Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves

Update: 2014-09-10

Description

In this 1st birthday episode, I find out about some more avian criminals of the animal kingdom. I learn that most birds can’t taste sugar, but hummingbirds can, and I learn how. And in the Scientific Spark, I talk to Marlene Zuk, Professor of behavioural and evolutionary biology at the University of Minnesota. Together with Bill Hamilton, Marlene proposed the good genes hypothesis of sexual selection
Download the MP3

Quicklinks:
Maude Baldwin's Science paper on Hummingbird sweet taste page
Prof. Marlene Zuk's webpage
Dr Toni Shephard's paper on magpies
Crab Exeter on twitter

Comments

In Channel

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May 2015: Marie Herbenstein, deception and disguise of orchid mantis and owl butterflies with @jamohanlon @JohannaMappes and @SebaDeBona

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Feb 2015: Damien Farine, penguins who can't taste, and shiny tree swallows

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Jan 2015: Niels Dingemanse, animal arithmetic, and smooth billed ani alarm calls

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Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves

2014-09-1023:59

July 2014: Isabella Rossellini and mammas, spider mimicry, and secret communication in horses

2014-08-0820:09

June 2014: Robert Hinde, and an antipredator defence special

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May 2014: Neil Metcalfe, ZSL's hihi, and cuckoo - hawk mimicry

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2014-05-0116:57

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Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves

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#box-pro-ellipsis-175885438215170{-webkit-line-clamp:2;}Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves

Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves

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Aug 2014: Marlene Zuk, hummingbird taste perception, and magpie thieves