by Heather Landry Summary: The vast diversity in gene sequences are what create the large variety of plants and animals we see today. Genetic diversity is crucial for adapting to new environments, as more variation in genes leads to more individuals of a population having favorable traits to withstand harsh conditions. Low genetic diversity, on the other hand, can be very problematic during changing environments, … Continue reading Challenging Evolution: How GMOs Can Influence Genetic Diversity
About twice a year, Signal to Noise produces a special edition featuring five to ten articles on a particular topic. Our latest (January 2015) Special Edition is now hot off the press: Past Special Editions Climate Change (July 2014) Stem Cells (January 2014) Space Exploration (July 2013) Sustainable Energy (December 2012) Alan Turing Year 2012 (July 2012) United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (December 2011) IYC … Continue reading Signal to Noise Special Editions
As children, we learn about one of Nature’s most beautiful and ingenious inventions: the seed. We learn that the coat of a seed provides both protection and nutrition for the fledging plant inside. We learn later in life about the less beautiful truth of commercial seeds. Our modern-day seeds are often covered in a layer of synthetic chemicals, designed to protect the plant from pests … Continue reading Seeds of poison: new research suggests that the world’s most widely used insecticide is linked to declining bird populations
— We’ve all heard news reports about the benefits of eating fish, and replacing some red meat meals with fish as an alternative source of protein. Fish contains a lot of minerals, including iodine and selenium, which are beneficial for the human body. Most fish species are lean and therefore fit perfectly in a healthy diet. Fattier fish species, such as salmon, offer other benefits: they are full of unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for optimal functioning of cells and organs, and for good development of the central nervous system. Unfortunately, these important health benefits are leading to increased demand for these species, which now threatens global aquatic biodiversity. Continue reading Fatty acid-rich fish stocks: a sixth extinction crisis
Our “Science in the News Flash” is your twice-monthly source for information on recent high profile science issues. research essay Most often, each issue of the SITN Flash features two articles. The SITN Flash also produces occasional special editions, such as a feature on the year of chemistry or the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. These special editions contain multiple articles on a single topic, … Continue reading SITN Flash
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
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
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
“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
–While the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dominated the news during summer 2010, it was a somewhat unusual summer for the rest of the world as well. Extreme heat and fires in Russia caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Flooding in Pakistan has resulted in millions losing their homes. And droughts in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have led to crop failures. One climate-related event that we haven’t heard much about, however, is the widespread bleaching of coral reefs all across the globe, largely due to this year’s severe heat stress. Continue reading Coral bleaching in 2010: An early indicator of vulnerable marine ecosystems under human-made stress
