Blog – Athens Science Observer

Who gives a hoot? A wildlife management tale of two owls

Madden Solomon — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 17:12:39 +0000

If you’ve spent a significant amount of time on the South campus of the University of Georgia, you’ve probably heard talk of the “Warnowl,” and maybe even seen it once or twice. Students have affectionately awarded this name to the barred owl that frequents the trees surrounding the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources …

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To Kill or Not to Kill: a Surprisingly Difficult Call

Jane Huang — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:41:45 +0000

Ask a shelter worker what’s the most difficult moment in their job. In an open-admission, municipal shelter, you’re likely to get one answer- euthanasia. When a vivid life sits in front of you with its bright, shiny eyes, ending it with your own hands is one of the toughest things for any human being. The …

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Spuds and Science: Digging Up the Origins and Future of the Potato

Dionne Martin — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The next time you and your friends share some fries, impress them with some knowledge on your favorite side dish. They’ll be amazed to learn that potato is the world’s third most consumed food crop and America’s favorite vegetable (according to the US Department of Agriculture). Strangely enough though, potatoes haven’t always been a fan …

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Helping plants thrive: assisted gene flow may combat habitat loss

Riley Thoen — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:26:08 +0000

If you have ever driven on a rural road, you have likely seen flowers in small patches of land on the roadside. While it is easy to write these habitat patches off as “just some on the roadside,” they actually serve as some of the last remnants of the American prairie. Before the colonization of …

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Predicting the not-so-Northern Lights

Sahana Parker — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:16:12 +0000

For the first time in two decades, stargazers across the southern United States have been dazzled by colorful, undulating waves of light in the night sky. These so-called Northern Lights are vibrant displays of the interaction between electrons and ions emitted by the Sun and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. While this interaction usually occurs closer …

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The role of hunters in wildlife management

Justine Smith — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Fall can be a very exciting time of year for Georgia. After enduring high summer heat and humidity in the fall we welcome brisk mornings with hot coffee or tea in hand, holiday decorating for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the beautiful yellow, orange, and red colors of autumn. September and October can be an especially …

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Demystifying sports analytics: how data has changed the game

Riley Thoen — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 18:23:32 +0000

It’s fourth down with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Your favorite team has the ball on their 40-yard line, with 6 yards to go for a first down. They’re down by a touchdown; it’s an obvious punting situation, so you go to grab some more wings anticipating a commercial break. “They’re going for …

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Two Steps to Better Communicate Science With Clarity

Sammi Surber — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:38:32 +0000

I remember when I fell in love with science. It was when I saw the T. Rex for the first time in Jurassic Park. This book and movie, despite their flaws in technical science, made a career in molecular biology seem easy, especially because they recreated dinosaurs. The author and director of the movie took …

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Going full worm: an exploration of Shai-hulud and its parallels to the real worms on Earth

Kendall Clay — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:56:20 +0000

Shai-hulud, or the giant sandworm, exists in Dune both as a mode of transportation, a generator of spice, and a key player in the ecological niche of Arrakkis. In the book by Frank Herbert and the movie adaptation (Dune part 1 2021 and Dune part 2 2024 directed by Denis Villenueve), the sandworm plays a …

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How climate change makes trees sicker

Simone Lim-Hing — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:51:42 +0000

We are heavily entwined with forests. The structure of your house is likely southern pine. The package you ordered in the mail is encased in wood pulp. The stuff that makes your toothpaste thick is cellulose from wood. We rely on trees as a renewable resource for our daily activities and well-being. However, our …

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Coincidence? I think not, Mr. Rabbit

Guppy Stott — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:20:56 +0000

Bunny-pocalypse Image depicting the spread of rabbits in Australia from Alves, et al. 2021 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND). In 1859, a wealthy English settler named Thomas Austin imported 24 European rabbits into Australia as game for shooting parties. This seemingly small event would soon reshape the continent. Thomas Austin was a member …

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The Earth from ET’s Perspective

Sahana Parker — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000

To date, researchers have identified over 5,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way, a small fraction of the billions hypothesized to exist in our galaxy. Among them, researchers catalog so-called “Earth-like planets,” or planets with a similar size, structure, and distance from the Sun as Earth. While of great interest to modern astronomers, no conclusive evidence …

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The small genetic quirk that could help us fight biodiversity loss

Ben Long — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The numbers are in, and it’s official: we are losing the fight to save the many endangered species on our planet. Despite a growing number of global voices highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity to worldwide human health and food security, the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 estimated we’ve lost 69% of monitored wildlife populations, …

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A bug-eat-bug world: why hyperparasites could be the future of disease control

Benjamin Phipps — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 16:02:38 +0000

Our guts are home to hundreds of microbial species (collectively called the gut microbiota) that are essential for normal digestion and immunity. What species are present and in what proportions can impact our ability to fight off pathogens, as well as our risk for obesity, metabolic disorders, and allergies. In fact, certain bacteria that can …

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The Hoof or the Boot? Phylogenetics as Historical Evidence

Guppy Stott — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:55:27 +0000

“Pueblo Revolt 1680” by Loren Mozley. Public Domain. The horse is thought of as a symbol of the American West, but when and how domesticated horses arrived has been a matter of controversy. Lakota oral histories described the arrival of the horse occurring prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. However, the Spanish (and …

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The evolution of Pokémon evolution: 25+ years of Evolutionary misconceptions

