Newest Posts
HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO FIND A WHALE?
Despite their incredible size and widespread adoration by the general public, surprisingly little is known about the behavior and distribution of many cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). From acoustic tracking to electronic tagging technologies, new approaches are laying the groundwork for more effective study and conservation of cetaceans.
WELCOME TO...PLEISTOCENE PARK
You probably remember the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. If not, the skinny is that a bunch of ambitious scientists use dinosaur DNA from preserved mosquitoes combined with modern reptile DNA to create your family fun dinosaur theme park (with real-life dinosaurs). It turns out this work of science fiction is a little more science and a little less fiction these days. I am not actually talking dinosaurs here, but we are now in an era where de-extinction is becoming possible. Before anyone goes all, honey, grab the flares, just STOP, collaborate and listen.
SNAILS FOR LUNCH: HOW RIVER PRAWNS CAN REDUCE TRANSMISSION OF A WORM INFECTION
More than 200 million people in the world are infected by the parasitic worms Schistosoma, which can cause a devastating, organ-damaging disease known as schistosomiasis. Although a safe and effective treatment exists, schistosomiasis has been challenging to control and eliminate. One of the major reasons why is that these worms can survive in the environment in freshwater snails, creating a persistent reservoir of parasites that can infect humans. In a recent study led by Stanford scientist Susanne Sokolow, a research team developed a new method to reduce transmission of Schistosoma infections by exterminating the environmental parasite reservoirs. Their strategy? Releasing river prawns to gobble up the snails that carry these worms.
WHAT IS EL NIÑO?
Those of us living in California have seen El Niño flooding the local news, and the streets of Los Angeles. The name El Niño has come up in relation to recent storms and strange weather across the U.S., and you may have heard that this season's was a "Godzilla" El Niño, but what is El Niño, exactly?