6 Promoting science promotion: the move from deficit to dialogue This unit has tried to distinguish between institutional science outreach events and independent alternatives by recognising some of their characteristics and evaluating the extent to which they fulfil (and even create) a political mandate for PEST (Public Engagement in Science and Technology). Although institutional events sometimes involve the deficit style of ‘top-down’ transmission of facts, the examples provided in this unit suggest that they are increasingly imaginative and unusual.
5 Public learning agendas So far, this unit has argued that public engagement with science can be through both institutionalised events and independent contributions – hopefully, something for everyone. But to what extent will this be a consistent move towards dialogue and understanding, as requested by the UK and EU policies mentioned in Section 2? Reading 2 suggests a move towards genuine interaction is possible if there is enough political motivation to enhance community learning of science and technology â
4.3 Phenotypic changes that appeared without being selected As well as these behavioural changes, many of the selected foxes had unusual white markings (Figures 13c and d). The first colour change that the Russian investigators noted in their foxes was a white ‘star’ on the forehead similar to that of other domesticated mammals (Author(s):
4.1 Introduction Domestication of dogs and of most other livestock took place so long ago that reconstructing the course of events is extremely difficult. Written records and illustrations describing the origins of many modern breeds are also sparse until the 19th century. We can only guess at what the domesticators were aiming to produce and how and when domesticated traits appeared in the species subjected to artificial selection. However, a little-known experiment on the domestication of red foxes (Vulp
3.2 Structure and behaviour in modern dog breeds Dogs are one of the most diverse of all living species, differing in size and shape of the skull and the proportions of the body, especially the head and legs, and in the colour and texture of the coat (Figures 3a, b and d, Author(s):
3.1 Angular size 2 Inside the Sun To account for its brightness and activity, the Sun must contain a power source. However, the nature of that power source was a great puzzle in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fossil records and ideas about evolution were beginning to provide firm evidence that the Earth must be at least hundreds of millions of years old, rather than thousands of years as was previously thought, and the Sun must be at least as old as the Earth. The only fuels known at the time were coal, wood, o 1.3 Beyond visible light During the twentieth century, astronomers extended their capabilities by developing telescopes and detectors that were sensitive to radio waves, microwaves, infrared and ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. All these forms of electromagnetic radiation, along with visible light, are emitted by the Sun. 1.1 The Sun at visible wavelengths The Sun is seen as a blindingly bright, yellow object in the sky. The part of the Sun that you normally see is called the photosphere (meaning ‘sphere of light’); this is best thought of as the ‘surface’ of the Sun, although it is very different from the surface of a planet such as Earth. Its diameter is about 1.4 million kilometres, making the Sun's volume roughly one million times that of the Earth. The photosphere is not solid. Rather, it is a thin layer of hot gaseous mater 5.3.4 Aye-ayes Perhaps with good reason, the aye-aye has been dubbed by some ‘the strangest of all primates’ and LoM provides some of the reasons [p. 243]. Little wonder that, as DA points out, the species was first classified as a rodent like them, it has powerful incisor teeth that grow continuously. 2.5 Tree squirrels Coevolution also underpins the relationship between many tree squirrels and the trees that house them. The creation of food caches as a ‘winter-larder’ is mutually beneficial, partly because squirrels are sufficiently profligate in their habits to ensure that many stores are overlooked. Stealing by neighbours is so common that such over-provision may be essential – it's not through forgetfulness or lack of skill; grey squirrels appear able to detect nuts buried as deep as 30 cm below th 2.3 The colugo In LoM, DA vividly describes one particular evolutionary development associated with tree dwelling – taking to the air [pp. 221–227]. The gliding habit evolved independently in different mammalian lineages and yet the anatomical modifications that allow it are similar in, for example, flying squirrels and the unrelated colugo. In particular, the ‘sail of skin’ [p. 221], technically termed a patagium, stretches between the limbs – and a good deal further in the colugo, acting as an e 3 Is specialisation always advantageous? Specialisation generally implies the possession of adaptations that make animals particularly effective or efficient in one or more aspects of their lives. In many of the examples used in other units in this series, mammals are likely to possess adaptations related to the acquisition and/or processing of food. 2.2 Energy flow in ecosystems You are about to meet some very large numbers, expressed in scientific notation, and some new units. The new units are those that are used to measure the amount of solar energy received by a part of the Earth's surface. Since plants are dependent on light for photosynthesis, the amount of plant material that ca 10 Living in herds Wildebeest are only one of the species of plant predator that live in herds. Many others do too. Watch the the TV programme from 30.48–47.32 and read LoM p. 109. Identify and write down (a) a couple of advantages and 9 Wildebeest migration The skill of thinking in a scientific way is as much a part of being a scientist as is knowing facts – perhaps more so. In this series of units, you'll not only come across facts about particular techniques, such as radio transmitters and bat detectors, but also the tactics that scientists use to inves 8.3 Shortage of minerals You may be familiar with salt licks that are provided for domesticated cattle. In the wild, grass is also often low in minerals (e.g. it has almost no sodium and very little calcium), so grazers may have to go to extraordinary lengths to supplement their diet with additional minerals obtained from the most unlikely places. LoM gives some examples, but the most impressive activity takes place in the caves of Mount Elgon in Kenya [pp. 113–114]. You'll probably recall this spectacular footage 8.1 Introduction You know by now that plants can synthesise all the complex molecules that make up their tissues and seeds from very simple molecules – water, carbon dioxide and minerals from the soil. Mammals, on the other hand, need to take in many complex molecules ready-made, and some foods do not contain the right amounts or the right mix of nutrients. They have evolved various strategies to overcome the shortfalls, some of which are described in this section. 5.3 Hindgut fermenters The odd-toed ungulates (comprising the order Perissodactyla), the horses, tapirs and rhinoceroses, are hindgut fermenters, as are elephants. Update Table 2 with this information. These animals have a relatively simple, small undivided stomach, but this time an even larger caecum and colon where the microbes are housed and whe 5.1 Monogamy and polygamy You've seen plenty of evidence that reproduction in rodents – more precisely what I've called their reproductive strategies – are versatile and varied. You'll appreciate that ‘versatile and varied’ describes the range of sexual habits seen in the rodents as a group, not the behaviour within a single species. As DA says, some are monogamous, which means that individuals mate exclusively with one partner, over at least a single breeding cycle or season. The marmots are an example of a g
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Activity 7
