User:Chris the Paleontologist/sandbox

This is the sandbox that I sometimes use for testing out different things before I add them to pages.

Planet Earth ep list

No.	Title	UK broadcast date	US broadcast date
1	"From Pole to Pole"	5 March 2006 (2006-03-05), 9.41 million viewers (34% audience share)	25 March 2007 (2007-03-25)
The first episode illustrates a 'journey' around the globe and reveals the effect of gradual climatic change and seasonal transitions en route. During Antarctica's winter, emperor penguins endure four months of darkness, with no food, in temperatures of −70 °C (−94 °F). Meanwhile, as spring arrives in the Arctic, polar bear cubs take their first steps into a world of rapidly thawing ice. In northern Canada, the longest overland migration of any animal — over 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) — is that of three million caribou, which are hunted by wolves, and one such pursuit is shown. The forests of eastern Russia are home to the Amur leopard; with a population of just 40 individuals in the wild, it is now the world's rarest cat. This is primarily because of the destruction of its habitat, and Attenborough states that it "symbolises the fragility of our natural heritage." However, in the tropics, the jungle that covers 3% of the planet's surface supports 50% of its species. Other species shown include New Guinea's birds of paradise, African hunting dogs in their efficient pursuit of impala, elephants in Africa migrating towards the waters of the Okavango Delta, a seasonal bloom of life in the otherwise arid Kalahari Desert, and 300,000 migrating Baikal teal, containing the world's entire population of the species in one flock. The Planet Earth Diaries segment shows how the wild dog hunt was filmed unobtrusively with the aid of the Heligimbal, a powerful, gyro-stabilised camera mounted beneath a helicopter.
2	"Mountains"	12 March 2006 (2006-03-12), 8.57 million viewers (30% audience share)	25 March 2007 (2007-03-25)
The Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram The second instalment focuses on the mountains. All the main ranges are explored with extensive aerial photography. Ethiopia's Erta Ale is the longest continually erupting volcano — for over 100 years. On the nearby highlands, geladas (the only primate whose diet is almost entirely of grass) inhabit precipitous slopes nearly five kilometres (3 mi) up, in troops that are 800-strong: the most numerous of their kind. Alongside them live the critically endangered walia ibex, and both species take turns to act as lookout for predatory Ethiopian wolves. The Andes have the most volatile weather and guanacos are shown enduring a flash blizzard, along with an exceptional group sighting of the normally solitary puma. The Alpine summits are always snow-covered, apart from that of the Matterhorn, which is too sheer to allow it to settle. Grizzly bear cubs emerge from their den for the first time in the Rockies, while Himalayan inhabitants include rutting markhor, golden eagles that hunt migrating demoiselle cranes, and the rare snow leopard. At the eastern end of the range, the giant panda cannot hibernate due to its poor nutriment of bamboo and one of them cradles its week-old cub. Also shown is the Earth's biggest mountain glacier: the Baltoro in Pakistan, which is 70 kilometres (43 mi) long and visible from space. Planet Earth Diaries demonstrates the difficulty of obtaining the first ever close-up footage of the snow leopards: a process which took over three years.

Frog genetic defects AfD

• Weak keep - The article itself doesn't even indicate that genetic defects among frogs hold any significance whatsoever and focuses on defects with environmental causes. I quote:

“ The first frogs with these genetic defects were found in the August of 1995 in south and central Minisota. The herpetologists believed that these were not any inherited defects. ”

Not any inherited defects. That's the exact opposite of genetic defects. However, there are many hits on Google Scholar for the phrase Frog "genetic defects", and although some only mention frogs in passing, several do indeed seem to refer to studies of genetic defects in frogs ([1], [2], [3]). The article does need to fundamentally rewritten, yes, but I think that some notability is established in the scholarly works. If later on in the discussion it is determined that the topic is not suitable for its own article, perhaps we could merge this into another page. But, for now, keep. Chris the Paleontologist (talk | contribs) 18:49, 30 December 2011 (UTC)

