Showing papers by "University of St Andrews published in 1999"
TL;DR: It is found that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted.
Abstract: As an increasing number of field studies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have achieved long-term status across Africa, differences in the behavioural repertoires described have become apparent that suggest there is significant cultural variation1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies, which together have accumulated 151 years of chimpanzee observation. This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans8,9,10,11. We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted. Among mammalian and avian species, cultural variation has previously been identified only for single behaviour patterns, such as the local dialects of song-birds12,13. The extensive, multiple variations now documented for chimpanzees are thus without parallel. Moreover, the combined repertoire of these behaviour patterns in each chimpanzee community is itself highly distinctive, a phenomenon characteristic of human cultures14 but previously unrecognised in non-human species.
1,964 citations
TL;DR: Functional neuroimaging results provide evidence for dissociable, but interlocking, systems for the processing of distinct categories of negative facial expression.
Abstract: Previous neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies have investigated the neural substrates which mediate responses to fearful, disgusted and happy expressions. No previous studies have investigated the neural substrates which mediate responses to sad and angry expressions. Using functional neuroimaging, we tested two hypotheses. First, we tested whether the amygdala has a neural response to sad and/or angry facial expressions. Secondly, we tested whether the orbitofrontal cortex has a specific neural response to angry facial expressions. Volunteer subjects were scanned, using PET, while they performed a sex discrimination task involving static grey-scale images of faces expressing varying degrees of sadness and anger. We found that increasing intensity of sad facial expression was associated with enhanced activity in the left amygdala and right temporal pole. In addition, we found that increasing intensity of angry facial expression was associated with enhanced activity in the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. We found no support for the suggestion that angry expressions generate a signal in the amygdala. The results provide evidence for dissociable, but interlocking, systems for the processing of distinct categories of negative facial expression.
1,222 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the orbital angular momentum of light, outlines the theoretical basis for the orbital momentum of beams within the paraxial approximation, and indicates the unapproximated theory, based on the full set of Maxwell equations.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the orbital angular momentum of light, outlines the theoretical basis for the orbital angular momentum of beams within the paraxial approximation, and indicates the unapproximated theory, based on the full set of Maxwell equations. The chapter discusses the problems associated with the separation and identification of spin and orbital contributions to the angular momentum properties of a field, the properties of Laguerre–Gaussian beams, which are physically realizable in the laboratory, and the ways in which the beams may be generated. It reviews the phenomenological behavior of beams possessing orbital angular momentum and their interaction with matter in bulk. The chapter also describes the measurement of the rotational Doppler shift, which arises when beams possessing orbital and spin angular momenta are rotated. The dipole-interaction of atoms with the orbital angular momentum of light beams is considered. The roles of spin and orbital angular momentum are also compared and contrasted.
994 citations
TL;DR: The imaging telescope on board the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer spacecraft observed the decaying transversal oscillations of a long and thin coronal loop in the 171 angstrom Fe(IX) emission line, finding the coronal dissipation coefficient to be eight to nine orders of magnitude larger than the theoretically predicted classical value.
Abstract: The imaging telescope on board the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft observed the decaying transversal oscillations of a long [(130 +/- 6) x 10(exp 6) meters], thin [diameter (2.0 +/- 0.36) x 10(exp 6) meters], bright coronal loop in the 171 angstrom Fe-IX emission line. The oscillations were excited by a solar flare in the adjacent active region. The decay time of the oscillations is 12.1 +/- 6.7 minutes for an oscillation with a frequency 3.90 +/- 0.13 millihertz The coronal dissipation coefficient is estimated to be eight to nine orders of magnitude larger than the theoretically predicted classical value. The larger dissipation coefficient may solve existing difficulties with wave heating and reconnection theories.
945 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that female preference for secondary sexual traits in male face shapes varies with the probability of conception across the menstrual cycle, similar to that of men with low fluctuating asymmetry.
