–Paleontologists have always differentiated between extinct species by comparative anatomy of their fossil remains. Those scientists who study living organisms have an additional technique available – the comparison of DNA sequences between specimens. More recently, due to rapid advances in the efficiency and reduced cost of DNA sequencing, it has become possible to sequence DNA extracted from the remains of extinct species as well. This technology has been used on frozen mammoths recovered from ice, and from the bones of Neandertals and ancient humans. Recently, the first complete Neandertal genome was published… Continue reading Ghosts in the Genome: Identification of an Unknown Fossil Hominid Through DNA Sequencing

–It turns out that I am not referring to a large, mildly cute herbivorous African mammal. HIPPO stands for HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations of Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases. That’s quite a mouthful. So what exactly is this? In short, it is a mission involving flying a specialized aircraft from the North Pole to the Antarctic waters, collecting information about the distribution of carbon dioxide and many other greenhouse gases along the way. Continue reading What does a Hippo have to do with understanding the Earth's atmosphere? High-flying efforts towards reducing carbon emissions