Riley Thoen — Fri, 26 May 2023 15:35:27 +0000

Without question, Pokémon is one of the most iconic entertainment franchises ever. In fact, it is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, coming in at a whopping $76.4 billion in revenue. All franchises come with some form of controversy among media and fans, and although Pokémon has avoided major contention, it has spread misleading …

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It actually isn’t that weird to see grey squirrels in the winter

Justine Smith — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:12:07 +0000

Close your eyes and imagine the first snowfall in a forest from your favorite film. What are the wildlife doing? What are they preparing for? Now fast forward to the first day of spring: when all the snow melts, the grass grows greener, and the pink flowers immediately blossom. What are the wildlife doing now? …

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A Tale Of Two Shelterbelts

Guppy Stott — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 16:15:00 +0000

For decades, climate scientists have highlighted concerns about climate change caused by greenhouse gasses emitted by humans (through fossil fuel use as well as refrigerants). While reducing greenhouse gas emissions would solve the crisis, there is a lack of political will, particularly in the United States, which prevents significant progress towards meeting goals set by …

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Looking to the Future

Sayani Roy Chowdhury — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 14:25:39 +0000

As of 2020, the global consumption of energy is 580 million terajoules per year. Of this, 83.1% comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, 4.3% comes from radioactive sources, and about 12.6% comes from renewable sources like hydro, solar, and wind. We have currently 50 more years of oil reserves left available, …

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Becoming a Lump With Knobs

Meghan Brady — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 15:26:48 +0000

Driving down any rural road around this time of year, you’re likely to see rows on rows of corn blowing in the wind. You might notice that they look like twins of each other, almost exactly the same height and precisely the same color. That uniformity is also why corn lovers can walk into near …

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Getting SAFER with Space Waste

Sahana Parker — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 13:00:00 +0000

When the International Space Station (ISS) reaches the end of its lifespan in 2031, where will it go? No options for major recycling exist in outer space, so when a spacecraft is decommissioned, there are only three “trash cans” available. The first is a so-called “graveyard orbit,” where spacecraft are blasted away from Earth into …

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The Dark Past of Yaupon Tea, and What Genetics Can Do To Brighten Its Future

Ben Long — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 20:49:14 +0000

Whether you drink coffee, tea, or both, it’s hard to deny that we live in a caffeine culture. In 2021 alone, Americans drank over 62 billion servings of tea, and over 60% of Americans drink coffee every day. With such high numbers, tea (and especially coffee) industries are straining to keep people’s daily kick on …

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Structuring the Next Generation of Vaccines

Kaito Nagashima — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 20:33:22 +0000

COVID-19. Flu. AIDS. Pathogens like these have had a profound impact on our lives, whether it’s prolonging quarantine or causing annual pandemics that kill thousands of people every year. In response, we’ve developed vaccines against them. Still, how do modern vaccines work? And what’s next in the pipeline? A history of vaccines Vaccines have been …

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Cooling just got cooler

Sarada Sripada — Thu, 19 May 2022 14:14:00 +0000

As we head into Georgia’s hot and humid summers, you might find yourself chilling in an air-conditioned room, or reaching out to your fridge for a cold beverage. But have you ever thought about how these appliances might be heating up our planet? Refrigeration is integral to our modern lives, affecting everything from household food …

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The Disconnect Between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Conservation, and How We Resolve It

Ben Long — Thu, 12 May 2022 19:00:23 +0000

Picture this: you find yourself strolling into a small, crowded shop in downtown Hong Kong. As you cross the threshold, a barrage of strange sights and smells attacks your nose and vision. As you turn your gaze to the walls, you notice shelves upon shelves of animal parts, mysterious fungi, and dubious bunches of dried …

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Navigating an ADHD diagnosis in graduate school

Ale Villegas — Thu, 12 May 2022 14:34:35 +0000

About two months ago after approaching a mental health professional for what I thought was persistent depression, I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had seen various mental health professionals in my life and ADHD never came up in our conversations. All I actually knew about ADHD is that ADHD stigma exists …

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The damage of traditional lawns and what you can do to help

Samantha Surber — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 13:25:36 +0000

When I think about the suburban USA the main image that comes to mind is a bright, prim, proper, and trimmed yard with fresh turf and maybe a berm with a rose bush. However, in recent years, there has been a push to move away from these cookie-cutter landscapes and toward a more natural or …

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Biting the forbidden fruit

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:53:41 +0000

Book banning. Those two words never fail to stir up controversy, and have been especially active in the last few months. From critical race theory to evolution to gender studies to fiction, the topics that have been suggested become entirely erased from school education are wide and varied. It's understandable, though. We, as a whole, …

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Drifting through cosmic dust into April Lyrid Meteors

June Haeun Kim — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 13:59:27 +0000

People say that April showers bring May flowers, but have you ever considered meteor showers? We are in the midst of the annual Lyrid meteor shower, and it is one of the oldest meteor showers ever observed with sightings dating back to 687 BC. In 2022, the shower is expected to peak on the night …

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Turmeric: The Root of Skincare

Sayani Roy Chowdhury — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 18:49:22 +0000

When I scroll through Instagram or TikTok, I have a major sense of FOMO. People have wonderful travel visuals with perfect glassy skin all the while having their finances in order. However, to me, nothing seems as important as the absolute urge to get my particular skincare routine right this very instant. Browsing the internet …

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Our Water, Our Health in Rural Appalachia