Abstract: Women prefer slightly feminized male facial shapes1. Such faces (Fig. 1a) are given positive personality attributions1 that might correlate with actual behaviour2. In contrast, masculine features seem to signal immunological competence3. Heritable benefits can be realized only if conception follows copulation, so women might be more attentive to phenotypic markers indicating immunological competence during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle when conception is most likely4,5. Consistent with this hypothesis is the observation that women's preference for the odour of men with low fluctuating asymmetry (a correlate of testosterone-facilitated trait size and developmental stability) increases with the probability of conception across the menstrual cycle5.Symmetrical men report more extra-pair copulation partners6, and extra-pair copulation rates peak in midcycle7. Here we show that female preference for secondary sexual traits in male face shapes varies with the probability of conception across the menstrual cycle.
807 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that p53 is modified by the small ubiquitin‐like protein SUMO‐1 at a single site, K386, in the C‐terminus of the protein, and may represent a novel target for the development of therapeutically useful modulators of the p53 response.
Abstract: The p53 tumour suppressor protein is regulated by ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. In normal cells p53 is constitutively ubiquitylated by the Mdm2 ubiquitin ligase. When the p53 response is activated by stress signals p53 levels rise due to inhibition of this degradative pathway. Here we show that p53 is modified by the small ubiquitin-like protein SUMO-1 at a single site, K386, in the C-terminus of the protein. Modification in vitro requires only SUMO-1, the SUMO-1 activating enzyme and ubc9. SUMO-1 and ubiquitin modification do not compete for the same lysine acceptor sites in p53. Overexpression of SUMO-1 activates the transcriptional activity of wild-type p53, but not K386R p53 where the SUMO-1 acceptor site has been mutated. The SUMO-1 modification pathway therefore acts as a potential regulator of the p53 response and may represent a novel target for the development of therapeutically useful modulators of the p53 response.
666 citations
TL;DR: For example, this article found that increasing symmetry of face shape increases ratings of attractiveness for both male and female faces, which suggests facial symmetry may have a positive impact on mate selection in humans.
526 citations
TL;DR: This study shows that female birds deposit higher amounts of testosterone and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone in their eggs when mated to more attractive males.
Abstract: Good-genes hypotheses of sexual selection predict that offspring fathered by preferred males should have increased viability resulting from superior genetic quality. Several studies of birds have reported findings consistent with this prediction, but maternal effects are an important confounding variable. Those studies that have attempted to control for maternal effects have only considered differential maternal investment after egg laying. However, female birds differentially deposit testosterone in the eggs, and this influences the development of the chick. This study shows that female birds deposit higher amounts of testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone in their eggs when mated to more attractive males.
521 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that simian virus 5 blocks IFN signalling in human cells by inhibiting the formation of the IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 and gamma-activated factor transcription complexes that are involved in activatingIFN-α/β- and IFn-γ-responsive genes, respectively.
Abstract: To replicate in vivo, viruses must circumvent cellular antiviral defense mechanisms, including those induced by the interferons (IFNs). Here we demonstrate that simian virus 5 (SV5) blocks IFN signalling in human cells by inhibiting the formation of the IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 and gamma-activated factor transcription complexes that are involved in activating IFN-a/b- and IFN-g-responsive genes, respectively. SV5 inhibits the formation of these complexes by specifically targeting STAT1, a component common to both transcription complexes, for proteasome-mediated degradation. Expression of the SV5 structural protein V, in the absence of other virus proteins, also inhibited IFN signalling and induced the degradation of STAT1. Following infection with SV5, STAT1 was degraded in the absence of virus protein synthesis and remained undetectable for up to 4 days postinfection. Furthermore, STAT1 was also degraded in IFN-pretreated cells, even though the cells were in an antiviral state. Since pretreatment of cells with IFN delayed but did not prevent virus replication and protein synthesis, these observations suggest that following infection of IFN-pretreated cells, SV5 remains viable within the cells until they eventually go out of the antiviral state. Virus infection of susceptible host cells activates the transcription of many cellular genes, including the interferons (IFNs), that are involved in antiviral defense, cell growth regulation, and immune activation. IFNs represent a group of cytokines with the unique ability to establish an antiviral state in cells through the expression of many IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). A number of these ISGs encode intracellular enzymes, the best known of which is a protein kinase (PKR). Although induced by IFN, PKR remains inactive unless cells also pro
439 citations
TL;DR: A framework for determining the number of individuals present and assessing the likely time scale over which trends in abundance may be determined is used, appropriate for animal species that possess natural markings sufficient for individual recognition, and valuable in the development and implementation of management and monitoring programs for vulnerable populations.
