(38) results in Blog
December 29, 2014
Telomeres, Stress, and the Mediterranean Diet
Just as you must wrap the ends of a strand of dental floss around your fingers in order to clean between your teeth, chromosomes of eukaryotes (the kind of life that includes humans) must have slack...
December 20, 2014
A Year in Review: Scientific Advancements of 2014
As we wrap-up another year, it seems appropriate to take some time to think about the scientific advancements made in the past twelve months. From landing on comets to discovering new species in the deepest parts...
December 17, 2014
Wolverines Give Insight into the Evolution of Greed
Cross-posted with the permission of Dr. Nathan Lents from his The Human Evolution Blog. Greed is often defined as the intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Although we usually associate this unseemly...
December 12, 2014
A cold-loving insect confronts a warming world
Today marks the end of two weeks of climate negotiations in Lima, Peru, where world leaders gathered to address the growing threat of climate change. Much of the conversation at the UN conference revolved around the...
November 23, 2014
New Genes for Your Potatoes
Over the years, we’ve gone to great lengths to make fried potato foods healthier. Potato chip makers don’t fry them in animal shortening anymore, for example, and many companies have given up using vegetable shortening (made...
November 12, 2014
A smelly situation: Ginkgo biloba trees and the evolution of their dispersal
The fall foliage of a Ginkgo biloba tree ©Riosnestor In autumn, one of the prettiest trees to change colors, from a vivid green to a brilliant yellow, is the Ginkgo biloba. Along with this beautiful golden...
November 3, 2014
Florida Lizards Show that Evolutionary Change can be Rapid
Cross-posted with the permission of Dr. Nathan Lents from his The Human Evolution Blog. Green anole Small lizards called anoles are found throughout the Caribbean islands and nearby mainland areas. The coastal and swamp regions of...
October 10, 2014
It’s not easy being blue (for plants)
Scientists have found tropical plants that perform “delayed greening,” a process of postponing the development of chlorophyll to protect young leaves from predators and potential UV damage. Interestingly, researchers have also found a few trees with blue...
October 3, 2014
Pandora’s DNA: Unpacking Scientific Discovery in “Women’s” Medicine
Sometimes it is hard to remember that science is not infallible. That it is a practice conducted by human beings – human beings who have ideologies, who have biases, who are doing the best they can...
September 20, 2014
Modern Humans and Neanderthals co-existed in Europe for thousands of years
Cross-posted with the permission of Dr. Nathan Lents from his The Human Evolution Blog. In the extended family tree of the modern human species, our closest relatives are the Neanderthals, officially called Homo neanderthalensis. Although it...
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