Jessica Fabbricatore — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 19:08:01 +0000

West Virginia is home to the newest national park, New River Gorge, known for its world class white water rafting. It is also home to some of the worst drinking water in the United States. The juxtaposition of the two could not be more clear. Old habits die hard, and in a state where an …

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Don’t take them for granite: The whimsical world of granite outcrops

Riley Thoen — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 13:21:52 +0000

When most people picture landscapes of wildflowers, they often picture bright pastels of yellow, blue, and pink against a backdrop of prairie grass. Others may think of the chorus of spring ephemerals blooming in the understory of the woods. Folks from the west coast may even imagine a blanket of desert annuals blooming in synchrony …

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Machine Learning for Ecologists and Other Interesting People

Daniel Suh — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Every spring, graduate students at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia organize a short weekly seminar around an interesting theme. This year, the theme is â€œMachine Learning for Ecologistsâ€. At first glance, machine learning may not seem very related to a discipline mostly concerned with the distribution and abundance of organisms, …

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An ode to herbalism, seeking help outside of disparities

Chazz Jordan — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

A brief history of herbalism Herbalism began to grow its roots many years ago through African and Indigenous American culture and practices. It seeks to combine the knowledge of plants and plant extracts for healing purposes, whether that is mental, physical, or spiritual healing. Specific herbs are utilized for their ability to treat specific ailments. …

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Long term ecological research is our crystal ball

Inam Jameel — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:00:00 +0000

How might climate change affect the environment in 50 or 100 years? To even begin to answer this pressing question, we need work that can accurately describe changes in the environment to predict the future. Long term ecological research (abbreviated as LTER), describes studies interested in environmental processes that last for at least one year …

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COVID-19 Uncertainty: The Effects of Unprecedented Times

Jessica Fabbricatore — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 21:31:20 +0000

How uncertainty has impacted our lives during the pandemic. It has been almost two years since COVID-19 was thrust into the forefront of everyone's mind. Many of us are still waiting for things to go back to normal, or at least for things to feel a little more right. Despite adjusting somewhat to this â€œnew …

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A botanical and medicinal history of Echinacea, a native plant of the Southeast

Chazz Jordan — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:03:40 +0000

In Native American culture, the purple coneflower was used to treat poisonous bites and stings, toothaches, reduce inflammation, sore throat, colds, and so much more. In a way, this botanical miracle was used as a cure-all and was used to treat ailments more than any other medicinal plant. The purple coneflower, also known scientifically as …

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Sus scrofa: The Notorious Sibling of the Pig Family

Justine Smith — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000

When you think of farm animals, what comes to your mind? Cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, and so on? Each animal on the farm serves a key role in providing us with food or resources to use. But before we industrialized and invested into the farming industry, these animals were found in the wild. …

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Natural Philosophers and Seekers of Truths: The Missing “Ph” in “PhD”

Audrey Ward — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 17:41:27 +0000

The History of the PhD While many students aim to earn their PhDs, few know the philosophical history of the degrees they are pursuing. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil) began as the degree awarded in recognition of advanced scholarship and acknowledging that recipients had expertise needed to teach at a university level. These …

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Behind Brown Eyes: Theory of Mind in our Canine Companions

Megan Tomamichel — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:00:42 +0000

Have you ever looked at your favorite pet and wondered exactly what's going on behind those soulful, amber eyes? For a long time, scientists believed that only humans possessed something called Theory of Mind, that is, the understanding that one is a conscious being, and that others also possess a consciousness of their own. Theory …

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The Shortage of STEM Education in Rural America

Sammi Surber — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:27:46 +0000

Think back to the moments throughout your life when people asked, â€œWhat do you want to be when you grow up?â€ Did your vision and dream change as you experienced the world? For me, I started out wanting to be a vet because of my deep love for my animals on my small farm, then …

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Pandemic Preparedness Requires a Macroecological Perspective

Daniel Suh — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, there already was a movement to understand infectious disease emergence at the global scale. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, this information has only become more relevant. The macroecology of infectious diseases is an important area of research with great promise for our ability to predict and prepare …

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Peanut Evolution: From Mini to Jumbo

Namrata Maharjan — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 23:12:57 +0000

While I was at my uncle's house this summer, I was looking after my 10-year-old cousin. He was enjoying his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and at a certain point he asked me: â€œWhere does peanut butter come from?â€ â€œFrom peanuts.â€ â€œWhere do peanuts come from?â€ â€œFrom a peanut plant.â€ While he was satisfied and …

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Finding Comfort in Uncertainty

Guppy Stott — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:37:00 +0000

Ping! A Google News notification, â€œThis Coffee Drinking Habit May Help Your Brain,â€ appears. I don't have time to read it now, but I pour myself an extra cup of coffee, feeling justified. The next day, ping! Another Google News notification: â€œToo much coffee can cause your brain to shrink, increasing your dementia risk by …

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The Injustice of Texas Senate Bill 8

Melanie Merritt — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 01:06:17 +0000

On September 1st, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott passed Senate Bill 8 (SB8) which bans abortion after the first signs of fetal heartbeat. There are no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape, sexual abuse, or incest. Texas legislators claim that 6 weeks is plenty of time to get an abortion. However, this is not accurate …

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Fighting fire with fire: How microbe farmers use bacteria for self-defense and other survival functions

Benjamin Phipps — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 12:40:05 +0000