Abstract: We used a case study of a coastal bottlenose dolphin population to present a framework for determining the number of individuals present and assessing the likely time scale over which trends in abundance may be determined. Such a framework is appropriate for animal species that possess natural markings sufficient for individual recognition, and may be valuable in the development and implementation of management and monitoring programs for vulnerable populations. Population abundance was estimated using mark–recapture methods applied to photoidentification data. This experiment was designed to minimize violation of method assumptions so as to allow use of the most parsimonious model for analysis. The data were examined critically to investigate mark–recapture assumptions, while analytical methods and data were selected to minimize and, where necessary, account for violations. The estimated number of animals with long-lasting marks from left and right side estimates were 73 ± 12 and 80 ± 11 individuals, res...
TL;DR: In this article, the structure of the PEO:LiAsF6 complex with a 6':'1 composition was determined by employing a method for flexible molecular structures, involving full profile fitting to the X-ray powder diffraction data by simulated annealing.
Abstract: Polymer electrolytes—salts (such as LiCF3SO3) dissolved in solid, high-molar-mass polymers (for example, poly(ethylene oxide), PEO)1,2,3—hold the key to the development of all-solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries4. They also represent an unusual class of coordination compounds in the solid state5. Conductivities of up to 10−4 S cm−1 may be obtained, but higher levels are needed for applications in batteries5,6,7. To achieve such levels requires a better understanding of the conduction mechanism, and crucial to this is a knowledge of polymer-electrolyte structure. Crystalline forms of polymer electrolytes are obtained at only a few discrete compositions. The structures of 3 : 1 and 4 : 1 complexes (denoting the ratio of ether oxygens to cations) have been determined5,8,9. But the 6 : 1 complex is of greater interest as the conductivity of polymer electrolytes increases significantly on raising the polymer content from 3 : 1 to 6 : 1 (refs 10, 11). Furthermore, many highly conducting polymer-electrolyte systems form crystalline 6 : 1 complexes whereas those with lower conductivities do not. Here we report the structure of the PEO:LiAsF6 complex with a 6 : 1 composition. Determination of the structure was carried out abinitio by employing a method for flexible molecular structures, involving full profile fitting to the X-ray powder diffraction data by simulated annealing12. Whereas in the 3 : 1 complexes the polymer chains form helices, those in the 6 : 1 complex form double non-helical chains which interlock to form a cylinder. The lithium ions reside inside these cylinders and, in contrast to other complexes, are not coordinated by the anions.
TL;DR: This paper quantifies hypotheses by writing mathematical models that embody the interactions and forces that might cause cycles of population cycles, using both long-term population time series and the often-rich observational and experimental data on the ecology of the species in question.
Abstract: Population cycles have long fascinated ecologists. Even in the most-studied populations, however, scientists continue to dispute the relative importance of various potential causes of the cycles. Over the past three decades, theoretical ecologists have cataloged a large number of mechanisms that are capable of generating cycles in population models. At the same time, statisticians have developed new techniques both for characterizing time series and for fitting population models to time-series data. Both disciplines are now sufficiently advanced that great gains in understanding can be made by synthesizing these complementary, and heretofore mostly independent, quantitative approaches. In this paper we demonstrate how to apply this synthesis to the problem of population cycles, using both long-term population time series and the often-rich observational and experimental data on the ecology of the species in question. We quantify hypotheses by writing mathematical models that embody the interactions and forces that might cause cycles. Some hypotheses can be rejected out of hand, as being unable to generate even qualitatively appropriate dynamics. We finish quantifying the remaining hypotheses by estimating parameters, both from independent experiments and from fitting the models to the time-series data using modern statistical techniques. Finally, we compare simulated time series generated by the models to the observed time series, using a variety of statistical descriptors, which we refer to collectively as “probes.” The model most similar to the data, as measured by these probes, is considered to be the most likely candidate to represent the mechanism underlying the population cycles. We illustrate this approach by analyzing one of Nicholson’s blowfly populations, in which we know the “true” governing mechanism. Our analysis, which uses only a subset of the information available about the population, uncovers the correct answer, suggesting that this synthetic approach might be successfully applied to field populations as well.
