A conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Barron

Dr. Elizabeth Barron holds a joint appointment as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and in the Program on Science, Technology & Society at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her academic background includes a BS in Anthropology and Biological Aspects of Conservation from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master’s in Forest Resources from University of Massachusetts … Continue reading A conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Barron

Managing biodiversity: Indigenous knowledge, elephants, and the repercussions of intervention

When we think of biodiversity management, or maintaining the species diversity in an area, it’s easy to draw parallels to conservation. However, conservation usually focuses on one or few species at a time. This means that it often doesn’t mesh well with biodiversity maintenance, which requires considering the balance of all species in a given habitat. By managing a system based on the needs of … Continue reading Managing biodiversity: Indigenous knowledge, elephants, and the repercussions of intervention

Metagenomics: Exploring the depths of the microbial world

Adapted from image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center The World is Full of Bacteria There are over a billion microbes in just one liter of ocean water [1]. The same goes for a liter of soil. As the human population reaches 7 billion individuals worldwide in 2011 [2], it is a fitting time to reflect on the number of microbes that share our home, … Continue reading Metagenomics: Exploring the depths of the microbial world

Biodiversity and human health

Over 250 million years ago, cataclysmic volcanic activity wiped out nearly all life on earth. 65 million years ago, a meteor impact in the Yucatán drove the dinosaurs to extinction. In the past 540 million years of earth’s history, paleontologists have identified five mass extinction events in which over 75% of Earth’s species have died during a relatively short period of time [1]. Unfortunately, it … Continue reading Biodiversity and human health

Alien invasion! Ecological and societal impacts of invasive species

A worker fire ant is steadily traversing the landscape looking for a good meal to take back to the nest. Suddenly, it finds a lizard basking in the sun lying directly in its path. Undaunted, the ant goes back to the nearest foraging trail and recruits colony members to the site of the lizard. Armed with a venomous sting, the ants prepare to launch their … Continue reading Alien invasion! Ecological and societal impacts of invasive species

The importance of being biodiverse

“An inordinate fondness for beetles” is what the celebrated biologist J.B.S. Haldane apocryphally quipped when asked his opinion of God. purchasing levitra Beetles comprise just under a third of the 1.2 million species described so far [], and a recent paper has estimated that there are about 7-10 million species on the planet. In other words, we have yet to describe about 86% of the … Continue reading The importance of being biodiverse

Obesity, Inflammation and Diabetes

— In 1985, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began tracking the prevalence of obesity in the United States. Since then, a clear trend has emerged: obesity is on the rise… If you’re wondering why the CDC is tracking obesity, it’s because those excess pounds have been linked to several significant health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer. In fact, one study in 2009 estimated that the direct medical cost of obesity in the US accounted for $147 billion of total health-care spending. Of all the health problems associated with being overweight, one of the most significant and well-studied impact is the increased risk for diabetes. Continue reading Obesity, Inflammation and Diabetes

Pancreatic Cancer: How to Catch a Silent Killer

— When Steve Jobs died on October 5th of this year, global attention turned to his cause of death – pancreatic cancer. Many people had questions: Would his fate have been different if he hadn’t elected for alternative treatments in the early days of his diagnosis? If someone of his wealth couldn’t beat this disease, can anyone? What many people may not know is that the eight years Jobs lived with his cancer diagnosis were significantly longer than the typical pancreatic cancer patient can expect to survive. This fact has much, if not all to do with the particular type of pancreatic cancer that Jobs had. Continue reading Pancreatic Cancer: How to Catch a Silent Killer