On Saturday at mid-morning we spotted this Coopers hawk tidying up a bit on a broken old Cottonwood branch. He looked like he has had a bit of a rough time lately with his feathers looking downright scruffy. After a half hour or so of preening his feathers were back in fine order and he was off again hunting in nearby woods.
Three big guys enjoying the golden grass and just laying low.
Maybe that is a cue for the weekend just lay low and kick back or, better yet, get outside a bit then kick back.
Have a wonderful weekend however you choose to spend it.
A new study reported on in Science Daily suggests that complex decision making occurs in at least one single celled organism. 1
Perhaps our first thoughts when considering single celled organisms is that they are primitive relics of the past with simple physiologies and perhaps only programmed behaviors. However we must consider the simple fact that for several billions of years single cell organisms lived and thrived on the planet and evolved into innumerable species and eventually into multicellular organisms.
Recently a team of researches at Harvard Medical School replicated a century old experiment demonstrating that Stentor roeselii exhibits a complex hierarchy of avoidance behaviors. The evolutionary advantage for the development of this complex avoidance behavior in Stentor roeselii can only be hypothesized but the authors offer this speculation in the paper:
“Such behavioral complexity may have had an evolutionary advantage in protist ecosystems, and the ciliate cortex may have provided mechanisms for implementing such behavior prior to the emergence of multicellularity.” 2
This is an interesting article not only for demonstrating that life, in all it’s forms, may exhibit behaviors we have yet to document but also for the fact that there may be great scientific value in replicating other forgotten studies from decades past.
Additionally, studies like this one make it clearer that all life is indeed life — and that– is something worth pondering.
References:
I think there is a geology lesson, or three, to be learned here. Looking out towards the Absaroka mountains along the backbone of earth cracked open from the forces within.
A Killdeer foraging for ephydrid flies in the warm thermal pools on what became a windy afternoon. The warm thermal pools allow the flies to thrive even in winter and provide birds like this Killdeer a tasty early winter meal on a blustery afternoon.
Our world is vast and much is still to be discovered and described by science.
A recent article published in Science Daily reports on the discovery of 71 new species by researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in 2019. The article provides a nice overview of the species discovered and includes the following quote remaining us that there is much work to do to identify what we have on this wonderful planet. A nice short read if you can find the time.
“Despite decades of tirelessly scouring some of the most familiar and remote places on Earth,” says Shannon Bennett, PhD, and Academy Chief of Science, “biodiversity scientists estimate that more than 90% of nature’s species remain unknown. A rich diversity of plants and animals is what allows life on our planet to thrive: the interconnectedness of all living systems provides collective resilience in the face of our climate crisis. Each newly discovered species serves as an important reminder of the critical role we play in better understanding and preserving these precious ecosystems.”
References:
1.California Academy of Sciences. (2019, December 5). Scientists at the California Academy of Sciences describe 71 new species in 2019. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 10, 2019 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191205155818.htm
And just for fun a smattering of those species we already know.
A quiet morning where the river meets the sea. All is good. The grass is green, the rain has stoped and life in many forms hauled up on the beech to spend a quiet day.
One of our favorites and a constant companion through the season is the diminutive Red Breasted Nuthatch weighing in at about 10 grams yet feisty as all can get out and with a song to match.
Just think how different and special it must be to have the ability to view the world upside down like this little nuthatch can.
Looking like it just finished a meal this Red tailed Hawk was right back at it. Watching the fields intently for a mouse to stir and trying to make the most of the short days this time of year.
An American Goldfinch was working over these thistle plant pretty good for an afternoon meal and from the looks of it this chubby guy is well versed at extracting thistle seeds.
nature has no boss 
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