TL;DR: It appears that SUMO-1 conjugation of IκBα in vitrodoes does not require the equivalent of an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase activity.
TL;DR: The authors examined the role of other working-memory mechanisms in arithmetical skills, namely the central executive, using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the visual-spatial sketch pad using the Corsi Blocks.
Abstract: Short‐term memory has often been found to play a major role in children's arithmetical skills. However, Bull and Johnston (1997) found that when differences in reading skills were controlled for, short‐term memory, specifically the functioning of the articulatory loop, did not represent a fundamental deficit for children of low mathematical ability. This study examined the role of other working‐memory mechanisms in arithmetical skills, namely the central executive, using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the visual‐spatial sketch pad, using the Corsi Blocks. Results showed that children of high and low mathematics ability differed significantly on WCST measures after controlling for differences in reading ability and IQ but did not differ in visual sequential memory. Correlation analyses revealed a significant correlation between arithmetic performance and perseveration measures from the WCST. The implications of this result are discussed in terms of central‐executive functioning and related cog...
TL;DR: The rotational frequency shift for light beams with orbital angular momentum is interpreted as a dynamically evolving geometric phase using the Poincaré-sphere equivalent.
Abstract: The polarization state of a light beam is related to its spin angular momentum and can be represented on the Poincare sphere. We propose a sphere for light beams in analogous orbital angular momentum states. Using the Poincare-sphere equivalent, we interpret the rotational frequency shift for light beams with orbital angular momentum [Phys.??Rev.??Lett.??80, 3217 (1998)] as a dynamically evolving geometric phase.
TL;DR: The state of knowledge about muscle development and growth is reviewed and potential practical applications of the research to flesh quality issues are discussed.
TL;DR: The detection of mutations of the IkBa gene, in two HD-derived cell lines and in two out of eight biopsy samples from patients with relapsed Hodgkin's disease, suggests that IκBα is a tumour suppressor controlling the oncogenic activation of NF-κB in Hodgkin and Reed – Sternberg cells.
Abstract: The NF-kappaB/Rel family of transcription factors regulates a wide variety of genes whose products play a fundamental role in inflammatory and immune responses. The implication of NF-kappaB/Rel proteins and their IkappaB regulatory subunits in the control of cellular growth and oncogenesis, was suggested by the induction of fatal lymphomas in birds by the v-rel oncoprotein, and the rearrangement and amplification of several genes encoding the NF-kappaB/Rel/IkappaB signal transduction factors in human malignancies, primarily of lymphoid origin. Hodgkin's disease (HD) is a lymphoma characterized by a low frequency of malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) cells in a reactive background of non-neoplastic cells. The peculiar activated phenotype of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells and their pattern of cytokine secretion are believed to be a consequence of constitutive activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor. Here, we report the detection of mutations of the IkBa gene, in two HD-derived cell lines and in two out of eight biopsy samples from patients with relapsed Hodgkin's disease. The presence of defective IkappaBalpha is thus likely to explain the constitutive activation of NF-kappaB in these cells and suggests that IkappaBalpha is a tumour suppressor controlling the oncogenic activation of NF-kappaB in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells.
TL;DR: In this article, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to a preliminary sample of 5869 galaxy spectra and two most significant components were used to split the sample into five spectral classes.
Abstract: We describe the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS), and the current status of the observations. In this exploratory paper, we apply a Principal Component Analysis to a preliminary sample of 5869 galaxy spectra and use the two most significant components to split the sample into five spectral classes. These classes are defined by considering visual classifications of a subset of the 2dF spectra, and also by comparing to high quality spectra of local galaxies. We calculate a luminosity function for each of the different classes and find that later-type galaxies have a fainter characteristic magnitude, and a steeper faint-end slope. For the whole sample we find M ⋆ = 19.7 (for =1,H0=100kms 1 Mpc 1 ), � = 1.3, � ⋆ = 0.017. For class 1 (‘early-type’) we find M ⋆ = 19.6, � = 0.7, while for class 5 (‘late-type’) we find M ⋆ = 19.0, � = 1.7. The derived 2dF luminosity functions agree well with other recent luminosity function estimates.
