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Tag: Biology

Extremophiles: The alien-like creatures of Earth

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[An image of a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. The hot spring is a reddish-orange color in the foreground. The colors transition to a blue and green background, from which a vapor is rising.]

The discovery of extremophiles – organisms that thrive in extreme environments – completely changed scientists’ perspectives on the conditions necessary for life. These evolutionary marvels provide context for the origins of life, evolution, and are maybe the best case for the possibility of the existence of life on other planets with extreme environments….

Who makes the longest sperm on Earth?

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[Two large sperm cells are coiled up next to each other within a male’s testis (photo by Romano Dallai).]

The drive to reproduce has led to many of the flashiest traits observed in nature. For instance, male deer use antlers to fight one another for access to female mates, while male peacocks display their extravagant tails to impress peahens. These are examples of sexually selected traits, or traits that increase reproductive success. Sexually selected traits evolve because they increase “fitness”…

The perils of outdoor cats

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[A black and white cat perched on a rock wall watches three pigeons sitting on a vine.]

Outdoor cats have gained a reputation. In Disney movies, they’re charismatic. To humans, they’re curious and lovable. Some countries, like Turkey, have made cats a huge part of daily life. Istanbul alone has 125,000 free-roaming cats, fed and taken care of by residents. But to conservationists, they are a massive threat…

Biases of the fossil record

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[Mounted statue of a Triceratops fossil at a museum. People can be seen in the background looking at a wall of fossils. ]

As scientists, we strive to reduce error and bias as much as possible. But as a paleontologist, I need to be aware of the biases I can’t reduce. The fossil record is inherently biased. Not everything that dies becomes a fossil. Not every fossil has been found. Not every fossil stays intact well enough to study. These biases in the fossil record come in many forms and are studied under the branch of paleontology known as taphonomy…

Grey wolves can be black? Recent trail camera footage shows a pack of black wolves in Minnesota

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[A black wolf stands in snow, facing left. It is looking at the camera. There is snow on its muzzle and back leg.]

Recently, a trail camera in northern Minnesota caught video of a pack of all-black wolves. The video has been viewed more than 950,000 times since it was uploaded in late December 2021. A greyish-brown wolf crosses the meadow in the shot, followed by three all-black wolves. People are fascinated. So, what affects animal coloration? And why are these wolves black?

What is a species and why should we care?

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[Many small birds are diving and floating in shallow water. There are birds floating in the foreground and background, while the middle ground is full of birds mid-flight. They all look similar and may be the same species.]

When you read about an animal on Wikipedia or in a textbook, one of the first things mentioned is its scientific name — genus and species. But, how do we define a species? First, why are we concerned with classification? Humans have an innate need to categorize. It’s ingrained in our minds from our days as hunter-gatherers, when we needed to remember what each plant was and whether it was safe to eat or poisonous. Taxonomy is a hierarchical system that classifies the biological continuum. It comes from Greek philosophers (including Plato and Aristotle), who ranked animals as closer or farther from God. Darwin then focused on common ancestors, and his ideas on how to draw phylogenies are still used today…

The new beast in our backyards

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[Reddish brown coywolf in the snow. It has partially turned to face the camera.]

Watch out, Hoosiers! There’s a new predator afoot. Thirty to forty-five pounds, hungry, mobile, and travelling up to 15 miles per day — coywolves are Indiana’s newest predators! A quick note on terms — since the early 1900’s, the term ‘coywolf’ has described a hybrid animal from a wolf and a coyote. The mid-2000’s saw the rise of wolf-coyote-dog hybrids across North America. These creatures are widely called ‘coywolves.’ All uses of ‘coywolf’ or ‘coywolves’ in this article refer to the latter. Scientists are still somewhat divided on whether these triple-hybrids are a separate species…

Red wolves are endangered, but how can we protect a species we can’t define?

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[Wolf standing in a field of yellow grass.

Red wolves and grey wolves may have once been a single species. But throughout the 1900s, the interbreeding of coyotes and red wolves  blurred the line between species. How can we  determine whether red and grey wolves are the same or separate species? The question is a pressing one, if you consider that conservation efforts are based on species.  In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed, creating the Endangered Species List, which mandates conservation efforts for every animal and plant on the list – based on species. Without a clear definition, conservationists don’t know what exactly they are trying to protect…

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021

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[A flyer with two award-winning scientists, a coin engraved with

The question of how we sense the environment around us has fascinated humans for centuries. The first attempts at a theoretical understanding of the senses were discovered in the writings of early Greek thinkers in the sixth and fifth centuries BCE. However, the gap between our theories and our understanding of how our senses work is continuing to shrink. This year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Dr. David Julius and Dr. Ardem Patapoutian, two scientists who independently discovered mechanisms of how we sense temperature and touch…

Disney demystified: The science of magic

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[A black silhouette of Cinderella’s Castle covered in white line drawings of scientific concepts and instruments such as beakers, elements, leaves, DNA, stars, chemical structures, and arrows.]

A day at Walt Disney World exceeds all expectations. Rides move flawlessly on their complex tracks, fireworks appear out of thin air, and the scent of cotton candy floats in the air. It’s as if everything happens on cue, guided by a mysterious force. It could be magic, yes, but what if it’s science? Read on for five feats of engineering, chemistry, and biology that have probably escaped your notice in the parks…

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