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.
I just realized that today is Grania’s birthday. I know she’ll hate my posting this (and she didn’t mention it in the Hili Dialogue she wrote this morning), but it’s a chance for me and the readers to thank her for her service to this website. She has never refused to keep the site going during my numerous absences due to travel, and for that I’m immensely grateful. Not to mention the numerous posts she contributes herself.
A final reminder that everyone is invited to CoyneFest, which is a symposium at which my former students, colleagues, and other folks I know will give short (20-minute) science talks, mostly on the subject of speciation. The details have already been given (you can find them here), but I wanted to add that you’ll have the chance, for making a very small donation to charity (Doctors Without Borders) to get a commemorative button, designed by artist Tubby Fleck:
Final announcement: a symposium on speciation featuring some accomplished evolutionists, will be held this Friday and Saturday morning at the University of Chicago in honor of my termination of doing science. I’ve given the schedule before (go here), but here’s the poster, which I like a lot.
Everyone’s welcome, and it’s free. There are places to buy lunch, and there will be coffee and goodies during the breaks.
Theo turns 12 today. He is a lovely black boy and a typical cat. He is also anomalous in that he engages in some odd behaviour: like licking plastic and drinking coffee. Not coffee: ESPRESSO. He turns his little black nose up at regular coffee; but, laps up espresso. When he hears the beans being ground, he comes running and hovers…until he can hoover. Here is is drinking his favourite espresso…
Here also are some photos of him in the stages of his “fix:” taking in the aroma, gauging the depth, testing the temperature and finally digging in!
And here he is licking the coffee grounds out of the grinder:
by Matthew Cobb
This Easter cartoon by Stephen Collins appeared in The Guardian’s Weekend magazine (click through *twice* so you can read it without it being obscured by the book covers on the right, or if that doesn’t work go here).
Today is Richard Dawkins’s birthday, and he is, I guess, as “strident” as ever, or so PuffHo UK says:
Richard Dawkins turned 74 today — and still no thunderbolt from the Heavens. The renowned scientist and strident atheist has been ruffling the religious for decades, introducing millions around the world to the beauty of non-belief. To celebrate the atheist-in-chief’s special day, here are 10 times God got chinned…
And they append ten videos in which “God got chinned”, including appearances by Hitchens, Dawkins, Kate Smurthwaite, Sam Harris, and others. They’re worth watching, though you may have seen some of them before. The one with Hitchens on Fox News is new to me, and he was at his eloquent best.
As I mentioned in this morning’s Hili dialogue (which you might have missed), my dear friend Andrzej, who constitutes half of Hili’s staff, turns 75 today—exactly one year older than Richard Dawkins (happy birthday, too, Richard!). And Leon the Hiking Cat (via his staff Elzbieta) has deposited good wishes and a monologue on Andrzej’s Facebook page:
Leon: Is it your birthday today? There will be a cake, there will be good wishes.
I hope there will be a cake! Happy birthday, Andrzej!
Andrzej hears His Master’s Voice:
