Fascination Science Public Lecture Special tonight - Through the looking glass: host-parasite coevolution and sex
Short notice: The next lecture in the Fascination Science series is on Tuesday 12th February 7pm-8.30pm (tonight) at Massey University's Auckland campus in the Massey Business School (MBS) Auditorium on in Albany.
Through the looking glass: Host-parasite coevolution and sex.
Why do males exist?
The most common answer is that males are needed for reproduction; but that is not true for many species of both plants and animals. Why, then, is the earth not dominated by clonally reproducing females? Surely cloning is a more efficient way to reproduce.
So why, in general, is there sex? The question has been raised by many prominent evolutionary biologists, including Darwin; but the answer remains elusive.
In this talk, Prof. Curtis Lively (visiting from Indiana University) will present 30-plus years of research on "why sex?”, highlighting the Red Queen Hypothesis, which posits that parasites select against successful clonal lineages, once they become common in the population.
More information on the lecture series: www.massey.ac.nz...
Register for today's lecture (optional): masseyuniversity.cmail19.com...
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
New Year, Same Brain Teasers!
A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.
Yet, the police knew it was a murder.
How?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
-
63% Summer
-
35.6% Winter
-
1.4% Other - I'll share below
Loading…
