Genomicron

Churchill fieldwork 1.

2009-07-16T14:20:00.009-04:00

We arrived in Churchill, Manitoba on Tuesday evening. There are no roads to Churchill, so the options are to fly or to drive to Thompson and take the train. One student and I flew, while three others drove with the supplies for our group and the upcoming field course and then came the rest of the way by train.

Yesterday we spent unpacking our equipment and then in the afternoon we had our bear safety orientation and firearms training. Being in polar bear country requires taking steps to keep researchers and students as safe as possible. This includes preventive action like working in groups and having someone on bear watch at all times. Those of us with licenses will also be on bear guard much of the time, carrying shotguns as a last resort means of protection. As such, it was good to get out and practice some shooting with the experts from the station.

Today, like the last two days, it was cold (5 C) and rainy, but we got out for a little bit of collecting this morning and found some specimens from various taxa we're focusing on. The real collecting will begin once the weather gets warmer and when the rest of the researchers and students come.

We have two large liquid nitrogen vapour shippers for our specimens, and lots of collecting implements. Basically, we are after everything that moves and even stuff that doesn't.

No polar bear sightings yet, but we did watch a pod of belugas this morning for a few minutes. Some of the students are eager to get out in the boats for some marine dredging, but the bay is still full of ice floes.

Stay tuned.

Journal covers.

2009-06-25T11:21:00.008-04:00

It is always a nice feeling to have a paper published, especially when it is a first paper for a student. It is an even nicer feeling when that paper is featured on the journal cover (i.e., when you submit a cool picture that the editor likes). As it happens, two of our papers appeared on covers in the last month, joining two that I had before.

Ardila-Garcia and Gregory (2009).
Photo by Jay Cossey.

Smith and Gregory (2009).
Photo by Oliver Lucanus.

Hebert and Gregory (2005).
Image by T.R. Gregory.

Gregory and Shorthouse (2003).
Photo by David Shorthouse.

Bad press release.

2009-06-17T18:33:00.003-04:00

Oh my.

Bacteria can anticipate a future event and prepare for it, according to new research at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In a paper that appeared today in Nature, Prof. Yitzhak Pilpel, doctoral student Amir Mitchell and research associate Dr. Orna Dahan of the Institute's Molecular Genetics Department, together with Prof. Martin Kupiec and Gal Romano of Tel Aviv University, examined microorganisms living in environments that change in predictable ways. Their findings show that these microorganisms' genetic networks are hard-wired to 'foresee' what comes next in the sequence of events and begin responding to the new state of affairs before its onset. E. coli bacteria, for instance, which normally cruise harmlessly down the digestive tract, encounter a number of different environments on their way. In particular, they find that one type of sugar – lactose – is invariably followed by a second sugar – maltose – soon afterward. Pilpel and his team of the Molecular Genetics Department, checked the bacterium's genetic response to lactose, and found that, in addition to the genes that enable it to digest lactose, the gene network for utilizing maltose was partially activated. When they switched the order of the sugars, giving the bacteria maltose first, there was no corresponding activation of lactose genes, implying that bacteria have naturally 'learned' to get ready for a serving of maltose after a lactose appetizer.

Another microorganism that experiences consistent changes is wine yeast. As fermentation progresses, sugar and acidity levels change, alcohol levels rise, and the yeast's environment heats up. Although the system was somewhat more complicated that that of E. coli, the scientists found that when the wine yeast feel the heat, they begin activating genes for dealing with the stresses of the next stage. Further analysis showed that this anticipation and early response is an evolutionary adaptation that increases the organism's chances of survival.

Ivan Pavlov first demonstrated this type of adaptive anticipation, known as a conditioned response, in dogs in the 1890s. He trained the dogs to salivate in response to a stimulus by repeatedly ringing a bell before giving them food. In the microorganisms, says Pilpel, 'evolution over many generations replaces conditioned learning, but the end result is similar.' 'In both evolution and learning,' says Mitchell, 'the organism adapts its responses to environmental cues, improving its ability to survive.'

