Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Ramana Athreya And The Technicolor Dreambird

Bugun Liocichla is the latest multi-colored, feathered discovery from North-eastern India.

(I like how that story starts: "A professional astronomer has made the most sensational ornithological discovery in India for more than half a century." How does one go from astronomy to ornithology?)

Arunachal Pradesh, you may remember, was also the site of the most recent monkey species' discovery.

7 comments:

Tabula Rasa said...

i came across this story earlier today and my first thought was - wow. imagine seeing a bird and saying to yourself - hey, that bird hasn't been discovered yet. let me go tell someone.

km said...

That's the thrill of research and discovery, right? (two fields of which I know NOTHING, btw)

Tabula Rasa said...

:-)
it wasn't even that. it was more like - how the heck did he know?

GhostOfTomJoad said...

I've always thought that working with wild animals and creating music must be among the purest and greatest feelings that human beings can experience. Pity that so few of us can actually be a part of either.

GhostOfTomJoad said...

Oh, and just one thing before I "get the golf cart out", just who was that "patron" saint of animals? :-)

Come, come, tell us now. What happened during the blogging break? What's a secret between friends? :-)

km said...

Ghost, "Patron" is a brand of a highly refined tequila. Expensive, venomous and delicious s**t. And such secrets are best shared over a drink, not on a blog :D

Jess said...

It's not as far of a leap as you may think! In undergrad, I minored in astronomy and physics, the latter I dropped from major to a minor for a biology major. I am now working on my MS in ornithology :)