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Author Archives: Roger Gosden
Insectageddon means we are buggered
It was one of those throw-away remarks that stick in the mind. I was at Middlebury College in June when somebody at dinner said, “Funny, I saw more deer on the journey here than insects splattered on my windshield.” He … Continue reading
Posted in Animalia, Bee-line, Environment, Nature
Tagged Allegheny Mountains, E.O. Wilson, George Monbiot, honey bee, insects, mountain mint, nature reserve, pollinators
Graying, Viruses and Broken Hearts
A long time ago I made a discreet survey of male manes. Perhaps it was an idle way to cure boredom on journeys, but the more I looked the more convinced I became that men who turn gray when young … Continue reading
Posted in Biomedical, Health
Tagged bald, gray hair, heart disease, inflammation, melanocyte, MITF
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Elegy for a Significant Speck (frozen eggs and embryos)
Two American fertility clinics reported freezers failing last month, and had thawed to an undisclosed degree. This rare event shocked hundreds of patients who were storing embryos, eggs and ovarian tissue. Maybe it was the equipment that failed or a … Continue reading
Demography of IVF and World Population
Predicting the future is fickle, as Stephen Hawking once observed: “it exists only as a spectrum of possibilities.” And, yet, divining the future is irresistible and physicists strive to forecast the future of stars, black holes and climate. Biologists are … Continue reading
Pug Marks in the Snow and Mind
Winter still grips the Allegheny Mountains. Rain alternates with snow as the days creep toward the official opening of spring. Snowshoe Mountain has accumulated 159” of snow this winter, which is far below the record although we are not yet … Continue reading