Insects comprise over half of all described species excluding bacteria and around 90% of the animals on Earth. They are so prevalent that we encounter them every day without thinking twice, and have evolved to live in nearly every imaginable habitat, from mountaintops to the depths of caves. How do insects survive in such harsh …

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The rift between us: how jargon isolates scientists

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 20:01:51 +0000

â€œTherefore, the overall objective of this project is to characterize the changes in mitochondrial metabolism in early VML injury and determine how these contribute to the total decline of muscle contractile and oxidative function.â€ This was the sentence I used to describe the purpose of my dissertation project to my advisory committee. To them, it …

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The Monsters That Make You: The Spooky Tale of Selfish DNA

Meghan Brady — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:39:43 +0000

It’s the spooky season and we’re all anticipating monsters crawling out from under our bed, but did you know that there are monsters living inside our very cells! Every living thing has DNA in its cells. It provides the â€œblue printâ€ for what that living thing is going to be. There can't be any monsters …

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Why is it spicy?

Kendall Clay — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:21:17 +0000

You look down at the ramen in front of you. The aroma is enticing, smelling of cinnamon, turmeric, and chilies. As the sauce enters your mouth, your eyes start to water, your nose runs, and your whole mouth is on fire, but you love it. Why? People around the world use chili peppers to enhance …

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Universal Flu Vaccines: Beyond the Seasonal Jab

Kaito Nagashima — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Sore throat? Stuffy nose? Influenza, or flu, is a nuisance for many every year, causing unwelcome respiratory discomfort that goes away after a few days for most. In some, it can cause more severe disease and even death. Every year, we can get a seasonal flu vaccine to protect ourselves against the virus. But there …

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Not all invasive species are created equal

Max Barnhart — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 19:51:49 +0000

On an otherwise entirely forgettable late-summer morning during the height of pandemic-induced self-isolation, I stepped out onto my front porch and saw the biggest spider I had ever seen in my life suspended above my hedges, hanging in the middle of an elaborate web. My new neighbor was as big as my palm, bright yellow …

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Zine #2: A Quick Guide to the Plants of Athens

ASO Zine Team — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 02:39:16 +0000

Mad honey! The secrets and adventures of psychedelic nectar

Shreena Pradhan — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:46:51 +0000

The remote, obscure high Hills of Nepal have their fair share of remarkable things. While the existence of some of the beings said to be living in the Himalayas is controversial, such as the Yeti, there are others whose existence will hit you like a brick wall should you ever come across it. Believe it …

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The role of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii on human behavior: Causation or correlation?

Abigail Calixto — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:30:59 +0000

Before becoming a graduate student, I knew little to nothing about the neglected microscopic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Once I began my studies, I quickly realized that unless you were a healthcare worker, vet, or pregnant, the awareness of Toxoplasma was close to nonexistent. Despite prevalence among one-third of the world's population, infected immunocompetent individuals remain …

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Science of the Fifth Sense

Taiwo Akinyemi — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Imagine my frustration while trying to bottle-feed breast milk to my 4-week-old baby. The little guy was not happy taking his nature-made meal from a bottle, even if they had different-styled nipples. He would only take the breast milk directly from his mom. As a result, I wasted no time raising this concern with his …

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Addressing bullying in STEM: a call for UGA to empower trainees

Ale Villegas — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:51:05 +0000

Bullying in academia Bullying continues to be a problem in academia. A recent global survey showed that 59% and 84% of participants either witnessed or experienced abusive supervision behaviors, respectively. Bullying in academia is difficult to address because a power differential exists within the mentor-mentee relationship. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (both referred to as …

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What are colors, anyway?

Bijay Duwal — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 13:41:54 +0000

It is springtime! As spring prevails, all things in nature are suddenly adorned by myriads of colors. These myriads of colors inspire myriads of feelings. No other thing affects living beings' psyche as powerfully as colors. May that be love or war, spirituality or science, ascetism or fashion, poems or technology, colors seem to touch …

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Bats, One Health, and Emerging Infections

Gabriella Veytsel — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 19:34:38 +0000

I grew up on Ferngully, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, the Wild Thornberrys, Studio Ghibli movies, and Avatar the Last Airbender. The theme of the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment has been entrenched in me for most of my life. Furthermore, it is the foundation of One Health, an approach emphasizing collaboration between human …

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The Power of People and the Prairies

Samantha Surber — Fri, 21 May 2021 15:22:27 +0000

What ecosystem do you think about when you see the state of Georgia? Was it the sprawling forests you see on nearly every drive you make? If it was, this is likely because Georgia's land is nearly 70% forested and is one of the top states that contributes to the logging industry. Georgia is made …

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Lamenting Loss: The Science of Hallucinations During Bereavement

Kendall Clay — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:13:43 +0000

Leaning against the kitchen counter, I wait for the microwave to finish while overwhelmed with a million deadlines. It's almost the end of the semester, but because of the pandemic, I'm back at home, trying to juggle classes and learning how to use Zoom. Then, I feel my dad's hand around my shoulder, squeezing it …

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Microsporidia: tiny parasites with big impacts

Benjamin Phipps — Thu, 06 May 2021 04:23:35 +0000

A vessel is harpooned and infiltrated by an enemy, then robbed of its precious cargo â€“ this imagery may call to mind Long John Silver or other fictional marauders, but these events happen every day, all around us, on a scale so small we cannot see it. I'm referring to microsporidia, a group of real-life, …

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Toxicology and Poisons: a Cat and Mouse Game

