Pruney fingers

Just about every year when we cover the integumentary system, someone asks why your fingers get pruney when you stay in the water too long. Mark Changizi thinks it may have to do with increasing your grip, kind of like rain treads on tires. Check out Ed Yong's coverage of the story here at Not Exactly Rocket Science.

Virtual pig dissection

In case you missed anything in the lab, you can refer to the virtual fetal pig dissection here.

Please Watch This!

Important information as we head towards the summer...

Sliding Filament Model

This video might help you to visualize how interactions between actin and myosin cause muscles to shorten.

Virtual Frog Dissection

In case you didn't get to finish your frog dissection in lab or need some more information, there's a good virtual dissection here.

Great pictures and a notable birthday

Canada Goose by J.J. Audubon

If you haven't seen the cover of this month's National Geographic, you need to. Also, some spectacular photos of rock climbing in Yosemite that you can see online here.

On a biology related note, today is the 226th birthday of John James Audubon. If you're not familiar with Audubon, check out his Wikipedia page here. Not only was he an incredible ornithologist, but many also credit him for starting the conservation movement in the United States.

Gut bacteria and you

A little light reading for vacation. Carl Zimmer reports on a new study that identified four distinct groups of gut bacteria (similar to the idea of blood types) found in humans. You can read about the story here at his blog The Loom.

Happy Easter!