Category: Biology
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George Uetz, University of Cincinnati – Purring Spiders
Do spiders sing for love? George Uetz, professor of biological sciences and head of the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Biological Sciences, explains how one spider makes sounds to attract a mate. George Uetz is a behavioral ecologist and is interested in questions about both the proximate and ultimate mechanisms involved in animal communication and social…
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Gaberiel Bever, New York Institute of Technology – Turtle Skulls
The turtle shell is an iconic feature. Gaberiel Bever, assistant professor of anatomy at the New York Institute of Technology, explains his new findings in the evolutionary history of turtles. Dr. Gaberiel Bever is an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist who studies the origin of vertebrate body plans using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates the fossil…
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Lisa Stowers, Scripps Research Institute – Smell & Behavior
How does your sense of smell affect your behavior? Lisa Stowers, associate professor at the Scripps Research Institute, explains that we’re learning how your brain might not have a say in the matter. Lisa Stowers received her PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology from Harvard University in 1997, where she used a molecular genetic approach…
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John Rennie Short, University of Maryland Baltimore County – Western Wildfires
The western region of the US has been experiencing a rash of wildfires. John Rennie Short, professor of public policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, explains how people living in at-risk areas and the west getting drier is not a good combination. EducationPh.D., University of BristolM.A., Geography, University of Aberdeen Research InterestsUrban issues, environmental…
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Seth Davis, University of Idaho – Beneficial plant viruses
There can be some surprising benefits to being sick. Seth Davis, postdoctoral scientist at the University of Idaho, explains how sometimes when a plant gets a virus, it can be a good thing. Dr. Seth Davis received his B.S. in Forestry, M.S. in Forest Entomology, and Ph.D. in Forest Science from Northern Arizona University,…
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Mitch Grayson, Medical College of Wisconsin – Asthma Research
Asthma is an exceptionally common issue. Mitch Grayson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is working to treat this familiar affliction. Dr. Grayson graduated with a B.A. from Knox College in Galesburg, IL before attending the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, from which he received…
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Michelle Mondoux, Holy Cross – Sugar, Sex and Aging
New research into how we process sugar on a molecular level are offering insights into our bodies. Michelle Mondoux, biologist at College of the Holy Cross, discusses her experiments. Michelle A. Mondoux, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the department of Biology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Dr. Mondoux earned…
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Karla Zadnik, Ohio State – Improving Optometry
New research is helping to predict nearsightedness. Karla Zadnik, Glenn A. Fry Professor of Optometry and Physiological Optics and Dean at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, discusses the new test she is developing. Karla Zadnik is the Glenn A. Fry Professor of Optometry and Physiological Optics and Dean at The Ohio State University College…
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Phillip Sponenberg, VaTech – Navajo-Churro Sheep
Dr. Phillip Sponenberg has become our resident zoology expert contributing previous pieces on domestic extinction, Choctaw hogs, and even adorable fainting goats. Today, this Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine professor of pathology will tell us all about Navajo Churro sheep. Dr. Phillip Sponenberg is a professor of pathology and genetics in the Department of…
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Pietro Ceccato, Columbia – Battling Earthly Plagues from Space
New technology that monitors our environment are proving vital. Pietro Ceccato, a scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society, discusses these new advances. Pietro Ceccato is a research scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). He originally trained as an agronomist and worked in the Central…