DR ep list

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Evolution's Winners"	4 September 2011 (2011-09-04)
Sequences include: Eoraptor's mating rituals A battle between two cryolophosaurs in Jurassic Antarctica An examination of the adaptations of Gigantoraptor An attack by a female Mosasaurus on sharks in order to defend her offspring
2	"The Watering Hole"	4 September 2011 (2011-09-04)
The episode focuses upon the interactions between various animals that lived around a watering hole in Lourinhã, Portugal, 150 million years ago. Animals featured include: Allosaurus Dinheirosaurus Torvosaurus Ornitholestes Rhamphorhynchus Miragaia Lusotitan
3	"Survival Tactics"	13 September 2011 (2011-09-13)
Sequences include: A Utahraptor pack hunt A sequence featuring a Rahonavis climbing trees A pterosaur flight sequence Sequences featuring mammals such as Castorocauda and Volaticotherium A Protoceratops group gathering to fight off predators
4	"End Game"	13 September 2011 (2011-09-13)
The episode focuses upon Tyrannosaurus, portraying the species as "complex, dynamic and even bird-like". It then goes on to depict the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, and uses the Alvarez hypothesis to explain the extinction. A sole Troodon is depicted as "the last dinosaur". However, it is explained that "[i]f birds are [the dinosaurs'] descendants, then we're still living in the Age of Dinosaurs — and the DINOSAUR REVOLUTION continues."

List of episodes

No.	Title	Patients	Original air date
1	"They Hide in the AC"	Marvin (pitbulls), Seth (snakes), Jahara (spiders)	October 21, 2011 (2011-10-21)
2	"Worse Than Halloween"	Tom (bats), Roxanna (rats), Laura (cockroaches)	November 4, 2011 (2011-11-04)
3	"My Worst Fear"	Andrew (cockroaches), Jackie (butterflies), Katie (spiders)	November 4, 2011 (2011-11-04)
4	"Swarms of Venom"	Shelly (sharks), Kurt (bees), Tameeka (millipedes)	November 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)
5	"It's Trying to Get Me"	Donyale (moths), Tino (lizards), Luann (birds)	November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)

Criticism of MCAS

The MCAS has been criticized for being too narrow in nature and for pressuring teachers into restricting the curriculum to material covered by the tests. It has been met with opposition from mayor Scott W. Lang from New Bedford, who called it "completely unsustainable" and "impractical". He claimed that the MCAS was causing students to drop out of high school, and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that public high school students must pass the MCAS to graduate. Charles Gobron, superintendent of the Northborough school district, claimed that the standards set by the MCAS were "unfair", and that the minimum threshold for proficiency was being raised each year, "making it look like schools are doing worse than they really are." The MCAS has also faced opposition from public school teachers. Some, such as Joan Bonsignore of Easthampton High School, claim that the tests do not accurately demonstrate the skills of students, and that they cause anxiety among the students.

Production

The Future Is Wild was produced with budget of £5,000,000 over the course of four years.

Reception

Dinosaur Revolution has generally received mixed reviews from critics. Brian Swetik of Smithsonian criticized the show, citing low-quality animation and a lack of scientific content. He described it as "more of a dinosaur tribute than a scientific documentary". Holtz, who commented on the review, generally agreed with Swetik's analysis of the program. Linda Stasi, a TV critic for the New York Post, criticized the show for being too "cutesy," although she did note that the program teaches viewers "a huge amount of interesting stuff". Ross Langager of PopMatters expressed concerns similar to those of Swetik and Stasi, criticizing the show for its lack of scientific content and seriousness. Brian Lowry of Variety had a more positive outlook on the show: while he was critical of the show's lack of "revolutionary" content, he still determined that it was "a creditable stab at offering viewers a taste of life on a prehistoric planet." The opinions of New York Daily News reviewer David Hinckley were very similar to those of Lowry.