Biology Bytes
water systems
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
An Ancient Whale Graveyard’s Culprit: Toxic Algae
In 2010, the fossilized skeletons of several large marine animals were discovered in Chile during a highway-expansion project. After studying the fossils, scientists discovered that the animals had actually been stranded over time, some 6-9 million years ago, during four distinct events. What caused the repeated mass strandings and deaths? The most likely culprit turned … 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
Ruth Patrick: A Pioneering Ecologist
Ruth Patrick was an ecologist ahead of her time, and she propelled the field forward with her innovate approaches. Earlier this week, on Sept. 23, she died at the age of 105. For most of her life she worked with The Academy of Natural Sciences, which is associated with the Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania … Continue reading