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/06/17/israeli.scientists.show.bacteria.can.plan.ahead

EvoCast?

2009-06-16T08:51:00.004-04:00

There has been some discussion in the comments section of the previous post about probable interest in a regular EvoCast (cf. Astronomy Cast) that people could listen to, presented by evolutionary biologists and covering basic processes and exciting discoveries in evolution. This, or something like a series of videos on Youtube, has crossed my mind. It would certainly fit nicely between Evolver Zone and E:EO. The question is, would this really be something people are keen to see? If I get the sense that there is a real interest in it, I may just follow up on it (though I already have plenty on my plate with the journal and other writing).

Let me know what you think!

Brief response to comments on E:EO.

2009-06-11T15:40:00.005-04:00

Various bloggers on my must-read list have weighed in on the latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach, which focuses on transitional fossils (guest editor, Don Prothero). It is great to see the articles being discussed and recommended. A couple of minor responses to the apt comments (not criticisms per se, or at least mostly constructive ones).

@ Sandwalk: Larry is absolutely right that I did not get into the role of drift alongside natural selection in any significant way. This is a more advanced subject that will be covered in a follow-up article "What natural selection does and does not do".

@ Laelaps: Why no humans? Special issue unto itself coming.

@ Pharyngula: Articles are not really useful for talking with creationists. I agree, but the target audience is teachers, students, postsecondary educators, researchers, and interested laypeople. That said, an article on effective strategies for entering into reasoned discussions with creationist proponents would be appropriate and welcome.

A new transposable element blog.

2009-06-10T19:33:00.004-04:00

One of my graduate students has launched a new blog called The Mobilome. As he describes it in his inaugural post,

The goal of this blog is to spread the word about how cool TEs and other parasitic nucleic acids are by talking about interesting elements, papers both old and new and perhaps some educational posts about what TEs in general and why they are important to understand.

He is a voracious reader of the TE literature -- heck, his initials are T.E. -- so you know this is going to be very interesting...

Head on over to get his hit count up and don't forget to subscribe here.

Evolution: Education and Outreach, Special issue on transitional fossils.

2009-06-08T07:27:00.005-04:00

The latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach is now online. This is a special issue on transitional forms edited by Don Prothero, author of Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters. The papers are available without charge. Remember to also check out the special issue on the evolution of eyes edited by yours truly from last year.

Evolution: Education and Outreach
Vol 2, Iss 2

Editorials

Editorial
Niles Eldredge and Gregory Eldredge

A Question of Individuality: Charles Darwin, George Gaylord Simpson and Transitional Fossils
Niles Eldredge

Evolutionary Concepts

Understanding Natural Selection: Essential Concepts and Common Misconceptions
T. Ryan Gregory

Special Issue on Transitional Fossils

Introduction
Donald R. Prothero

Palaeontological and Molecular Evidence Linking Arthropods, Onychophorans, and other Ecdysozoa
Gregory D. Edgecombe

Monoplacophorans and the Origin and Relationships of Mollusks
David R. Lindberg

The Evolutionary Emergence of Vertebrates From Among Their Spineless Relatives
Philip C. J. Donoghue and Mark A. Purnell

The Fish-Tetrapod Transition: New Fossils and Interpretations
Jennifer A. Clack

The Evolution of Marine Reptiles
Ryosuke Motani

Evolutionary Transitions Among Dinosaurs: Examples from the Jurassic of China
James M. Clark and Xing Xu

Downsized Dinosaurs: The Evolutionary Transition to Modern Birds
Luis M. Chiappe

Dimetrodon Is Not a Dinosaur: Using Tree Thinking to Understand the Ancient Relatives of Mammals and their Evolution
Kenneth D. Angielczyk

