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Assessing The Impact Of Historical Story Telling On Student Learning Of Natural Selection, Janice Marie Fulford 2016 Western Michigan University

Assessing The Impact Of Historical Story Telling On Student Learning Of Natural Selection, Janice Marie Fulford

Dissertations

Research suggests that because of its historical nature, the learning of evolutionary biology is problematic compared to that of other science disciplines. While explanations used in historical sciences often employ historical narratives, which are distinct from narratives in other contexts, such as stories, the two types of narratives have structural similarities that suggest the potential role of stories based in the history of science for the teaching of evolutionary biology. Stephen Klassen, a prominent science educator, has studied how stories from the history of physics can promote the learning of and attitudes towards science. Klassen’s pioneering work identifies structural components …


The Line Drawn On Pain Still Holds, Bjorn H. Merker 2016 retired, no institutional affiliation

The Line Drawn On Pain Still Holds, Bjorn H. Merker

Animal Sentience

The many substantive criticisms raised against Key by me and by many of the other commentators will not disappear by ignoring or waving them aside with meta-discourse about anthropomorphism, just-so stories, or celestial teapots. The conceptual edifice Key inhabits and defends with such gusto may look like an impregnable fortress from the inside – and Key behaves as if it were. From the outside, however, it looks more like a ramshackle structure gaping with holes and pieced together from imperfectly understood neuroscience and often faulty literature citations.


Slavery, Welfare And The Sixth Extinction, Stephen R. Clark 2016 University of Liverpool

Slavery, Welfare And The Sixth Extinction, Stephen R. Clark

Animal Sentience

Ng’s laudable concern for animal welfare would be welcome to any sensible slave-owner wishing to preserve his investment. What welfarism – for slave-owners and animal husbandmen – fails to call into question is whether we have the right to breed, hold captive and kill animals at all: If it matters, as the widely recognized slogan of ‘Five Freedoms’ suggests, that animals have the chance to live a ‘normal’ life, then more matters than keeping them ‘happy’ in subjection. Their lives – and also the lives of wild things – also deserve respect.


Scorpions Of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) With Description Of Four New Species Of The Genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 And Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, Stat. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Kithsiri B. Ranawana, David Hoferek, V. A. Sanjeewa Jayarathne, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský 2016 Charles University

Scorpions Of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) With Description Of Four New Species Of The Genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 And Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, Stat. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Kithsiri B. Ranawana, David Hoferek, V. A. Sanjeewa Jayarathne, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Data about all 18 known scorpion species of Sri Lanka are summarized. All previously known species were newly collected and four new species discovered during a scorpiological expedition in 2015. Information is provided about their taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and reproductive biology, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitat. Subgenus Isometrus (Reddyanus) Vachon, 1972 is elevated to genus level, Reddyanus stat. n., supported by new characters of setation on leg tarsomere II and hemi-spermatophore morphology. Charmus saradieli sp. n., Reddyanus ceylonensis sp. n., R. jayarathnei …


Wild Animal Suffering And Vegan Outreach, Eze Paez 2016 Pompeu Fabra University

Wild Animal Suffering And Vegan Outreach, Eze Paez

Animal Sentience

Ng’s strategic proposal seems to downplay the potential benefits of advocacy for wild animals and omit what may be the most effective strategy to reduce the harms farmed animals suffer: vegan outreach.


To Minimize Animal Suffering, Broaden The Definition Of Animal Cruelty, Eleonora Gullone 2016 Affiliate Associate Professor Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology Monash University Australia

To Minimize Animal Suffering, Broaden The Definition Of Animal Cruelty, Eleonora Gullone

Animal Sentience

Mandatory veterinary reporting of suspected abuse might discourage caregivers from seeking treatment for their injured animals. Animal abusers are more likely to be brought to justice by raising community awareness about the link between animal cruelty and human violence and its implications for the wellbeing of both humans and animals. Commonly accepted definitions of animal cruelty focus only on cruelty that is socially unacceptable, excluding an enormous amount of unnecessary animal suffering caused by humans. Only by broadening the definition of animal cruelty can we bring about the cultural change necessary to minimize this animal suffering.


