Ecology & Zoology

Chocolate: When Money Did Grow On Trees

Advent calendars with hidden chocolatey treats, huge tins of Quality Street and steaming cups of hot chocolate festooned with whipped cream and marshmallows are all much-loved wintry staples at Christmastime. But how many of us stop to think about where c ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 24 2022 - 8:02am

Muskie: You Don't Need 10,000 Casts, You Need Science And Then 10,000 Casts

If you fish you know that catching a muskie (muskellunge), the “fish of 10,000 casts”, is like hitting a hole-in-one in golf. You will talk about it a lot. But it doesn't need 10,000 casts because that would mean having one strike is random. Instead, ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 2 2023 - 5:30pm

No Random Walk: Ants Meander Systematically

It is easy to believe ants disperse and walk randomly until they find something they want, but a new paper says they may have a more methodical approach. At least one species of rock ant, Temnothorax rugatulus, doesn’t walk randomly at all. Instead, their ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 4 2023 - 6:31am

Planes, Trains And Automobiles- How A 2014 Pest From Asia Spreads

In 2014, a new invasive species from Asia was detected in Pennsylvania, but by the time government knows about it, it is too late and spotted lanternflies have since spread to more than 100 counties across 14 states.  ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 20 2023 - 3:48pm

Plants Make Sounds During Stress

Scholars at Tel Aviv University have recorded and analyzed click-like sounds distinctly emitted by plants. The sounds are similar to the popping of popcorn and emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but frequencies human ears don't detect. The r ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 31 2023 - 12:14pm

Ancient Tibetans Thrived In One Of Earth’s Most Inhospitable Environments Thanks To Dairy Foods

New research shows that dairy products have made life easier for thousands of years. Even in places that are a challenge for anyone, like the Tibetan Plateau- the “roof of the world.” Genetic engineering due to natural selection at several genomic loci ce ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 12 2023 - 4:52pm

Epidemiologists Correlate Male Alcohol Consumption To Birth Defects In Mice

Alcohol is a legitimate class 1 carcinogen that is prized by most of the world. While claims of health benefits were always suspect epidemiology, so were claims that even a glass of wine during pregnancy would cause birth defects. The dose still makes the ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 17 2023 - 2:18pm

Prenatal High-Fat Diets Linked To Preference For Salty Food- In Female Rats

Many women eat healthier during pregnancy, but that may mean whatever version of 'healthy' is trending in any given year. Sugar-free, low-fat, gluten-free, paleo, organic, it all has proponents, it all has suspect epidemiology papers claiming it ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 26 2023 - 2:49pm

Giraffes In East Africa Are Geographically Isolated- That Doesn't Mean They Are Endangered

One way to keep a healthy genetic population is a diverse enough group that there can be a random exchange of material. If that is a big factor, then geographically isolated giraffes on preserves may be at future risk. ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jun 19 2023 - 2:08pm

Strawberries: Two Science Reasons They're Bigger And Better This Year

Environmental Working Group, the Extinction Rebellion of affordable produce, is always in a war on strawberries- unless they only contain pesticides their organic industry corporate donors use or sell. For the scientifically literate, those with at least t ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jul 17 2023 - 10:03am