From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
J. G. M. Thewissen, Lisa Noelle Cooper, John C. George and Sunil Bajpai

Evolutionary Transitions in the Fossil Record of Terrestrial Hoofed Mammals
Donald R. Prothero

Educational Papers

A Name by Any Other Tree
Anastasia Thanukos

Transforming Our Thinking about Transitional Forms
Louise S. Mead

Access to Evolution
Lara Eldredge

News

Paleontology and Evolution in the News
Sidney Horenstein

Book Reviews

The Charms of Nature: Darwin on Meaning and Value
Darwin Loves You: Natural Selection and the Re-enchantment of the World, by George Levine. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. pp. xxiii + 304, s/b $18.95
Adam M. Goldstein

Illuminating Charles Darwin’s Morality: Slavery, Humanity’s Origin and Unity, and Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory
Adrian Desmond and James Moore, Darwin’s Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin’s Views on Human Evolution. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Pp. xxi + 485. H/b $30.00
Joel Schwartz

Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, by Neil Shubin. Pantheon Books, 2008, 229 pages
Michael Gaspar

WARNING: May bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.

2009-05-23T07:42:00.011-04:00

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while will know that my father and stepmother have relocated to Livingstone, Zambia where they are creating a musical theatre program to employ local performers and generate revenue for the community [Webpage / Blog / RSS]. I am very pleased to note that they are now at the point of performing the show.

As a side project, they have also been raising money to help support the Linda West Basic School. This includes installing toilets, painting, drilling a new well, and opening a library. In addition, they have been raising donations to cover uniform and school fees for orphaned kids. What I like most about this is that they are actually there and they know these kids, plus the fact that 100% of the money goes directly to the intended recipient. Along those lines, I thought I'd share an email that my Dad sent to me a couple of days ago.

Warning: may bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.

I'm so pleased to finally introduce you to the young students who are now enrolled in Linda West Basic School in Livingstone, thanks to your sponsorship. I'm meeting next week to select some older kids and will let you know about the other two you are helping as soon as I meet up with them.

In any event, yesterday, I met all the kids being sponsored at Linda West and we handed out new school uniforms and books, pens, etc. to each child. The girls each received two dresses and the boys each got two shirts, one pair of shorts, and one pair of pants. Next week we will outfit them with shoes.

[JS] is a real sweetheart and she was thrilled to get her new dress. Notice how she is holding it out in the picture. She was eager to ask how this was all possible and couldn't believe that she would be returning to school. I think "friends in Canada" is something she did figure out but maybe didn't even know she had any friends in Canada until now.

[JS] is 12 years old and in Grade 5. She is what is termed a "double orphan" because both her parents have died. She currently lives with her grandfather who has been unable to pay the school fees and uniform costs. She just kept coming to school anyway and eventually the teachers just let her sit in class. Still, it isn't the same when you don't dress the same as the others and know you might not be able to continue. She said she likes to sing and play games. When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher or a "business lady".

[MK] never stopped smiling after he put on his new shorts and shirt. What a beautiful face he has. How can this 11 year old be so spirited after losing both his parents at such a young age? He lives with his grandmother in Linda Compound which is close to where we live so I will see if I can find out more about his living arrangement. Most of the buildings in Linda Compound are one room cement structure often housing several children and adults. That's the Compound where I donated soccer balls and uniforms and now see about 100 kids playing on the field every weekend.

[MK]'s teachers said he was a "keener' and loved to read when he was in school before. I'm sure he'll like the new library we're opening at the end this month at Linda West. He told me he likes gymnastics and wants to be a soldier or policeman when he grows up. I'll have to see if his dad was a cop or something.

If you write to either of these kids Marilyn and I will deliver your correspondence. If you have any specific questions about either child just let us know and we'll find out the answers.

Thanks again for your wonderful gift.

Love you. Miss you.
DAD & Marilyn

Love you and miss you too.

Evolving Thoughts moved.