TL;DR: The value of studying a circuit of moderate, but tractable, complexity and known behavioral function is illustrated by studies of the giant axons of the crayfish nerve cord.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a study of a town hall anti-poll tax demonstration, using interviews, written accounts, newspaper accounts, and video evidence, and suggest that feelings of power increased among crowd members due to the more inclusive categorization among them brought about by their perceived wholesale illegitimate exclusion from the town hall.
Abstract: Recent accounts of collective action highlight the importance of psychological empowerment, but conceptualize it simply as a precondition for such action. By contrast, the social identity model (Reicher, 1996, 1997; Stott, 1996) suggests that empowerment is a product as well as a precondition of collective action. However, existing research on the social identity model has merely inferred the emergence of feelings of power rather than shown it empirically. This paper describes a study of a town hall anti-poll tax demonstration, using interviews, written accounts, newspaper accounts, and video evidence. The principal source consisted of interviews with 29 protesters which were subjected to thematic analysis to identify (i) whether and to what extent empowerment took place in the crowd; (ii) features of the intergroup relationship responsible for any such empowerment; and (iii) any normative limits to empowered behavior. The analysis suggests that feelings of power increased among crowd members due to the more inclusive categorization among them brought about by their perceived wholesale illegitimate exclusion from the town hall. Moreover, the empowered action of crowd members was limited by shared definitions of proper practice. The implications of these findings are discussed for studies of collective action, and it is suggested that further research along the present lines is necessary to shed more light on factors leading to the endurance and generalization of the types of empowerment found here.
TL;DR: The top left corner of Fig. 1b on page 505 was cropped so that you could not view the calpain 3-stained nuclei in endomysia space, and the corrected figure is shown below.
Abstract: Nature Med. 5, 503– 511 (1999). The top left corner of Fig. 1b on page 505 was cropped so that you could not view the calpain 3-stained nuclei in endomysia space. The corrected figure is shown below. We regret this error.
TL;DR: In this article, a nonlinear, two-dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of the magnetosonic waves in plumes for typical coronal conditions consistent with observations and gravitationally stratified solar corona is presented.
Abstract: Recent observations of polar plumes in the southern solar coronal hole by the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on board the SOHO spacecraft show signatures of quasi-periodic compressional waves with periods of 10-15 minutes. The relative wave amplitude was found to increase with height in the plumes up to about 1.2 R☉. Using a one-dimensional linear wave equation for the magnetosonic wave, we show that the waves are propagating and that their amplitude increases with height. The observed propagation velocity agrees well with the expected sound velocity inside the plumes. We present the results of the first nonlinear, two-dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of the magnetosonic waves in plumes for typical coronal conditions consistent with observations and gravitationally stratified solar corona. We find numerically that outward-propagating slow magnetosonic waves are trapped, and nonlinearly steepen in the polar plumes. The nonlinear steepening of the magnetosonic waves may contribute significantly to the heating of the lower corona by compressive dissipation.
TL;DR: By exploiting nonlinear optical effects, a technology of unprecedented flexibility for the production of tunable coherent light has been developed that provides sources with spectral coverage extending all the way from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared and temporal coverage extending over all time domains.
Abstract: By exploiting nonlinear optical effects, a technology of unprecedented flexibility for the production of tunable coherent light has been developed. Referred to as optical parametric generation, it provides sources with spectral coverage extending all the way from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, and with temporal coverage extending over all time domains from the femtosecond pulse to the continuous wave. Such sources generate coherent light of outstanding optical quality and are now finding wide-ranging applications.
TL;DR: Extracts of the granular haemocytes of Carcinus maenas were subjected to ion-exchange chromatography and reverse-phase (RP)-HPLC to investigate the presence of an antibacterial protein, which was found to be cationic and hydrophobic and active only against marine Gram-positive bacteria.
