by Becca Tarvin | March 18, 2010
(+1)Coevolution (when two organisms evolve together) is one of the most beautiful features of nature. A previous article of mine delved into one example of mutualism – the bobtail squid and V. fischeri bioluminescence/light organ relationship. However, many taxa (a closely-related group of species) have evolved to entirely rely on another specific taxa. Some of [...](read more...)
by Becca Tarvin | March 14, 2010 (+1)By Caitlin Clancy and Becca Tarvin On the first day of Mammalian Ecology, Professor Thomas Kunz walked into the room holding a bone larger than his forearm. “Do you know what bone this is?” he asked us. It was a walrus baculum, the bone located inside the penis of a walrus. Most of us were unaware [...](read more...)
by Caitlin Clancy | March 4, 2010 (+1)First identified in a New York cave in February 2006, White nose syndrome (WNS) has since devastated over one million bats in ten different northeastern U.S. states (including our very own Massachusetts), and continues to contribute to a decline in bat populations of unprecedented proportions. Likened to such mysterious phenomena as colony collapse disorder in [...](read more...)
by Becca Tarvin | February 24, 2010 (+4)As studies of symbiosis progress, scientists are beginning to think of organisms as communities rather than individuals. Plants live with fungi that help obtain nitrogen; fig trees provide homes for wasp larvae in donated flowers; leaf cutter ants carry around bacteria that provide antibiotics which protect their fungi gardens from disease (Zhang et al, 2007). [...](read more...)
by Caitlin Clancy | February 19, 2010 (+1)One of the greatest advantages of attending a large research university is the various seminars, lectures, and events held by both our current faculty and guest speakers. However, these events are often overlooked or poorly publicized, so presented here is a comprehensive list of hand-selected science related seminars (plus one event) in the upcoming weeks [...](read more...)
by Becca Tarvin | February 11, 2010 (+1)Coprophagia comes from the Greek words copros (feces) and phagein (eat). Animals that participate in this activity include rabbits and most rodents. Why, you ask, would any animal consume its feces? Well, let’s take a step back for a minute. As an herbivore, getting the right amount of nutrients isn’t very easy. First you have to chew [...](read more...)
by The Quad | February 8, 2010
(No Ratings Yet)By Caitlin Clancy and Rebecca Tarvin As Valentine’s Day approaches, an old cliché comes to mind: Love is in the air. Yet what is seldom appreciated is that love is always in our genes, our chemistry, our evolutionary past, our very nature. This is true of many animal species, who appear to partake in some rather [...](read more...)
by Caitlin Clancy | February 2, 2010 (No Ratings Yet)I feel as though it is my duty to encourage readers to gain scientific knowledge both passively– by reading articles, or a textbook, and most importantly, actively– by directly experiencing it. Of equal importance is to make science as accessible as possible, regardless of a reader’s background. So I’m stepping aside from all the reproductive [...](read more...)
by The Quad | January 25, 2010 (+1)By Becca Tarvin and Caitlin Clancy Despite mankind’s significant achievements in the field, there is little recognition for the fascinating discoveries made in animal reproduction. Humans are not the only creatures that engage in creative and bizarre sexual acts. In fact, even animal species considered “common” partake in some extraordinary sexual behavior, or are endowed [...](read more...)
by Becca Tarvin | January 19, 2010 (+3)Warning: If you dislike parasites or have a queasy stomach you might want to hit the back button. One of my favorite, disgusting, ecological topics to discuss is the Bot Fly (Dermatobia hominis). Its lifecycle starts with an adult fly laying its eggs on the abdomen of a mosquito. When the mosquito encounters a warm-blooded animal, [...](read more...)