2009-05-23T07:39:00.002-04:00

Following in the tradition of Zimmer's The Loom, Wilkins's Evolving Thoughts has left ScienceBlogs for more suitable habitat. Be sure to update your links.

Research covered by news media.

2009-05-22T07:18:00.002-04:00

True, true, but missing: "Junk DNA has a function after all!".

Lamarck on Genome Research (2004).

2009-05-20T21:41:00.003-04:00

I came across this cover of the journal Genome Research from 2004.

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon where expression of a gene in this generation depends on whether it resided in a male or female the previous generation, a Lamarckian-like inheritance (portrait: Jean Baptiste Lamarck). Comparative phylogenetic footprint analysis of mammalian species from the nonimprinted monotremes (purple region) and the imprinted marsupials (magenta region) and eutherian mammals (pink region) was used to identify putative cis-acting elements (sequence shown) involved in the origins and evolutionary maintenance of genomic imprinting. Members of the oviparous monotremes (echidna and platypus) and viviparous marsupials (opossum) and eutherians (mouse, lemur, and human) are pictured.

It does not bother me that people want to rescue Lamarck's reputation -- he deserves vastly more respect than he currently gets for his major contributions to taxonomy and evolutionary biology. What bothers me is the effort to present anything remotely resembling the inheritance of acquired characters as Lamarckian. This is just bad history for several reasons, given that Lamarck rejected any direct input from the environment and that the inheritance of acquired traits was not original to Lamarck. It's disappointing to see a journal fall for this in the same way that others have.

Darwinius masillae.

2009-05-20T06:48:00.005-04:00

Participating in Darwin conference this week, so not much time to comment on this announcement. The discovery of Darwinius masillae is pretty intriguing, and I am eager to read the published study. But check out this hype...

Update:
This is a big mess. See these posts by others for the scoop.

The Loom (and here) (Carl Zimmer)
Laelaps (Brian Switek)
Not Exactly Rocket Science (Ed Yong)
Why Evolution is True (Greg Mayer)

The science news cycle.

2009-05-19T23:27:00.002-04:00

True, this.

Again with the Lamarckism...

2009-05-18T20:23:00.003-04:00

Press release from the Quarterly Review of Biology.

100 Reasons to Change How We Think About Genetics

Article Reviews Evidence for Epigenetic Inheritance in Wide Range of Species

For years, genes have been considered the one and only way biological traits could be passed down through generations of organisms.

Not anymore.

Increasingly, biologists are finding that non-genetic variation acquired during the life of an organism can sometimes be passed on to offspring—a phenomenon known as epigenetic inheritance. An article to be published this week in The Quarterly Review of Biology lists over 100 well-documented cases of epigenetic inheritance between generations of organisms, and suggests that non-DNA inheritance happens much more often than scientists previously thought.

Biologists have suspected for years that some kind of epigenetic inheritance occurs at the cellular level. The different kinds of cells in our bodies provide an example. Skin cells and brain cells have different forms and functions, despite having exactly the same DNA. There must be mechanisms—other than DNA—that make sure skin cells stay skin cells when they divide.

Only recently, however, have researchers begun to find molecular evidence of non-DNA inheritance between organisms as well as between cells. The main question now is: How often does it happen?

“The analysis of these data shows that epigenetic inheritance is ubiquitous …,” write Eva Jablonka and Gal Raz, both of Tel-Aviv University in Israel. Their article outlines inherited epigenetic variation in bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.

These findings “represent the tip of a very large iceberg,” the authors say.

For example, Jablonka and Raz cite a study finding that when fruit flies are exposed to certain chemicals, at least 13 generations of their descendants are born with bristly outgrowths on their eyes. Another study found that exposing a pregnant rat to a chemical that alters reproductive hormones leads to generations of sick offspring. Yet another study shows higher rates of heart disease and diabetes in the children and grandchildren of people who were malnourished in adolescence.