Corinne Sweeny — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:51:56 +0000

Murder is as old as mankind. Or so the saying goes. Every culture has a history of poisons, from the ironically named â€œelixirs of lifeâ€ eagerly sought after by early Chinese emperors and nobles, to the Poison Damsels (Visha Kanya) of ancient Indian mythology that could kill you with just a drop of the deadly …

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Preventing the Loss of a Natural Spectacle

Nicole Steel — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 14:25:25 +0000

There is a certain art to finding fireflies, and it comes down to understanding suitable habitats for common species in your area. As a child, you may have turned off your house lights and used a flashlight to attract fireflies, desperate to catch a glimpse of these bioluminescent creatures. These flashing beetles generate a sense …

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A bee’s eye view

Chazz Jordan — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 19:25:24 +0000

Humans see a vast array of colors, ranging from red to violet. I remember learning the acronym Roy G. Biv (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet), the acronym elementary schoolers use to memorize the colors of the rainbow. Humans see the visual light spectrum, which is the range of light in the electromagnetic spectrum …

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Learning Disabled People Are (Metaphorically) Disappearing

Meghan Brady — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:27:47 +0000

Growing up in the special education system, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: learning-disabled students become invisible as they age. That isn't to say that they aren't in the building, but that they work hard to make it less and less apparent that they are learning-disabled. By the time learning-disabled students enter college, their learning disability …

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Survival of the Fittest: A Sullied History of Science

Kelly McCrum — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 14:15:55 +0000

We've reached a point in the pandemic where people are starting to wonder: what would you do in a vaccinated world? Of course, reaching that reality requires that the world continue to take the health risks of coronavirus seriously, and that we continue to be transparent about how vaccines are made, tested, and distributed. There …

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The unexpected silver lining: stress and premature greying

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:18:51 +0000

The process of hair going grey is a topic that has always fascinated me. Mainly because I cannot remember a time in my life where my Dad's hair was entirely dark. In my earliest memories, where he was a young thirty-something-year-old, I can recall giggling at what he vehemently swore were little droplets of wisdom …

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Why Muscadines should be your next favorite fruit

Rebecca Atkins — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Odds are if you've taken a walk in the woods you've noticed twisted, shaggy vines dipping down from the tree canopy and anchored to the forest floor. As signs of spring appear, these vines will come to life, unfurling new tendrils and ravenously reaching for the sun. Growing upwards of six inches in diameter and …

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The Science of Ultra-Running

John Spiekerman — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 22:00:00 +0000

It's 3:30 in the morning. As Lucy Bartholomew's mother braids her hair, she asks, â€œdid you sleep?â€, to which Lucy responds, â€œa littleâ€. It's a few hours before the start of one of the most grueling races in the world. At 22 years old, Lucy is one of the youngest participants ever. Lucy has competed …

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The Trap of Pseudo-Sustainability

Simone Lim-Hing — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 16:06:45 +0000

Last week, I received an email from Brandless, an online store that specializes in affordable, healthy, and environmentally-conscious products. Their email was advertising their new line of â€œtree-freeâ€ products â€“ paper products that are made from bamboo and sugarcane, rather than trees. I strive to be environmentally conscious, but I am also a person who …

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Starve not the goose that lays the golden egg: The importance of federally funded research

Inam Jameel — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 16:35:36 +0000

What do frog skin, horseshoe crab blood, and a llama named Winter all have in common? All three were part of studies that have been awarded Golden Goose awards, a designation given to strange sounding but ground-breaking federally funded research. Frog skin was used in experiments to determine the mechanism underlying cholera and directly led …

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In Defense of Natural History Museums

Rebecca Atkins — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 13:16:03 +0000

What becomes of species that no longer exist, or bygone narratives of human history? Where do scientists go for answers when our questions span continents and centuries? For the answer to these questions and so many more, we need museums. Natural history museums in particular serve as the nexus between research and people, spanning numerous …

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The Future of CRISPR Therapy

Kaito Nagashima — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Although rewriting the code of life seems like a daunting task, scientists have managed to do just that. You've probably heard of CRISPR technology, a burgeoning genetic tool that has seen use in a multitude of applications, from treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice to making crops more sustainable. The technology offers a method of …

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Biases in STEM: Gender Discrimination Affects UGA Faculty

Alaina O'Regan — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:04:40 +0000

â€œI think my career was negatively impacted by being a woman,â€ said Ellen Neidle, professor of microbiology at the University of Georgia (UGA), who has a doctorate in molecular, developmental, and cellular biology. â€œI always thought that women could do everything. It was a pretty big shock to me when I first realized that wasn't …

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How private companies light up our night sky

Sahana Parker — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 18:00:45 +0000

In late 2019, astronomers across the U.S. began to notice mysterious streaks of light passing through their imagesâ€”clusters of the private company SpaceX's Starlink satellites. With 955 of these satellites launched so far, founder Elon Musk aims to create a â€œmega-constellationâ€ of satellites in the low Earth orbit (LEO), designed to provide global broadband Internet …

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Stand in the place where you live

Monica Harmon — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 16:40:12 +0000

Trees are all over, above us and below us. They connect soil to the atmosphere. They create forests and confer their beauty on our city. In Athens we have the tree that famously owns itself, a white oak. Maybe you've taken a stroll through Oconee Forest Park or noticed the smell of the woods on …

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From obscurity to everyday use: How basic science changes the world

