To investigate the evolutionary mechanism (host specificity vs. random searching) maintaining mimicry between cuckoo egg appearance and that of different European cuckoo Cuculus canorus hosts, we studied the level of mimicry between the appearance of C. canorus eggs and that of their hosts’ eggs in different habitats in southern Finland by using ultraviolet-visible reflectance spectrophotometry...

Bromeliads are greatly represented in the Atlantic Forest, although many species are threatened with extinction owing to habitat fragmentation and intense extraction for ornamental purposes. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct studies generating knowledge about genetic diversity and the distribution of this diversity among and within natural populations to establish conservation strategies. T...

Context. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and a strong source of diffuse light for modern telescopes so that the immediate surroundings of the star are still poorly known. Aims. We study the close surroundings of the star (2 to 25′′) by means of adaptive optics and coronographic device in the near-infrared, using the ESO/ADONIS system. Methods. The resulting high contrast images in the J...

The marine-derived fungus Stachylidium sp. was isolated from the sponge Callyspongia cf. C. flammea. Chemical investigation of the bioactive fungal extract led to the isolation of the novel phthalimidine derivatives marilines A D (1-4). The absolute configuration of the enantiomeric compounds 1 and 2 was assigned by means of theoretical Circular Dichroism calculations. The skeleton of marilines...

The Ascomycota Dichotomomyces cejpii was isolated from the marine sponge Callyspongia cf. C. flammea. A new gliotoxin derivative, 6-acetylmonodethiogliotoxin (1) was obtained from fungal extracts. Compounds 2 and 3, methylthio-gliotoxin derivatives were formerly only known as semi-synthetic compounds and are here described as natural products. Additionally the polyketide heveadride (4) was isol...

We introduce Claude Lévi Strauss’ canonical formula (CF), an attempt to rigorously formalise the general narrative structure of myth. This formula utilises the Klein group as its basis, but a recent work draws attention to its natural quaternion form, which opens up the possibility that it may require a quantum inspired interpretation. We present the CF in a form that can be understood by a non...