Population Genetic Divergence Of Isle Royale Pearl Dace, Margarita Margariscus (Cyprinidae)., John F. Elder Jr., Jack R. Martin, Isaac J. Schlosser, Larry Kallemeyn 2016 Valdosta State University

Population Genetic Divergence Of Isle Royale Pearl Dace, Margarita Margariscus (Cyprinidae)., John F. Elder Jr., Jack R. Martin, Isaac J. Schlosser, Larry Kallemeyn

Georgia Journal of Science

In 1949, Hubbs and Lagler described morphological variation among pearl dace (Margariscus margarita) of inland lakes on Isle Royale, Michigan. For Harvey Lake, Hubbs and Lagler, proposed that pearl dace were sufficiently morphologically distinct to warrant subspecific status. They argued that divergence of the Harvey Lake pearl dace was due to allopatric differentiation in isolation from lower elevation lakes. Harvey Lake has been isolated by elevation from lower elevation lakes for approximately 10 to 15 thousand years. No genetic studies have been done on Isle Royale pearl dace to evaluate this hypothesis to date. Here we report the analysis of …


Molecular Evolution And Functional Divergence Of Trace Amine–Associated Receptors, Seong-il Eyun, Hideaki Moriyama, Federico G. Hoffmann, Etsuko N. Moriyama 2016 University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Molecular Evolution And Functional Divergence Of Trace Amine–Associated Receptors, Seong-Il Eyun, Hideaki Moriyama, Federico G. Hoffmann, Etsuko N. Moriyama

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) are a member of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily and are known to be expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. A limited number of molecular evolutionary studies have been done for TAARs so far. To elucidate how lineage-specific evolution contributed to their functional divergence, we examined 30 metazoan genomes. In total, 493 TAAR gene candidates (including 84 pseudogenes) were identified from 26 vertebrate genomes. TAARs were not identified from non-vertebrate genomes. An ancestral-type TAAR-like gene appeared to have emerged in lamprey.We found four therian-specific TAAR subfamilies (one eutherian-specific and three metatherian- specific) in addition to previously known nine …


A Phylogenomic Assessment Of Ancient Polyploidy And Genome Evolution Across The Poales, Michael R. McKain, Haibao Tang, Joel R. McNeal, Et al. 2016 University of Georgia

A Phylogenomic Assessment Of Ancient Polyploidy And Genome Evolution Across The Poales, Michael R. Mckain, Haibao Tang, Joel R. Mcneal, Et Al.

Faculty Articles

Comparisons of flowering plant genomes reveal multiple rounds of ancient polyploidy characterized by large intra-genomic syntenic blocks. Three such whole genome duplication (WGD) events, designated as rho (ρ), sigma (σ), and tau (τ), have been identified in the genomes of cereal grasses. Precise dating of these WGD events is necessary to investigate how they have influenced diversification rates, evolutionary innovations, and genomic characteristics such as the GC profile of protein coding sequences. The timing of these events has remained uncertain due to the paucity of monocot genome sequence data outside the grass family (Poaceae). Phylogenomic analysis of protein coding genes …


Session D-1: Science And Spaghetti Monsters: Addressing The Ethical Issues And Controversy Related To Genomics And Evolution In The Biology Classroom, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll 2016 Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Session D-1: Science And Spaghetti Monsters: Addressing The Ethical Issues And Controversy Related To Genomics And Evolution In The Biology Classroom, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

As science teachers, we may shy away from addressing the controversy surrounding particular topics in our classrooms in order to maintain focus on content. However, the real world context of knowledge is essential, and the performance expectations in the life sciences as outlined in the NGSS state that students should be able to discuss the ethical issues related to genetic modifications and the nature of science. We will discuss ideas for how to address these topics effectively and help our students understand their importance beyond academics in our global community.


New Data On The Distribution Of Butheoloides Littoralis Lourenço, Touloun Et Boumezzough, 2011 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Oulaid, Oulaid Touloun, Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan, Ali Boumezzough 2016 Polyvalent Laboratory of Research & Development LPVR, and, Laboratory of Ecology and Environment

New Data On The Distribution Of Butheoloides Littoralis Lourenço, Touloun Et Boumezzough, 2011 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Oulaid, Oulaid Touloun, Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan, Ali Boumezzough

Euscorpius

Morocco is the region in Africa with the highest diversity of Butheoloides Hirst, 1925 species. Until now, the total number of species of this genus known from Morocco is raised to five. A field study conducted in southern Morocco discovered a new specimen of Butheloides littoralis in the Tighmi region (southeast of Tiznit), the most continental site of this species in Morocco. This specimen is the third of this endemic species of Morocco but it is the first male discovered.


Animal Suffering And Human Bias, Stijn Bruers 2016 Ghent University

Animal Suffering And Human Bias, Stijn Bruers

Animal Sentience

Ng proposes concrete ways to decrease animal suffering on the basis of commonsense economic logic and research in welfare biology. But to reduce animal suffering effectively in livestock farming, animal experimentation or the natural environment we have to become more aware of our pervasive and spontaneous but unreliable intuitive moral judgments. These can generate biases that prevent us from decreasing animal suffering effectively.