Meghan Brady — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 13:00:24 +0000

Every holiday season, I've struggled to explain to my family of accountants, firefighters, and lawyers why basic science research is important. They never seem to believe that my work on frog-eating bats is anywhere near as important as applied research aimed at curing disease or addressing world hunger. What they don't seem to understand is …

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In defense of trees and those who cut them

Colton Meinecke — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Trees have received a lot of press lately. As wildfires tore through forests worldwide, President Donald Trump blamed the devastation on poor forest management. Meanwhile, the United States formalized a commitment to planting trees to restore our climate. The world's governments and scientists are grappling with how we both protect and manage forests. What should …

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Botanical blackmarket: the hidden world of cycad poaching

Inam Jameel — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:09:51 +0000

A text comes in. It reads â€œMeet me at the abandoned gas station past Lexington and Thomas.â€ The car starts up and heads down the dimly lit streets. Soon, headlights illuminate the dark gas station. There is already a truck parked behind the shuttered garage. The buyer opens their car door and steps toward the …

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Your new favorite author is a robot

Max Barnhart — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 23:43:38 +0000

Have you ever wondered if the article you're reading was written by a human? I imagine you probably haven't. After all, why would there be any reason to assume otherwise? What about art or music; are you certain that the works you see and hear are truly human creations? AI is now smart enough to …

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Battle for the Ocean's Giant Kelp Forests

John Spiekerman — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 15:55:01 +0000

Slightly off the Californian coast, battle lines are drawn. On one side lies a purple, spiny, extraterrestrial-looking creature intent on eating all plant life in its path. On the other, an equally eccentric echinoderm in the shape of a star awaits that same creature as its next meal. The battleground between them is overshadowed by …

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The Fault in Our Epigenome: The science behind aging

Megan Tomamichel — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 22:20:57 +0000

From the Yoruba tradition of throwing cowrie shells, to the Roma fortune tellers peering at palms, people throughout history have wondered if there was some sort of physical or external way to map out the path of our lives. Modern day scientists are still pondering how to predict the future, but instead of looking up …

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What your mama (mostly) gave you

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:03:21 +0000

Anyone who knows me knows that mitochondria are pretty much my life. My Ph.D. focuses on making these little cellular power plants more efficient at producing energy so that they can help muscles heal faster after traumatic injury. More than that, though, I want to teach people that mitochondria are more than just â€œthe powerhouse …

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CO2 to the Rescue: Transforming Pollution into a Resource

Sarada Sripada — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 14:07:12 +0000

We are at the brink of a severe climate crisis caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide. Anthropogenic activities such as burning fossil fuels have significantly elevated the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. As a matter of fact, the global CO2 average has hit a new …

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Diving into the Homo-Delphinus connection

Sarada Sripada — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:46:42 +0000

Humans have shared a special bond with a certain animal since the time of Aristotle. Artworks as early as 1500 BC depicted interactions with this fascinating creature. Members of this species have assisted the US Navy, and have also been used as therapy animals for patients with Down syndrome and autism. These amiable beings are …

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Psychedelics: from poison to antidote

Sahana Parker — Wed, 13 May 2020 16:45:40 +0000

The term psychedelics, or hallucinogens, describes a class of drugs that produce significantly altered perception when ingested. Due to their ability to cause lasting effects on a user's mood and thought, some researchers believe they have therapeutic potential for treating difficult mental illnesses like depression, addiction, PTSD, and Alzheimer's, though only a few institutions currently …

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Wall of Destruction: The impact of the US-Mexico Border wall on wildlife

gabbiesandstedt — Tue, 05 May 2020 16:17:00 +0000

Growing up in Arizona, we were told that people could go to jail for damaging a Saguaro cactus. Saguaros are a protected symbol of the Southwest. Yet in 2019, videos shot by Kevin Dahl, the Arizona Senior Program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, recorded bulldozers uprooting Saguaro cacti and other desert shrubs at …

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Breaking the two-hour tape: Engineering the fastest marathon run in history

Emily McIntyre — Fri, 01 May 2020 18:32:21 +0000

What does it take to reach the peak of athletic performance and break barriers thought to be beyond human capabilities? One of these barriers is the two-hour marathon, a feat which requires running 26.2 miles while maintaining an average pace of 4:34 per mile. At that speed, you could run the 100-yard length of a …

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The stranger within: the story of mitochondria

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Fri, 01 May 2020 18:09:17 +0000

Suppose you stop someone on the street to ask them a question. You offer them three words: what are mitochondria? Chances are, they will reply â€œthe powerhouse of the cellâ€ as a near-Pavlovian reflex. It's amazing to think that almost everyone who went through high school-level biology or life sciences can remember this factoid, regardless …

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Taking Research Outside

Inam Jameel — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:23:48 +0000

After two days of driving, our U-haul rounded the final corner of the gravel road leading to our destination, The Rocky Mountain Biological Station, affectionately known as RMBL. We were in Gothic, Colorado, which is four hours of windy mountain roads up from the nearest city, Colorado Springs. My labmate and I were transporting over …

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I'll be back (in 3,000 years)

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 17:51:16 +0000

I still remember my first night in the United States, not due to the long journey, but because of the first question someone asked about my home country. â€œDo you guys really ride camels and live in tents in Egypt?â€ It took me a few minutes to realize the question was genuine. Previously, I had …

