Thank You for Reading!

I am honored to be awarded a Kreativ Blogger Award by a fellow science blogger at The Beast, the Bard and the Bot. I am so pleased that The Scorpion and the Frog is read and appreciated and to be recognized by science blogging peers is especially meaningful.

For those of you not familiar with the Kreativ Blogger Award, it is awarded to quality blogs by other bloggers in a pay-it-forward kind of fashion. Recipients then (1) Thank and link to the blog that awarded it to them, (2) Mention seven things their readers may not know about them, and (3) pay the award forward to seven more deserving blogs (and let them know they’ve been nominated).

As for things you may not know about me, I think I’ll stick with the animal theme of the blog:

• I’ve been stalked by a pod of orcas (also known as killer whales). It was awesome!
• I’ve been bluff-charged by a 600 pound Baird’s tapir. Also quite awesome!
• I’ve been chased out of the rainforest by poop-throwing spider monkeys. It was not at all awesome. Well… okay. Maybe a little.
• When I was walking to work in Panama a giant tarantula (called a matacaballo or “horse killer” by locals) fell out of my pants leg. He was pretty ticked off at me.
• I worked at various animal hospitals for almost a decade. I got to be pretty good at subduing pets… Apparently that hasn’t translated to my interactions with wild animals.
• I conducted my first zoology study at the National Zoo on tree shrews when I was in high school. I even presented my findings (with all the style that construction paper glued on poster-board can muster) at a national conference.
• I interned at the Baltimore Aquarium when I was in college. It was the most Zen job ever.

And as for other blogs that deserve to be acknowledged, there are so many it is hard to choose. But there are a few that I think deserve special recognition:

• Neurotic Physiology presents thoughtful commentary on the bizarre field of neuroscience.
• Gaines on Brains is a fantastic blog about neuroscience and behavior.
• The Thoughtful Animal explores themes of animal behavior and neuroscience.
• The Urban Scientist is a powerful voice for the value of science and diversity in science. Her blog makes science fun, relatable and accessible.
• The Culture of Science covers everything from the environment to culture to politics and shows how it is all interconnected.
• Human. Nature. is a fun and quirky take on human behavior.
• Anthropology in Practice talks about human behavior, often from a comparative perspective.

There are so many more I wish I had more room. Take a moment to explore and appreciate the world of science blogs and everything they have to offer. And if you would like to further encourage your favorite science blogger, take a minute to nominate your favorite post for a 3 Quarks Daily Award. They are accepting nominations for “best science blog post of the year” until June 9th. If there is a post you want to nominate, enter the web address for that post (usually clicking on the post title will take you to the appropriate address) in the comment section of the announcement.

Stay curious, my friends.