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Pulling out my copy of Microbiology by Bauman (2004) there is a brief discussion of diseases caused by Coronaviruses. At the time it was mostly a discussion of the common cold, but also included a brief description of the SARS-CoV-1 pandemic of 2003-4. It was amazing how quickly that pandemic made it into text books.Continue reading “Coronaviruses, what are they good for? Absolutely nothing”

Back in the 1970s I managed to start my career in Ann Arbor with my first position in the Anatomy Department at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School. As a biologist, I would like to think that my background was the reason for hiring me. Well it wasn’t. As it turned out it was my backgroundContinue reading “The goal is not the end, but the journey”

As I sat down for what might be the last of the wild blueberry pancake breakfast of the year at our cabin I was thinking about recent and future meals. Last week I bought a pound of ground goat meat at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. Eating goat brings back memories of Andalucia, Spain whereContinue reading “Food and meals-today and this week”

On clear nights the sky can let you sent into the recent past of distant parts of the Universe. I love zooming in on the Moon and seeing the distant craters at the dark horizon looming like high mountains, which they might be. When I look at the night sky at the appropriate times andContinue reading “The night sky and more”

This weeks adventure took us to Vermilion Point, Michigan where we were looking for orchids and other interesting plants. Fortunately we lucky enough to find what we were looking for. Walking from the buildings towards Lake Superior we crossed through the dune-swales, alternating dry sandy ridges separated by low set swales. This is the areaContinue reading “Photographing orchids”

In the 1980s and 90s I spent a lot of time in Mexico leading natural history tours. One place that I spent a lot of time was the archeological ruins of Palenque. The site was quite amazing in itself, and the birds and other wildlife made it even better. Since I was here so oftenContinue reading “My time in Mexico (Part 1)”

This week somebody came down with Marburg virus in Guinea. This is the first case since an outbreak in 2005, in Angola resulting in the death of some 200 people. This deadly virus was first observed in 1967, with simultaneous outbreaks in labs in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, as well as Belgrade, Serbia. There wsContinue reading “Viruses – from animals to humans”

Going for a walk from out cabin to the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory allows me to think about both nature (especially lichens), how I feel removed from the pandemic when we are here, and how diseases have affected my ancestors i n Italy. One instance that came to mind occurred late in 1777 (August throughContinue reading “Genetic memories”

We had a rather slow day at Whitefish Point since it was threatening to rain all day, and there were little dribbles here and there. So we were content with what appeared at the lights on the side of the cabin. As I stepped outside I was drawn to the above antlion. Antlions are interestingContinue reading “Today’s adventure with insects”

I have been visiting Paradise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since 1978 when I first came here for the spring hawk migration. After visiting, in every season for a variety of birds over 29 years we finally bought some property, ultimately building our cabin. The main place to shop for food in Paradise isContinue reading “They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot”