Tag Archives: deceit

Dinner and a Date with a Twist

Organisms lie, exaggerate, and scam their way to food, to territory and to sex. In one species of firefly, females can dine on the males of another species if they send a phony mating signal. The duped male becomes dinner rather than a date. Because of this threat, males will approach females with caution. SometimesContinue reading “Dinner and a Date with a Twist”

Tough-Guy Elk

Many species of animals use deception to gain an advantage. The elk that signals dominance with a long bray needs to fight less often than the elk that does not signal a tough-guy attitude. With a good bluff, he can usually avoid a costly fight. Learn more about the art of lying in the naturalContinue reading “Tough-Guy Elk”

The Lying Fiddler

Everything lies. For virtually every species, lying and lie detection are essential survival skills. Fiddler crabs that have lost a claw will re-grow a bigger but weaker claw. When challenged by a smaller crab, the weak-clawed fiddler will bluff. It will display a fighting stance that tells the smaller crab that a confrontation would beContinue reading “The Lying Fiddler”

Plastics and Their Role in Silent Consent

A recurring theme in Silent Consent by Circa24 is the damage done to the future generations from the plastics that made much of the carbon era so remarkable. Plastics, as we know them, have become rare strategic materials in the Founder’s States of that book. People seek antique plastic products from the 20th century asContinue reading “Plastics and Their Role in Silent Consent”

The Braggart Goldenrod

Golden Rod and Vespid wasps (Ptera Hunter, Salem IL, 2006). Yellow attracts many pollinating insects, including these vespid wasps.  Bees and wasps have trichromatic vision (three pigments), but they are not the same visual pigments (opsins) that we have. They can see farther into the ultraviolet but less well in the reds.  Their clue toContinue reading “The Braggart Goldenrod”

Mimicry in Insects: A Victorian Print signed H. Morin

 Mimicry in  Insects (19th century; restoration by Ptera Hunter, 2020). This plate contains different mimicking insects. Plates like these challenged the 19th century reader to find as many of the creatures as possible, thus discovering their various deceptions.  Check it out and see how many you see before scrolling down to the key. challenged theContinue reading “Mimicry in Insects: A Victorian Print signed H. Morin”

Eroding Trust

Corporations and politicians have used lies, misinformation, and deceptive marketing campaigns to erode trust in the data and analyses of science. Tobacco marketers knew this when they weaponized their approach to “science.” They confused correlation and causation to make people doubt the link between smoking and cancer. Many corporations that depend upon fossil fuels wantContinue reading “Eroding Trust”

Passive Aggression Can Be Fun

OK, so this particular set of passive aggressive images is technically not really lying or deceit, but, in the the trickster, they are lots of fun. I think Loki would approve. Remember, deceit isn’t just about lying, it’s about what is said, what is left unsaid, and twists in understanding. Yes, Loki would definitely approveContinue reading “Passive Aggression Can Be Fun”