Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
It’s Hump Day again: Wednesday, April 24, 2019, and it’s National Pigs-in-a-Blanket day. If you don’t know this passé American snack, here’s what it is. It’s okay, but just. It’s also World Day for Laboratory Animals, honoring those creatures who gave their lives and still do—often unnecessarily—in scientific research. Here’s a monument at the … Continue reading Wednesday: Hili dialogue
Okay, it’s Monday again—December 17, 2018, and we’re only 8 days from the beginning of Coynezaa. It’s National Maple Syrup Day, and be sure you get the darkest (and cheapest) grade, which used to be grade C until grade inflation took over and Big Maple eliminated grade C, raising it to grade B. It’s confusing, … Continue reading Monday: Hili dialogue
Stephen Barnard in Idaho has been trying to trap a feral cat and her two kittens; yesterday he succeeded in getting the second kitten, which appears to be called “Not Jerry Coyne” since the first one, caught two days ago, was named after me (“Jerry Coyne the Sixth“). The siblings (below) look very similar, though … Continue reading Second feral kitten captured, named “Not Jerry Coyne”
We have photos from three contributors today. The first photo was conveyed by Gayle Ferguson: I’ve attached a ‘wildlife’ photo for your website. The photo was taken by a colleague of mine (Phil Battley) out of an office window. His caption is this: “Young female New Zealand falcon [Falco novaseelandiae], Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ. … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photographs
I’ve lost track of exactly how many cats have been named after me, but most of them were so named at my instigation, usually accompanied by begging and pleading on my part. I see these cats as my legacy, for I’ve passed on none of my genes, and—aside from my (so far) non-reproducing nephew—I’ve reached a genetic … Continue reading Another cat named Jerry Coyne
Gayle Ferguson, a biologist at Massey University who’s hosted me for a day and a half, has fostered twenty-five stray or abandoned kittens, and hasn’t lost a single one: none have died and all have found loving homes. (You may remember her as the rescuer of Jerry Coyne the Cat.) Her latest acquisition, number 26, … Continue reading Bob the Kitten
I’m giving a science talk on April 13th at the Oteha Rohe campus of Massey University, hosted by Dr. Gayle Ferguson (who saved the life of Jerry Coyne the Cat) here’s the notice, and the public is welcome to come, but remember that it’s aimed at evolutionary biologists: Also, there’s a trip the next day to … Continue reading Talk and bird walk: Auckland and environs (and possible meetup)
I had an eight-hour layover in Auckland yesterday morning, but it was mitigated by the arrival of reader Gayle Ferguson, Official Website Kitten Rescuer™, who met me an an ungodly early hour and took me for coffee, also imparting lots of travel tips. Many of her rescue kittens, including Jerry Coyne the Cat, who resides in … Continue reading Travels: to Queenstown and Glenorchy