In these cases, as well as the rest of the cases Jablonka and Raz cite, the source of the variation in subsequent generations was not DNA. Rather, the new traits were carried on through epigenetic means.

There are four known mechanisms for epigenetic inheritance. According to Jablonka and Raz, the best understood of these is “DNA methylation.” Methyls, small chemical groups within cells, latch on to certain areas along the DNA strand. The methyls serve as a kind of switch that renders genes active or inactive.

By turning genes on and off, methyls can have a profound impact on the form and function of cells and organisms, without changing the underlying DNA. If the normal pattern of methyls is altered—by a chemical agent, for example—that new pattern can be passed to future generations.

The result, as in the case of the pregnant rats, can be dramatic and stick around for generations, despite the fact that underlying DNA remains unchanged.

LAMARCK REVISITED

New evidence for epigenetic inheritance has profound implications for the study of evolution, Jablonka and Raz say.

“Incorporating epigenetic inheritance into evolutionary theory extends the scope of evolutionary thinking and leads to notions of heredity and evolution that incorporate development,” they write.

This is a vindication of sorts for 18th century naturalist Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck, whose writings on evolution predated Charles Darwin’s, believed that evolution was driven in part by the inheritance of acquired traits. His classic example was the giraffe. Giraffe ancestors, Lamarck surmised, reached with their necks to munch leaves high in trees. The reaching caused their necks to become slightly longer—a trait that was passed on to descendants. Generation after generation inherited slightly longer necks, and the result is what we see in giraffes today.

With the advent of Mendelian genetics and the later discovery of DNA, Lamarck’s ideas fell out of favor entirely. Research on epigenetics, while yet to uncover anything as dramatic as Lamarck’s giraffes, does suggest that acquired traits can be heritable, and that Lamarck was not so wrong after all.

Eva Jablonka and Gal Raz, “Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance: Prevalence, Mechanisms, and Implications for the Study of Heredity and Evolution,” The Quarterly Review of Biology, June 2009.

Tell me, how does short-term heritability of methylation, presumably within genetically determined boundaries, bear any resemblance to giraffes stretching their necks?

Why is the "Lamarck was kinda correct" angle so irresistible?

Anyway, I look forward to seeing the argument for how this has major evolutionary impacts, and not just relevance for phenotypic plasticity.

Genome Biology and Evolution.

2009-05-18T08:29:00.008-04:00

The online journal Genome Biology and Evolution is now publishing its initial set of articles, so be sure to have a look and watch for some good stuff in the future.

I notice that there's a paper on mammalian genome sizes planned for the first issue. It looks interesting, though I note the following intriguing quotes:

"The evolutionary patterning of genome architecture by nonadaptive forces is supported by population-genetic theory, estimates of the relative power of the major forces of evolution, and comparative analyses of whole-genome sequences. Nevertheless, some biologists still adhere to the idea that even the most arcane aspects of genome evolution, including expansions of genome size by mobile-element proliferation, are direct products of natural selection (e.g., Gregory 2005; Kirschner and Gerhart 2005; Caporale 2006)".

"our results challenge the notion that genome size reflects a finely tuned structural determinant of the adaptive phenotypes of organisms (Cavalier-Smith 1978; Hughes and Hughes 1995; Gregory 2005)."

Readers of this blog can probably answer the issue of whether I believe all aspects of genome expansion are adaptive.

__________
Update:
I have looked at the article in more detail, and it is indeed interesting. However, as is common with this kind of analysis, there are some questions. Here are the species they examined to claim that no reductions in genome sizes occurred in plants or invertebrates:

Plants -- Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress, genome size 125Mb, one of the smallest in plants), Populus trichocarpa (cottonwood, 500Mb), and Oryza sativa (rice, 420Mb). The average genome size for flowering plants is 6,400Mb based on more than 4,000 species, ranging from around 60Mb to 124,000Mb.

