Exposing graduate students and post-docs to science writing
Evolution, the process of gradual changes to genetic information in each generation over millions of years, proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century is being revolutionized by modern science. Unexpectedly, the revolution is driven not by evolutionary biologists or ecologists, but rather centered around…
You may have seen the anglerfish sex video floating around the Internet recently, with titles like “The worst sex in the world is anglerfish sex, and now there’s finally video.” While the video is worth a watch, I think most behavioral ecologist would beg to…
Cloned primates are here! Over three decades have passed since the birth of Dolly, the sheep, scientists have now tackled cloning mammals that are even closer to us on the evolutionary tree: macaque monkeys. What does this mean for a society that witnesses dramatic changes day…
Vegetarian sharks. If you love a cheesy sci-fi movie as much as I do, the word shark probably brings a few images to mind; swimmers rushing to shore, a huge, hungry, Great white, ready to devour anything in its sights. You may have even started…
Tardigrades, also known as waterbears or moss piglets, are microscopic invertebrates that “resemble a cross between a caterpillar and a naked mole rat,” according to science writer, Jason Bittel. First discovered almost 250 years ago, there are now over 1,000 known species of tardigrade that…
Think of a farmer. Chances are, an image of an overall-wearing, pitchfork-wielding man just popped into your head. But humans are only one of a surprisingly large group of animals that cultivate their own food. You might already know about leaf-cutter ants–some 47 species of…
Whether our favorite characters are trying to train them, ride them, or simply escape from them, there is no denying the prevalence of dragons in popular culture. Dragon myths have existed for centuries in every civilization. In medieval Europe, uncharted parts of maps were supposedly marked…
Over 200 million years ago, a reptile, 11 feet long and 1500 pounds, was prowling about, likely feeling very pleased with himself. Not only did he have four crunchy creatures starting to digest in his stomach, but he had bitten another weakling in the neck…
What happens when scientists get their hands on the remains of a dinosaur encased in ancient amber? Fortunately, life doesn’t imitate art to the extent to which we should be concerned about the potential pitfalls associated with an amusement park filled with revived, prehistoric beasts.…
Humans do not find plastic bottles tasty. Try as we might, ingestion and digestion of an Auquafina bottle makes for a bad dinner. On the other hand, some bacteria see plastic bottles as a delicacy.