We know that pubescent males get peach fuzz on their face before the thick beard grows in BUT did you know that peaches and other fuzzy fruits are referred to as pubescent in the scientific literature? In botany pubescent means covered in fine soft short hairs. Pubescent peaches and glabrous (smooth) nectarines only differ by a genetic modification...

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The Hickory Tussock Caterpillar is white and fuzzy, looking especially conspicuous on a green lawn. While its cuddly appearance might beckon children to pick it up and stroke its hair, predators will see this conspicuous appearance as a warning not to eat this caterpillar because it tastes awful or will make them sick. So what happens...

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Last week policy and politics editors Karine Morin and Pascal Lapointe of the blog network Science Borealis made the point that Canadian science bloggers were not speaking up about the science, or lack thereof, in the approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway project. They pushed the right buttons with me and I’ve been digging into...

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This is Twiggy a maple spanworm, also known as the caterpillar Ennomos magnaria. I captured the above picture of Twiggy to show how unbelievably well the colour and pattern match that of an actual twig, right down to the gnarls. The only part that gives it away are the front feet (blue arrow).I met Twiggy...

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As a young child, I remember being fascinated by the swirl pattern of the hair on my little brother’s head. In elementary school, I remember one boy in my class who had two swirls, and since the hair on both sides of the head converged at the centre, his hair was always sticking up. Unfortunately...

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