Biology Bytes
the environment
Getting Your Hands Dirty through Citizen Biology
Do you like to bird watch using your backyard bird feeder? Or maybe you have fun going bug hunting at a local nature preserve. However you enjoy taking in the natural world around you, there may be a way you can help scientists with important research at the same time! It’s thanks to citizen science, … Continue reading
Making Plastic from Food
As we become more aware of the resources that we’re quickly using up, we increasingly look for ways to recycle and reuse what we’ve got. For example, some people have been figuring out how to “reuse” food waste by turning it into plastic. And not just any type of plastic — it’s actually biodegradable plastic, … Continue reading
Citizen Biology
Are you not a scientist by training but you’d like to help scientists do real research? Or maybe you are a scientist and would like to aid others in doing more investigations in your spare time. Whatever your background, there are actually many ways that you can now do real scientific research in your spare … Continue reading
Microbes in Beijing’s Smog
When we think of smog and what’s in it, what probably comes to mind first is the chemical pollutants. But what about the microbes? More and more we’re discovering the importance of the complex web of microbes that are all around – and inside of – us. Which brings us to a study published earlier … Continue reading
Carnivores in Decline
It may not come as a surprise to find that large carnivores around the world are declining in numbers, but what may be startling is just how far-reaching the consequences are likely to be. Large carnivores often have extensive territories, which they roam to catch their relatively large prey. This behavior can put these carnivores … Continue reading
Shell-Swept Beaches: What’s the Cost?
When you’re vacationing on a beach, it might seem like a harmless act to pick up a shell and take it home with you as a souvenir. Especially if there are a lot of shells on the beach – how could taking one, or just a few, be a bad thing? But a recently published … Continue reading
Ranaviruses: Ravaging Amphibian Populations
Over the past few years, amphibians have been hit hard on a global scale. (Amphibians include frogs, toads, salamanders, and the lesser-known caecilians, which are tropical, limbless, worm-like critters.) A few months ago, I wrote a post about the chytrid fungus, which may have already caused 125 to 500 amphibian species to become extinct. Another … Continue reading
Underground Giants: The Gippsland Earthworm
Have you ever been digging around in some rich, damp soil and come across an earthworm? When we think of earthworms, we usually think of small, wriggly critters that can just barely fit in the palm of our hand. But there are many gigantic types of earthworms around the world that can grow to astonishing … Continue reading
Biology Bytes: The Books
The Biology Bytes blog was inspired by the publication of two separate books by the same author. If you enjoy reading about the fascinating critters and plants that are all around us, or the latest developments in stem cell research or modern medicine in general, or have simply been enjoying reading the wide variety of … Continue reading
Genetically Modified Microbes
When thinking of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), plants and animals are probably the first to come to mind, which overlooks possibly the most important group of all: GM microorganisms, or microbes. It was in the 1970s that the first GMO was made – it was bacteria (specifically E. coli). A few years later, researchers were … Continue reading