The recent Improbable article : ‘Welcome to My Brain‘ profiled the work of Dr. Anne Beate Reinertsen PhD, whose paper ‘Welcome to My Brain’ explained the process of ‘Neuroknitting’ – in particular the knitting of Möbius Bands. In this respect the paper cites the work of Dr. Sarah-marie Belcastro (Research Associate at Smith College and a […]
Tag: duck
A detective on the twisted trail of a famous dead duck or ducks
Carly Carioli made himself into a detective/ornithologist to track down the strange tale of what happened to the dead duck and its confreres years after the famous incident that is known to science and history as the first reported case of homesexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. Carioli writes, on Boston.com: Happy dead duck day: […]
A reminder: Dead Duck Day is June 5
Kees Moeliker reminds us that Dead Duck Day is coming: Wednesday June 5th it is Dead Duck Day again. At exactly 17:55h we will honor the mallard duck that became known to science as the first (documented) ‘victim’ of homosexual necrophilia in that species. Please join for this short open-air ceremony next to the new wing of the Natural History […]
In reply to quacks who quibble dramatically over duck details
Patricia Brennan writes, in Slate: Why I Study Duck Genitalia In the past few days, the Internet has been filled with commentary on whether the National Science Foundation should have paid for my study on duck genitalia, and 88.7 percent of respondents to a Fox news online poll agreed that studying duck genitalia is wasteful […]
Kees Moeliker: How a dead duck changed my life
Ig Nobel Prize winner Kees Moeliker’s TED talk is now online. The people at TED chose to debut it on April 1: Kees was awarded the 2003 Ig Nobel Prize for biology, for documenting the first scientifically recorded case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. [REFERENCE: “The First Case of Homosexual Necrophilia in the Mallard Anas […]
Penguins join the necrophilia club
The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) has joined the club of bird species that are known to be engaged in necrophiliac behavior. In fact, in retrospect, the Adélie penguin is the first ever bird species in which necrophilia has been observed. In a publication, titled ‘Dr. George Murray Levick (1876–1956): unpublished notes on the sexual habits […]
Dead Duck Day crowds gather in Rotterdam
With 20 minutes to go before the 2012 Dead Duck Day celebration begins, crowds gather outside the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam. This photo, below, documents the mounting excitement. Kees Moeliker will be posting photos and video soon of what happened next (part of what happened was an unexpected performance of coupling by two mallard ducks […]
Duck Big Bang Inflation Force Measurement Project
This biology project, called “Force of Duck: Measuring explosive erection“, has a fun fundraising video, and (see the text below the video) speaks for itself, eloquently: A duck pond in the breeding season is like a singles bar on steroids — rife with sexual conflict. Males and females pair off, but male ducks also force sex […]
Dead ducks and pubic lice at the TED talks
Today in Rotterdam, Improbable Research European Bureau Chief (and Ig Nobel Prize winner) Kees Moeliker discussed (while battling a head cold) his research on homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck, the decline of pubic lice, and other remarkable animal behavior. This was at TEDxRotterdam. Here’s video of the talk:
Duck penis news (for specialists)
There is duck penis news, from the 47th Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, held 25-29 July, 2010 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Science NOW reported: At a presentation here this week […] researchers described their observations of […] Lesser Scaups and Ruddy Ducks (pictured). During the normal mating season, the penises of Lesser Scaup ducks […]