Fact of the Day: Cat Hyena

While hyenas do share some similar qualities of the canine family (e.g. dogs, wolves,etc) they are not closely related. They are actually more closely related to cats, tigers, and lions. 

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (TV Series) Review

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is actually a sequel/successor to Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage from 1980. Like the original Cosmos, A Spacetime Odyssey is thirteen episodes, and they're all fantastic.

Fact of the Day: Berry Grape

While grapes are often considered part of their own group, they are botanically berries. 

Fact of the Day: Darwin's Bulldog

While Charles Darwin had quite the opposition with the theory of evolution, a supporter named Thomas Henry Huxley was so well known for his advocacy that he was nicknamed "Darwin's Bulldog". In 1860 he debated Church of England bishop (and talented public speaker) Samuel Wilberforce at Oxford. Wilberforce mocked him and asked Huxley if he was ashamed to have a "monkey" for an ancestor, for which Huxley responded that he would be more ashamed to be associated with a man who used his great gifts to obscure the truth.

Fact of the Day: Chihuahua

While the origin of the Chihuahua breed of dog is debated, it almost certainly happened in present-day Mexico. It is very likely they were descended from a breed of dog called the Techichi. They were favored as companion dogs by the ancient people of Toltec. 

Fact of the Day: Darwin Moth

Charles Darwin once inspected an particular type of orchid from Madagascar which had a certain problem. Nobody could really figure out what kind of insect could pollinate the flower due to its unique shape. Darwin suspected it was some kind of moth with a lengthy string-like mouth. The Morgan's sphinx moth was discovered about 21 years after Darwin had passed away, and it was almost exactly as Darwin thought it would be. 

Fact of the Day: Aardwolf

While it's a close relative to the hyena, the aardwolf does not eat large animals or even mammals and birds. Its main diet consists mostly of termites. 

Fact of the Day: River Dolphin

While dolphins are known for living in the ocean, there are also river dolphins. They can be found in freshwater rivers in South America and Asia. 

Fact of the Day: Yam Potato

Sweet potatoes are sometimes called yams despite not being true yams. While they do look similar to yams, they aren't even closely related. 

Fact of the Day: Ancient Flowers

While flowers can be found all over the world, most of the history of the Earth has never seen flowers. The earliest fossil evidence for flowers is about 130 million years old during the Cretaceous period. From a geological time-span perspective, flowers came to be shortly before the dinosaurs went extinct. 

Fact of the Day: Quince Pear

The pear-shaped fruit quince are commonly produced in Argentina, but remain somewhat unknown to most people in the United States. Despite its rareness in North America, it's closely related to pears and apples. All three are members of the Rosaceae (Rose) family of plants. 

Fact of the Day: Swan Cousins

The closest living relatives to swans are geese and ducks. They are all members of the bird family Anatidae.

Fact of the Day: Orange Citron

While nobody is completely sure where lemons originated, we do know of its lineage. Genetic evidence has shown that it was a hybrid of a sour orange and a citron. 

Fact of the Day: Arctic Penguin

The English word "penguin" began as a synonym for the bird known as the Great Auk. Unlike penguins, the Great Auk lived in the arctic regions instead of Antarctica. Despite the resemblance, they are not closely related to penguins. They went extinct in the 19th century. 

Why Evolution Is More Than "Just a Theory"

As many of you know, I've taken quite the interest in science, especially biology. It's been well over 150 years since Charles Darwin gave the world the first scientific evidence and explanations for evolution. Yet there is considerable number of Americans who deny it or just don't understand it. While I don't consider myself a evolutionary expert, I'd like to explain the process in my own way.

Fact of the Day: Unitarian Darwin

While Charles Darwin's scientific research conflicted with the stories of the Abrahamic creation-myth, his family were mostly Unitarians. The classical Unitarian church in a 19th century England basically rejected the idea of the Holy Trinity among other views. His grandfather Erasmus Darwin doubted much of the Bible, and joked that Unitarianism was "a feather-bed to catch a falling Christian."

Fact of the Day: Basenji Dog

While it can make sounds, the larynx of a basenji dog is so unusually shaped that they can not bark like a normal dog can. With many calling the breed the "barkless" dog.  

Fact of the Day: American Rhino

About five million years ago, the last Rhinoceros species in North American went extinct. Unlike a modern rhinoceros, the teleoceras rhinoceros was a lot like a modern hippopotamus with it probably being semi-aquatic as well. 

Fact of the Day: Bee Cousin

While bees are indeed related to wasps and hornets, they also share close common ancestry with ants. 

Random Photo: Evolve Necklace

Being agnostic I can't exactly wear a cross around my neck, though I did see this evolve pendant which is one of the many parodies of the Ichthys symbol commonly known as the "Jesus Fish". The most common parody is one with four legs (a reference to first land animals coming from out of the sea) with the words "Darwin". But this one is a tad different with "Evolve" and while it's a tad difficult to see but it's holding a wrench giving a nod to our species being smart enough to make and use tools.