Best of the SFS Network (August-September Edition)

Well, the time has come to wrap up this wonderful 30-day period with a recap of all that’s gone on at the Southern Fried Science Network. I’ll just point out a few good posts from each blog, to keep you busy for a bit while you put off whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing (it’s only Tuesday, after all!)

Over at Mammoth Tales, John points out why teetotalers have it at least as bad as drunks. On a more serious tack, he reposted a doozy of an article on the history of the cartographic exaggeration of Antarctica as part of the Ocean of Pseudoscience Week.

Speaking of which, the folks over at Southern Fried Science have been very busy – Andrew has recapped all that has happened during the Ocean of Pseudoscience Week for your reading pleasure. One of my favorite non-OoPW articles there last month was part of Amy’s series “The Chemistry of the Big Blue” on plastics in the ocean. (As an aside, check this out if you’re not familiar with it – the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ewwww… )

Over at Arthropoda, Mike has taught me one thing I already knew and one thing I didn’t. The one I already knew: intelligent design “theorists” are full of it, especially when they find cool animals (like the mantis shrimp) to “prove” their “point”. The one I didn’t know: all arthropods are actually trilobites. (No, really! I saw it on Animal Planet!)

Chuck’s been busy at Ya Like Dags? Briefly, he doubts that the Atlantic dogfish fishery is actually sustainable, dislikes it when dogfish are demonized as “voracious beyond belief”, and gives a brief explanation of why two dogfish populations may or may not both be the same species.

Will at Bomai Cruz has some good posts this month. What’s just under 10 feet tall, grey, and has the head of a dog and the tail of a crocodile? Go find out! Getting a bit grosser, if you’ve ever wondering what use could ever be found for whale snot, you now have an answer.

As for myself, I finished my series on the possibility of consciousness in cephalopods. I also pointed out how much woo we’re willing to tolerate when it comes to case of awareness in animals, using an example from the Paul the Octopus fiasco.

Finally, Spawning is Imminent (a name that I always misspell the first time) has joined the network. I’ve already recapped my favorites in the last post, so go check it out!

Thanks for reading!

Just so it’s public, I’m tagging Mike Bok at Arthropoda as bosun for next month.