What Does an Evolutionary Biologist Do?

How do you introduce yourself, scientifically? My name is Mia Miyagi, and I’m an evolutionary biologist, which means that I study how the process of evolution works and how that process has generated the incredible biodiversity that we have today. More specifically, I’m a theoretical population geneticist. Population genetics is how we think about evolution and variation across entire populations. In other words, how individuals … Continue reading What Does an Evolutionary Biologist Do?

I Can’t Sleep… Can you turn off the lights?

by Samantha Tracyfigures by Wei Wu Walking down your neighborhood street you might notice the cars driving past, people waving hello, and the buildings lit up by the daytime sun. At night this view changes: we see fewer cars, and people have mostly returned to the comforts of their homes. But even as we shift from day to night, there is still a bright glow … Continue reading I Can’t Sleep… Can you turn off the lights?

Listen Closely: Coral reefs are losing their sound

by Samantha Tracy figures by Sean Wilson A solo diver dips under the surface of crashing waves to reveal a plethora of attention-grabbing colors in astounding brightness. The image of a coral reef is exciting and overwhelming for the human brain, but another world comes to life when we close our eyes. A cascading orchestra of gentle bubbling, a faint crackling chorus of snapping shrimp, … Continue reading Listen Closely: Coral reefs are losing their sound

Exploring The Underground Network of Trees – The Nervous System of the Forest

by Valentina Lagomarsino figures by Hannah Zucker When scientists first studied the structure of nerve cells that comprise the human brain, they noted their strong resemblance to trees. In fact, dendrites, the term to describe projections from a nerve cell, comes from the Greek word Dendron, for “tree.” While the connection in the appearance of nerve cells was made to trees, the comparison may have been more … Continue reading Exploring The Underground Network of Trees – The Nervous System of the Forest

Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

The oceans cover 70% of our planet, but did you know that less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored? In the face of rapid climate change, ocean scientists are racing to understand what makes a healthy ocean and how rapid changes in ocean temperature, currents and chemistry will affect biodiversity, fishing, tourism, land erosion and myriad of other aspects that will affect … Continue reading Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

Conservation spending proven to make a difference

The world is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction event. Species are disappearing at an estimated 1000x the expected normal rate of extinction (roughly 5 species per year). Conservation efforts around the world are trying to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, but they are hindered by the lack of hard evidence linking conservation spending to biodiversity improvements. A team led by University of Oxford researchers … Continue reading Conservation spending proven to make a difference

How Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize the Energy Industry

by Franklin Wolfe figures by Franklin Wolfe and Kimia Mavon Earlier this year, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the richest man on Earth, wrote an essay online at “The blog of Bill Gates,” to college students graduating worldwide in 2017. He stated, “If I were starting out today… I would consider three fields. One is artificial intelligence (AI). We have only begun to tap … Continue reading How Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize the Energy Industry

Snapshots in ocean reef evolution and what to expect going forward

by Anna Waldeck figures by Kaitlyn Choi Picture an ocean reef. If you’re like me, then the first image that comes to mind is filled with colorful corals, clapping scallops, and exotic fishes swimming in clear, sunny waters; something like the beginning of Disney’s Finding Nemo. If you’ve been following the news recently, maybe you’ve thought of the ghostly pictures of bleached corals on the … Continue reading Snapshots in ocean reef evolution and what to expect going forward

What’s hiding in the museum?

by Patty Rohs figures by Anna Maurer New technology is allowing scientists to investigate natural history museum specimens in ways that we never thought were possible. To the public eye, these museums may seem like an unchanging archive of life on earth. But behind the scenes, the very same institutions are centers for cutting-edge research. Curators, who are highly experienced in research and are often … Continue reading What’s hiding in the museum?