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Sleeping Beauty Seeds

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 19:43:06 +0000

This year I've been reading a lot about seed dormancy and while we're all hunkered down, sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, I can't help but feel there's an apt comparison to be made. Most plants don't get a lot of input on where they land as seeds, but they do have a say …

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Forget What You Know About Alzheimer’s

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 14:51:03 +0000

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth-leading cause of death among adults in the US. Its progression is devastating: the brain slowly deteriorates, cognitive ability degrades, and bodily functions gradually shut down. Given our aging population and the huge financial burden of care, the National Institutes of Health is expected to contribute almost $3 billion to …

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Fanning the flames

Simone Lim-Hing — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 18:32:34 +0000

In recent years, it feels like we have watched parts of the world be swallowed whole by fire, painting a very apocalyptic picture of the future. Nearly 40,000 square miles in Australia were decimated by bushfires last year. California's Camp Fire displaced about 50,000 residents, and Indonesia saw over 2 million acres of land consumed …

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Double Merle Dogs

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 20:22:26 +0000

Dog coats come in a seemingly endless variety of patterns, lengths, textures and colors, determined by their genetic makeup. Just 8-14 different genes are responsible for most of these differences in coat color and pigmentation. Dogs inherit two alleles, or variations, of each of these genes, one from the father and one from the mother. …

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The Dilution Effect: Placebo or Panacea?

Megan Tomamichel — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:43:51 +0000

For a long time, ecologists have asked: why are there so many species? How is it possible that there can be so many species of, for example, phytoplankton that exist at the same time? They all use the same resources, like light, carbon and nitrogen, and all are prey to the same types of animals, …

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This looks familiar…

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 15:54:06 +0000

How many times has this happened to you before? You walk into a roomâ€“it could be one you've stepped foot in a dozen times that day, or never at allâ€“ and hesitate by the doorway. There is something about that space that is nagging at the back of your mind. You decide that, somehow, you …

This looks familiar… Read More »

Salty soils: a â€˜growing' issue for agriculture

John Spiekerman — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 20:28:03 +0000

When you think of salt, your mind likely wanders to the last bit of food you seasoned. We all know salt improves the taste of food. However, most probably don't recognize its importance in human history or its role in agriculture. It was once lauded for economic value (hence the phrase â€œworth one's saltâ€), as …

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Saving more than just seeds, in situ

Tara Conway — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 22:28:54 +0000

While I'm often left paralyzed by apple choice in Kroger, I know the breadth of options at grocery stores mask a far different reality: we've lost roughly 90% of the world's crop varieties in the past 100 years. This threat to future food security is referred to as genetic erosion and primarily attributed to the …

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Microbial mania on Mars

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:08:29 +0000

At the Kennedy Space Center, NASA is finalizing preparations to launch the Mars 2020 rover in July. One of the aims of the Mars 2020 mission is to search for signs of past microbial life through biosignatures. Biosignatures typically present themselves in traces of nitrogen, oxygen, or methane, indicating some active life form in either …

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The bemusing tale of â€˜pant pockets'

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:31:47 +0000

I have always wondered: why do I keep losing my phone, keys and other belongings? I have to take care of my belongings carefully especially if I am not carrying a purse with me. I'm sure other women can relate to my dilemma. The ridiculous reason is that our pants don't have pockets! Women's clothing, …

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To be genetically illiterate in the genomic age

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:44:22 +0000

What if I told you that the source code, or genomes, for many living organisms is available for free online? Would it surprise you? As of today, all genomes created by public funds are accessible to anyone in the world. Anyone with internet access, and a little bit of curiosity, can access tomes of genetic …

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The undead ghost forests of Georgia

Rebecca Atkins — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 18:53:09 +0000

The US Atlantic coast is a dynamic, living landscape. Georgia in particular displays a picturesque mosaic of barrier islands, salt marsh meadows, maritime forests, brackish marsh and river networks snaking up the Coastal Plain. Together, coastal habitats form a dynamic ecosystem capable of protecting the coastline, storing carbon, filtering water and providing coastal regions with …

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Plastic tips: a more sustainable science

Kathy Bui — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 14:50:52 +0000

Alternatively, this post could have been titled, My Guilty Conscience Series: Plastics. This blog post has been a long time coming â€“ given the fact that I (and many others) have been conditioned to â€œreduce, reuse, and recycleâ€ before we could even multiply. Yet, as I continue to diligently organize my empty jars and cans …

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Azure is the New Black: Creating a Blue Rose

Jeremy Duke — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 15:38:12 +0000

Floriography, better known as the language of flowers, doesn't refer to a communication method between plants. Rather, it is the Victorian era practice of gifting arranged flowers to communicate a coded message: a red rose for love, a white tulip for forgiveness–things you may want to be familiar with this upcoming Valentine's Day. Long before …

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The False Promise of Animal Testing Part 2: Human Organs, Simplified

athenssciencecafe — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 14:13:14 +0000

If we accept the idea that animal models are holding back drug development due to a potential inability to predict safety and efficacy in humans, what can be done to fix it? Increasingly, scientists are using human cells cultured in vitro to assess the safety and efficacy of new drug compounds. While in vitro cell …

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The Treasure in Your Trashcan

Hallie Wright — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 18:32:53 +0000

Many of us can recall a time where someone we knew (or even ourselves) threw a banana peel out a car window. They're biodegradable, so what's the harm? I'll never forget the time my mom did not dispose of that peel in a proper wayâ€¦ My family and I were driving through Yellowstone National Park, …

