How old is the Grand Canyon? One answer is easy: a lot older than a few thousand years. A more precise answer is harder to get at, however. You have to climb into the caves of the Grand Canyon and read the geological clocks hidden there. For more, read my latest “Dissection” commentary at Wired.

Photo: Luca Galluzi at Galuzzi.it [via Wikipedia] 

Originally published March 6, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

The New York Times, March 4, 2008

Link

For the past two decades, Kay E. Holekamp has been chronicling the lives of spotted hyenas on the savannas of southern Kenya. She has watched cubs emerge from their dens and take their place in the hyena hierarchy; she has seen alliances form and collapse. She has observed clan wars, in which dozens of hyenas have joined together to defend their hunting grounds against invaders.

“It’s like following a soap opera,” said Dr. Holekamp, a professor at Michigan State University.

Continue reading “Social, and Smart” →

The New York Times, March 4, 2008

Link

For the past two decades, Kay Holekamp has been chronicling the lives of spotted hyenas on the savannas of southern Kenya. She has watched cubs emerge from their dens and take their place in the hyena hierarchy; she has seen alliances form and collapse. She has observed clan wars, in which dozens of hyenas have joined together to defend their hunting grounds against invaders.

“It’s like following a soap opera,” said Holekamp, a professor at Michigan State University.

Continue reading “Watching hyenas’ social lives to understand intelligence” →

The New York Times, March 4, 2008

Link

For the past two decades, Dr. Kay Holekamp has been chronicling the lives of spotted hyenas on the savannas of southern Kenya. She has watched cubs emerge from their dens and take their place in the hyena hierarchy; she has seen alliances form and collapse. She has observed clan wars, in which dozens of hyenas have joined together to defend their hunting grounds against invaders.

“It’s like following a soap opera,” said Holekamp, a professor at Michigan State University.

Continue reading “Hyenas found to be sociable, and smart” →

My talk last week at Carleton University in Ottawa went well–here’s an interview with the university’s magazine, and here’s a report from someone in the audience.

More talks are coming up–

Next week: The evolution of whales at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.

Next month: Soul Made Flesh at the University of Denver.

And plenty more coming in May and June…

Continue reading “A Satisfied Customer” →