were previously overlooked can also be important players," said Sala, deputy director of the new Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps. "Although these species may be less important at certain time periods because of their size and interaction strength, they may have been important in the past or will be important in the future, as natural and unnatural shifts in density occur."The research addresses the importance of biological diversity, or "biodiversity," the number and types of species in an environment. Some argue that only a few species, such as the "keystone predators," are most important in ecological communities because they impose the strongest effects. Other species, which are labeled as "redundant" under this idea, are not necessary in a given environment. If these species become extinct, the notion contends, other species will simply move in to take their place and function, and the ecosystem will not suffer significant changes.Sala, Graham, and others, however, believe the opposite. They believe that the complexities of ecosystems are not immediately evident and that every species is important for the stability of ecosystems." 8:00:11 PM    comment   trackback []

Rainer Maria Rilke. "For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation." [Motivational Quotes of the Day] I love Rilke. 7:52:11 PM    comment   trackback []

Thomas H. Huxley. "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." [Quotes of the Day] A fine admonition. I'll try to remember to say that to Ian at an appropriate time in his life. 7:45:29 PM    comment   trackback []

"Brain Organization, Too, Sets Naked Mole-Rat Apart." [Scientific American] Ah, the wily NMR. A facinating critter. 7:38:27 PM    comment   trackback []

Emergence. "Based on glowing recommendations, I've ordered the book "Emergence"." [Erehwon Notebook] And based on Doug's commentary, I ordered Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson. Since I had the debit card out, I also ordered Ubiquity: The Science of History . . . or Why the World Is Simpler Than We Think by Mark Buchanan. 7:31:47 PM    comment   trackback []