Investigating Physiological Collaborations Between A Lower Termite And Its Symbionts, Brittany F. Peterson 2016 Purdue University

Investigating Physiological Collaborations Between A Lower Termite And Its Symbionts, Brittany F. Peterson

Open Access Dissertations

This project was completed in an effort to better understand the contributions of symbiotic microbes to the biology of Reticulitermes flavipes, the eastern subterranean termite. Lower-termites, like R. flavipes, house symbionts from all three domains of life within their hindgut paunch. This intimate association is reflected in nearly every aspect of termite biology. Here, I investigate these physiological collaborations as they relate to digestion and immunity. My efforts focused on 1) quantifying the role of bacteria in wood digestion within the termite gut, 2) evaluating the role of symbionts in protection against pathogens, and 3) identifying gene products that bacterial …


Genetic Structure Of Micromeria (Lamiaceae) In Tenerife, The Imprint Of Geological History And Hybridization On Within-Island Diversification, Pamela Puppo, Manuel Curto, Harald Meimberg 2016 Marshall University

Genetic Structure Of Micromeria (Lamiaceae) In Tenerife, The Imprint Of Geological History And Hybridization On Within-Island Diversification, Pamela Puppo, Manuel Curto, Harald Meimberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Geological history of oceanic islands can have a profound effect on the evolutionary history of insular flora, especially in complex islands such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Tenerife results from the secondary connection of three paleo-islands by a central volcano, and other geological events that further shaped it. This geological history has been shown to influence the phylogenetic history of several taxa, including genus Micromeria (Lamiaceae). Screening 15 microsatellite markers in 289 individuals representing the eight species of Micromeria present in Tenerife, this study aims to assess the genetic diversity and structure of these species and its relation with …


An Animal Victim's Best Chance: Veterinary Legal Duty To Report Cruelty In The U.S., Lora Dunn 2016 Animal Legal Defense Fund

An Animal Victim's Best Chance: Veterinary Legal Duty To Report Cruelty In The U.S., Lora Dunn

Animal Sentience

Legislation throughout the U.S. recognizes animal sentience and the importance of veterinary reporting to combat the ongoing suffering of these animal victims: All 50 states have felony penalties available for animal cruelty crimes, and veterinary reporting is permitted or required in the majority of states. The remaining minority of U.S. states should take action to require veterinarians to report animal cruelty and render veterinarians immune for good faith reporting.


Veterinary Medical Associations Need To Educate Veterinarians For Mandatory Reporting Of Suspected Animal Abuse, Melinda V. Merck 2016 Veterinary Forensics Consulting, LLC Austin, Texas, USA

Veterinary Medical Associations Need To Educate Veterinarians For Mandatory Reporting Of Suspected Animal Abuse, Melinda V. Merck

Animal Sentience

When animals are suffering, we have a duty to take action. With appropriate incentive and educational support mandatory veterinary reporting can be a great legal avenue to help ensure their safety and welfare.


Fish Pain's Burden Of Proof, Carl Safina 2016 Stony Brook University

Fish Pain's Burden Of Proof, Carl Safina

Animal Sentience

A hypothesis like Key’s, that fish cannot feel pain, should really be stated as a null hypothesis — an assumption that there is no difference in the things being compared. Then evidence — including anecdotal evidence — for and against rejecting the null hypothesis can be examined and weighed. Key (2016a) has proven only that fish lack mammalian brains.


Burden Of Proof Lies With Proposer Of Celestial Teapot Hypothesis, Brian Key 2016 The University of Queensland

Burden Of Proof Lies With Proposer Of Celestial Teapot Hypothesis, Brian Key

Animal Sentience

Bertrand Russell famously imagined the existence of a celestial teapot to highlight that the burden of proof of a hypothesis lay with its proposer and it was not the responsibility of others to refute it. Those who propose that fish feel pain must bear the burden of proof for their hypothesis. There are several common arguments adopted by those defending the position that fish feel pain. For instance, proponents envisage that pain is so important for human survival that they can’t imagine fish could exist without it. Out of this argument from incredulity emerges the idea that pain must have …


Animal Suffering In China, Peter J. Li 2016 University of Houston-Downtown

Animal Suffering In China, Peter J. Li

Animal Sentience

Chinese policy has been aimed at maximizing GDP; it is time to focus also on minimizing animal suffering.


Science And Sensibility, Bernard E. Rollin 2016 WellBeing International

Science And Sensibility, Bernard E. Rollin

Animal Sentience

The sentience and suffering of animals is obvious to common sense, even if science and industry claim to be agnostic. Economic incentives to reduce the suffering of animals are welcome, but it is not clear whether animals can turn to science for help.


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