Invertebrates -- Strongylocentrotus purporatus (sea urchin, 870Mb), Anopheles gambiae (mosquito, 280Mb), Drosophila melanogaster (vinegar fly, 175Mb), Caenorhabditis elegans (nematode, 100Mb), Ciona intestinalis (tunicate, 195Mb), and Daphnia pulex (water flea, 230Mb). I would not want to suggest a mean genome size for "invertebrates", but I can say that even in mosquitoes they range at least 8-fold.

If people who work on genome size do not immediately accept the population size explanation for differences among taxa, it's not because they don't understand the argument. It's because the data are based on a tiny and non-random subsample of genomes, and because predictions don't seem to be upheld when we examine genome sizes. Being miscited doesn't help.

Funding for research in Canada round-up

2009-05-16T08:43:00.004-04:00

For incisive commentary on the topic of science policy in Canada, I direct you to Rob Annan's excellent blog over at Don't Leave Canada Behind. Most recently, he provides a response to a rather misplaced critique of Canadian researchers by Michael Bliss in the National Post.

Just to clarify, we're not just asking for more money. We're responding to several major policy issues that are going to affect Canadian research across the nation:

1) Cuts to the three granting agencies.
2) Lack of support for Genome Canada.
3) Cutting the MSc scholarship to 1 year.
4) A focus on few, very large scholarships instead of supporting established labs.
5) Investment in buildings rather than people.
6) Dismissal of the science advisor.
7) Decisions about what kinds of research will be funded based on short-term returns.
8) An emphasis on applied studies at the expense of basic science.

Emerging Leaders of the Americas.

2009-05-14T10:53:00.004-04:00

Just got this through email.

Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)

At the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada will allocate $18 million over the next four years for a new scholarship program. The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) will award up to 1600 new scholarships for Latin American and Caribbean students to pursue studies or research in Canada.

The ELAP will support human capital development and a new generation of leaders in the Americas while strengthening linkages between Canadian institutions and those in the region.

The first round of ELAP scholarships is now underway for study or research commencing in the Fall of 2009. The deadline for applications from Canadian post-secondary institutions is June 29, 2009 .

Program Description

The scholarships will be facilitated through inter-institutional exchange agreements and will provide students with the opportunity to undertake study or research at Canadian universities and colleges. Recipients will remain students of their home institutions during this exchange. In addition, the ELAP will offer a study tour component to selected students to expose them to Canadian governance, business and civil society in key priority areas.

I am all for supporting students from Latin America and the Caribbean (two of my first grad students were originally from S. America). However, two issues:

"Recipients will remain students of their home institutions during this exchange." So, we don't get supervisor credit (co-supervisor would be fine, however.)
"Key priority areas". We know what that means, and it ain't basic science.

Excellent piece in Globe and Mail.

2009-05-13T15:18:00.003-04:00

This brief article in the Globe & Mail by Jim Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), is a definite must read.

Get the state out of the labs of the nation

See also

Global warming critics appointed to science boards (B. Curry)

50!

2009-05-12T19:11:00.003-04:00

I received notification today that the most recent article from my lab has been accepted by BioScience. I am feeling a bit sentimental about it because this marks my 50th peer-reviewed paper. It's also something new for me, a study on grad student conceptions of evolution. I have now officially been all over the map -- experimental, comparative, synthetic, reviews, methods, and educational. Thanks to all my colleagues and students who have been co-authors to date!

Want.

2009-05-12T18:55:00.004-04:00

Not being in the UK anymore, I am not able to pick up my free copy of Darwin: A Graphic Biography by Simon Gurr and Eugene Byrne. It would take someone pretty generous to send me one. Hint.

Hat tip to Beagle Project Blog

In which Dr. Eisen gets scooped.

2009-05-12T15:56:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Eisen, of Tree of Life, has an excellent feature called the "Overselling Genomics Award". Here, I am gonna scoop him and hand out something similar, at least based on the heading.