Abstract: Extracts of the granular haemocytes of Carcinus maenas were subjected to ion-exchange chromatography and reverse-phase (RP)-HPLC to investigate the presence of an antibacterial protein of approximately 11 kDa. This protein was isolated, characterized and subjected to partial amino acid sequence analysis. It was found by mass spectrometry to have a molecular mass of 11 534 Da, to be cationic and hydrophobic and active only against marine Gram-positive bacteria. In addition its activity is stable after heating to 100 degrees C and is retained at concentrations as low as 10 microgram.mL-1. It has an unusual amino acid sequence, unlike any known antibacterial peptide described in the literature but bears a consensus disulphide domain signature, indicating that it might be a member of the four-disulphide core proteins. Partial cDNA sequence data has been obtained.
TL;DR: Results indicate that the signal-induced degradation of IκBα is mainly, if not exclusively, a cytoplasmic process and is essential for maintaining a low level of Iα in the nucleus and allowing NF-κB to be transcriptionally active upon cell stimulation.
TL;DR: The Cohesive Strength Meter (CSM) as discussed by the authors is a second-generation erosion instrument designed to measure the critical erosion shear stress (τoCr) of intertidal sediments in situ.
Abstract: The shear resistance of muddy sediments directly governs the susceptibility of the sediment to erosion by tidal and wave induced currents. Measurements of the natural erosion shear stress are important in modelling estuarine systems and in determining the possible impact of human disturbance. A second-generation erosion instrument the Cohesive Strength Meter (CSM) designed to measure the critical erosion shear stress (τoCr) of intertidal sediments in situ is described. The CSM allows measurements of small-scale spatial and temporal variation of sediment stability to be made on a scale and rapidity previously unachievable. New features of specialized hardware are described and the instrument is empirically calibrated in terms of an equivalent horizontal bed shear stress using quartz sand. Some example results from recent field trials on the Konigshafen (Sylt-Romo Bight) are presented. The erosion characteristics of this intertidal flat varied on a cm scale due to the presence of patchy diatom biofilms. Areas with a diatom biofilm were more stable than those without, giving a biostabilization index of 6·2.
TL;DR: Females mated most quickly when stimulated by song typical of their own species, confirming that song can influence sexual isolation between these species.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a two-year ocean-basinwide photographic and biopsy study in 1992-1993 to resolve uncertainties about population size, as well as the spatial and genetic structure of the humpback whale population in the North Atlantic.
Abstract: Although much is known about the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, regional studies have been unable to answer several questions that are central to the conservation and management of this endangered species. To resolve uncertainties about population size, as well as the spatial and genetic structure of the humpback whale population in the North Atlantic, we conducted a two-year ocean-basin-wide photographic and biopsy study in 1992-1993. Photographic and skin-biopsy sampling was conducted of animals in feeding and breeding areas throughout most of the range of this species in the North Atlantic, from the West Indies breeding grounds through all known feeding areas as far north as arctic Norway. A standardized sampling protocol was designed to maximize sample sizes while attempting to ensure equal probability of sampling, so that estimates of abundance would be as accurate and as precise as possible. During 666 d at sea aboard 28 vessels, 4,207 tail fluke photographs and 2,326 skin biopsies were collected. Molecular analyses of all biopsies included determination of sex, genotype using six microsatellite loci, and mitochondrial control region sequence. The photographs and microsatellite loci were used to identify 2,998 and 2,015 individual whales, respectively.
Previously published results from this study have addressed spatial distribution, migration, and genetic relationships. Here, we present new estimates of total abundance in this ocean using photographic data, as well as overall and sex-specific estimates using biopsy data. We identify several potential sampling biases using only breeding-area samples and report a consistent mark-recapture estimate of oceanwide abundance derived from photographic identification, using both breeding and feeding-area data, of 10,600 (95% confidence interval 9,300-12,100). We also report a comparable, but less precise, biopsy-based estimate of 10,400 (95% confidence interval of 8,000-13,600). These estimates are significantly larger and more precise than estimates made for the 1980s, potentially reflecting population growth. In contrast, significantly lower and less consistent estimates were obtained using between-feeding-area or between-breeding-area sampling. Reasons for the lower estimates using the results of sampling in the same areas in subsequent years are discussed. Overall, the results of this ocean-basin-wide study demonstrate that an oceanwide approach to population assessment of baleen whales is practicable and results in a more comprehensive understanding of population abundance and biology than can be gained from smaller-scale efforts.