Unwind The Helix

A recent article highlighted in Nature Journey documents a new find in the Antarctic, a huge population of Ad é lie penguins on the Danger Islands . This population numbers in around 1.5 million individuals, that were previously not known to researchers. This hotspot for penguins was found with the assistance of aerial drones to access parts of the Antarctic Peninsula that were previously inaccessible by boat. This finding gives proof of concept to this method of data acquisition, and leads researchers to look in more remote places for tracking species more closely. Contrary to the general trend associated with climate change reducing Antarctic ice mass, this population of penguins has been largely unaffected; they will however, be considered in ongoing efforts of conservation due to their large significance in the region. Throughout the continent, Ad é lie penguin populations have decreased as much as 70 due to rising air temp and decreased ice packing’s effect on prey availabi...

I have been sick for the past week and half of my spring break, so I am double posting today to make up for the lack of content. Soon after we finished our final draft for our interview assignment we began getting ready for a book review. My professor presented a list of books within the last year or two that would make good choices for a paper, and one of them, Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of Cephalopods instantly grabbed my attention. I have always been interested in intelligence in animals other than humans and I decided on the spot to stop looking and pick that one. Upon further research, Squid Empire isn’t available at my school so I looked into what else I could find on cephalopods related to their intelligence. An equally interesting title, Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness , by Peter Godfrey-Smith, came up in my search and I requested it to be shipped to my campus. A scientist with philosophic leanings, Godfrey-Smith discusses the cep...

Least Weasels as drawn by skilled illustrator In a recent study in Science Journal, climate researchers L. Scott Mills, et al, are using seasonal coat changes as an example to demonstrate the need for adaptive rescue strategies for saving species from human initiated climate change. Many species in snow covered areas have adapted to seasonal snow by possessing white coats in the winter and then shedding them for brown coats when snow is less prevalent, this trait is known as winter coat polymorphism. The study tracked the coloration of four species of hares, three weasles, and arctic wolves in relation to their geographical location and annual snow cover. Using over 2500 samples from over 60 countries the researchers determined ranges for the species sampled where there are white only, brown only, and both white and brown. This research is important for conservationists to recognize the effect adaption has on fitness in changing climates. It recognizes in discreet ways how ...