A genome may reduce your carbon footprint

This somewhat rhetorical title must excite many scientists, particularly those with ongoing research on biomass, feedstock development, and lignocellulosic breakdown/fermention. With the costs of sequencing rapidly decreasing, and with the infrastructure now developed for almost anyone with access to a computer to cheaply store, access, and analyze sequence information, emphasis will increasingly be placed on ways to apply genome data to real world problems such as reducing dependency on fossil fuel. For the efficient production of bioenergy, this may be accomplished through development of improved feedstocks. This article will consider more closely the impact of very cheap sequence data (approximately 1USD per genome) on improvement of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a perennial grass well suited to biomass production.

Wow, $1 per genome? That would be sweet!

Evolver Zone.

2009-05-09T07:24:00.006-04:00

Readers of this blog will soon notice some changes. This is because the Evolver Zone site has now been launched, and Genomicron will be fit within it. For now, it will remain a separate blog at this same location, but the look will be updated shortly. Meanwhile, have a look at the resource of multimedia and information about software, databases, journals, and web links at Evolver Zone (www.evolverzone.com).

Agaporomorphus colberti.

2009-05-07T06:07:00.003-04:00

Quentin Wheeler and Kelly Miller have named a beetle after faux-blowhard Stephen Colbert.

Agaporomorphus colberti

This might be pretty cool, if not for the following issues:

1) This was done explicitly to get publicity.
2) It has already been done. (A spider was named after Colbert last year).
3) Apparently without intending to be ironic, Wheeler has also named species after Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld.

I absolutely support the need to gain attention for the importance of taxonomy. I also think the tradition of naming species in honour of individuals is amusing. Heck, I'm still waiting to have something with my name attached to it. But I'm not sure that naming species after people willy nilly just because they might bring attention is very dignified. On the other hand, maybe Wheeler thinks Colbert is right wing (apparently his illusion is effective among conservatives) such that there's no inconsistency there.

Not funny ha-ha.

2009-05-06T20:08:00.003-04:00

I admit it. I get a laugh out of LOLCats and GraphJam. However this one is poignant rather than humourous.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships.

2009-05-01T23:41:00.006-04:00

So, the results of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships have been released. A big congratulations to this year's 166 recipients, who represent promising new researchers. However, it cannot be pointed out enough how poorly this program meshes with funding for other Canadian students and scientists. $50,000 for 3 years is what they get, which is 2.5x more than regular NSERC scholarship winners, $10,000 more than postdocs get, and nearly twice the average grant for people actually starting a lab. Remember, too, that this is twice what they gave one of our leading statisticians this time.

What could have been funded with the $25 million instead?

Regular MSc scholarships for 2 years: 711, or

Regular PhD scholarships for 3 years: 395, or

Discovery Grants at the average of $34K for 5 years: 146

[Update]
Furthermore, note the following:

The scholarships can be awarded to non-Canadians. The plan, I presume, is to draw top students to Canada. How likely is it that they'll stay when the find out that there is now a 65% chance that they will get an NSERC grant, and that it will average about $34,000 to run an entire lab?

The intent is to award 500 of these per year. That's $25 million per year on scholarship students, folks. Meanwhile, 35% of existing researchers -- who already have PhDs, completed postdoctoral research, landed a job at a Canadian university, and have built a lab whose primary functions include training students -- get nothing, while the rest receive $15,000 less on average than single scholarship students.

These scholarships represent a direct trade-off between funding the MSc program for 2 years instead of 1 year. In other words, an already very competitive scholarship program just became decidedly elitist -- better to give a few people an outrageous sum than to fund more of our other top students in the country.

These scholarships further exacerbate the inequalities in research support among universities in Canada. Not surprisingly, the largest schools got lots, mid-sized schools got some, and most of the smaller schools got none.

I have yet to meet a colleague who thinks this is a good idea.