The Guild of Scientific Troubadours

The Guild of Scientific Troubadours

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marine biology

Ghost sharks have teeth on their foreheads because it’s sexy.

8 September 2025 grant 0

PhysOrg redefines what “attractive” is for the deep-sea set, thanks to a study that has found male ghost sharks grow a retractable, tooth-covered rod out of their foreheads… Read the rest “Ghost sharks have teeth on their foreheads because it’s sexy.”

Sea star killer found. Now what?

11 August 2025 grant 0

bioGraphic celebrates the discovery, at long last, of the phenomenon behind a mysterious wave of rather horrific sea star deaths on America’s Pacific Coast. Now, researchers are… Read the rest “Sea star killer found. Now what?”

SONG: Something’s Knocking on the Door

24 July 2025 grant 0

SONG: “Something’s Knocking on the Door”. (OGG version here.)

ARTIST: grant.

SOURCE: Based on “China’s Bold Plan Unveiled: A Deep-Sea Space Station 6560 Feet… Read the rest “SONG: Something’s Knocking on the Door”

Scientific illustration of a whale louse, or whale lice, in a symmetrical collage of spiny legs and many details of heads, growth stages, body parts.

Science Art: Cyamus boopis, Lütken, 1895.

7 July 2025 grant 0

Cyamis boopis is one of the cyamidae better known as a whale louse.

This particular species is from Scandinavia, as illustrated in the book An account of the Crustacea of Norway, with short… Read the rest “Science Art: Cyamus boopis, Lütken, 1895.”

Gigantic, ghostly crustaceans could live over half the ocean floor.

20 June 2025 grant 0

New Scientist plumbs the depths in search of foot-long white shrimp-like creatures that might be one of the most populous creatures on the bottom of the ocean, but about which we know very… Read the rest “Gigantic, ghostly crustaceans could live over half the ocean floor.”

Scientific illustration of portugugese man-of-war and tongued sarsia, medusans living near the ocean's surface in amorphous and tentacled splendor.

Science Art: Portuguese Man-Of-War, Tongued Sarsia, by Philip Henry Gosse

6 April 2025 grant 0

This image comes from Philip Henry Gosse’s A Year at the Shore, specifically, the month of October. (The year isn’t specified, but the book was published in 1865.)

Gosse was… Read the rest “Science Art: Portuguese Man-Of-War, Tongued Sarsia, by Philip Henry Gosse”

Scientific illustration of a mudskipper emerging from the water and looking out in air, with diagrams of mudskipper eyeballs and eye positioning.

Science Art: Periophthalmus koelreuteri, 1942.

31 March 2025 grant 0

This is a mudskipper who is being drawn here solely for the qualities of its bulbous, beautiful eyes.

The illustration is from page 453 of The Vertebrate Eye and Its Adaptive Radiation by … Read the rest “Science Art: Periophthalmus koelreuteri, 1942.”

Krill sniff penguin poop

26 March 2025 grant 0

And, says National Geographic, it makes them take evasive maneuvers, ready to dodge their Antarctic predators:

In Antarctica’s Palmer Station lab, scientists put wild-caught krill

… Read the rest “Krill sniff penguin poop”

The pigbutt worm: a marine mystery.

6 March 2025 grant 0

National Geographic marvels at a recently discovered sea creature named, due to its bizarrely voluptuous curves and clefts, the pigbutt worm:

Such was the case in 2001 when experts from

… Read the rest “The pigbutt worm: a marine mystery.”

Whalesong is structured like a language.

9 February 2025 grant 0

Astrobiology reports on a cross-disciplinary study that has found that the song of humpback whales has the same distinct mathematical structure as a human language:

Humpback whale song

… Read the rest “Whalesong is structured like a language.”

Robot manta is faster than ever – and smooth.

10 December 2024 grant 0

NC State researchers have used the mighty manta ray as a moving inspiration to design their fastest-yet swimming soft robot:

“Two years ago, we demonstrated an aquatic soft robot that was

… Read the rest “Robot manta is faster than ever – and smooth.”

Cute crustacean named after a brewery (with a briny beer).

28 November 2024 grant 0

The Guardian has news from New Zealand, where marine biologists have just discovered a new species of isopod, and decided the publicize the little critter’s unique ecological needs… Read the rest “Cute crustacean named after a brewery (with a briny beer).”

Scientific Illustration of a brittle star, a black and white photo with a geometric symmetry or symmetrical geometry - at any rate, the top and bottom views look like mirror images next to each other.

Science Art: Ophiactis tricolor: a, arboral view; b, oral view of holotype.

25 November 2024 grant 0

These are brittle stars, photographed in the 1920s for the Records of the South Australia Museum. These specific ones are from “Dr. Verco’s collection in St. Vincent and Spencer… Read the rest “Science Art: Ophiactis tricolor: a, arboral view; b, oral view of holotype.”

A lonely dolphin keeps shouting into the Baltic

23 November 2024 grant 0

Popular Science shares the story of a solo 17-year-old bottlenose dolphin, dubbed “Delle,” who has been spotted off the coast of Denmark for five years, far from any other … Read the rest “A lonely dolphin keeps shouting into the Baltic”

Two creatures can become one.

13 October 2024 grant 0

Science Daily reports on simple organisms called “comb jellies” (a.k.a. “ctenophores”) that have a weird way to overcome physical trauma. If two or more of … Read the rest “Two creatures can become one.”

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acoustics aeronautics agronomy anatomy anthropology archaeology astronomy biochemistry biology botany chemistry climatology computer science ecology economics electrical engineering electronics engineering entomology epidemiology evolution genetics geology linguistics marine biology mathematics medicine meteorology microbiology microscopy nanotechnology neurology oceanography optics paleontology pharmacology physics psychology quantum physics research robotics sociology space exploration theremin zoology
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Honorary Troubadours
  • Jonathan Coulton, Contributing Troubadour for Popular Science.
  • Laura Veirs, who knows her way around a polysyllable.
  • Thomas Dolby, godfather of scientific pop.
  • Squeaky, fact-based rock about fusion containment & rocket science.
  • Cosmos II, a.k.a. Boston University astronomer Alan Marscher.
  • Dr. Fiorella Terenzi, astrophysicist who makes music from cosmic radio sources.
  • Dr. Jim Webb, astronomy professor and acoustic guitarist.
  • Artichoke, the band behind 26 Scientists, Vols. I and II.
  • They Might Be Giants, unrelenting proponents of scientific popular song.
  • Symphonies of Science, the people who make Carl Sagan and others sing.
  • Giant Squid, doom metal about the sublime horrors of marine biology.
  • Gethan Dick,6 scientists, 6 musicians, 1 great album
Related Projects
  • Squid Pro Crow
  • Grant Bandcamp
  • Grant Soundcloud
  • Penitential Originals Playlist
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"Is it a fact—or have I dreamt it—that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?"
— Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, 1851
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