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A Tough Nut to Crack: Navigating Severe Food Allergies and the Search for an Effective Treatment

athenssciencecafe — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 18:27:27 +0000

You walk into the lunchroom, and all sorts of alarms go off in your head. While reaching for utensils you think â€œWhat if the last person used this for peanut butter and didn't wash it well.â€ You sit down at the table thinking â€œSomeone ate nuts here last week, was the table cleaned since then?â€ …

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The False Promise of Animal Testing: Safety and Efficacy

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 15:24:23 +0000

One fact that was drilled into my head while studying biomedical science was how few experimental drugs ever make it past clinical trials. A failure rate of 90% is reported. This struck me as odd, but I chalked it up as an example of how difficult drug development is and didn't ask why. That changed …

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The roots of your tea

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 22:28:08 +0000

While coffee has seemingly had a cultural renaissance, with independent coffee roasters popping up all over the country, and even the naivest 7 year old being able to spout the difference between arabica and robusta, a far older, and ancient drink seems to remain in obscurity in the continental United States. The drink I'm referring …

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Deadly realism, science communication, and dropping out of high school: an interview with Dr. Diana Six

Simone Lim-Hing — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 18:01:54 +0000

Dr. Diana Six is a professor of Forest Entomology and Pathology at the University of Montana. Dr. Six's work focuses on bark beetles, their symbiotic fungi, climate change, and what these factors mean for forest health. Her work has received the attention of the media and she has presented at TedX and has been featured on …

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The Three Funketeers: Saving Beer from Traditional Fermentation!

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 15:51:17 +0000

Welcome back beer fans to the second to last article on the Science of Beer. We've covered water, grain, hops, and traditional fermentation, but now we'll focus on wild fermentation, a process as old as beer itself. A process in which wort is fermented using microbes found in the surrounding environment. These often include our …

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Can you hear me now? Good!

athenssciencecafe — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 22:41:21 +0000

â€œTweedly tweedly TWEEEâ€œ â€œBadum dum dumâ€ â€œThat was good everyone, but can we do one more take?..â€ Working at a recording studio for a year was the dream job for a fledgling audiophile such as myself. One tidbit that stuck with me was the absolute genius, yet simplicity, in how the songs we recorded could …

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From Touring Musician to International Mycologist

Inam Jameel — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 22:30:36 +0000

Dr. M. Cathie Aime is a Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology and Director of the Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel Herbaria at the University of Purdue. Her lab specializes on the biology of rust fungi as well as the biodiversity of tropical fungi, which has led her research to have an international focus. Interestingly enough, …

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Capturing Creativity

Rebecca Atkins — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 01:44:14 +0000

In the age of increasingly complex problems, many classrooms are starting to incorporate strategies for improving the fluency (quantity), flexibility (diversity) and originality of student ideas. Essentially these teachers are training creativity. While the extent to which creativity is inherited or learned is under debate, there is still growing evidence for the benefits of creativity …

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â€œAre you going to finish that?â€ â€“ What we know about the psychology of self-control

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 01:24:07 +0000

With the holidays upon us, exercising self-control is the last thing on everyone's mind, as we are deluged with stimuli to shop, eat, and drink more. For Dr. Michelle vanDellen, however, the subject of self-control is always relevant, as it is an area her research focuses on. VanDellen, an Associate Professor in the Department …

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Rethinking Anorexia: Making the Biopsychosocial Connection

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 18:01:56 +0000

With only 50% of patients recovering fully in the long-term, anorexia is the deadliest psychiatric disorder. Typically associated with poor body-image and unhealthy eating habits, anorexia has captivated and bewildered the minds of laymen and scientists alike. While not every person suffering from anorexia is underweight, there is still a general misunderstanding of what is …

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This is your brain on languages

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 14:29:25 +0000

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world with no need for a translator and then realized you would have to actually learn a new language? Have you tried to learn, only to give up after the intro course? Has the little green owl on your Duolingo app stopped giving you reminders because â€œthey don't …

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A not so familiar face: How a transferrable cancer could be the end for an Australian mammal

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 02:05:44 +0000

Cancer, a complex disease caused by an accumulation of mutations in our DNA, affects millions of individuals each year. Cancer poses a very serious threat, but is it contagious? The short answer is â€œnoâ€, at least for us humans. In humans, the only way to truly transfer cancer from one person to the next is …

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Divide and Conquer! A parasitic worm's key to survival

Megan Tomamichel — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 12:57:23 +0000

You may have already forgotten about Halloween, but the recent discovery of a new social organization of body-snatching parasites might be enough to send shivers down your spine! Trematodes are a clade of worms that are almost exclusively parasites of snails and mollusks (with the notable exception of schistosomes); one species is the cause of …

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The Wonders of Human Milk!

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 00:52:54 +0000

It's a girl (or boy)! Your bundle of joy is finally here. Stepping into parenthood, life is magical. But it is not all sunshine and roses either with the constant cleaning, frequent feedings and sleepless nights. The baby falling sick on top of it, is your worst fear. No wonder you find yourself paranoid, sterilizing …

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The science behind high insulin prices

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:09:28 +0000

You probably know or love someone who suffers from diabetes mellitus. In fact, recent CDC reports estimate that nearly 10% of Americans have diabetes, and as many as a third of Americans are pre-diabetic and undiagnosed. So, there is a reason the cost of healthcareâ€”and in particular, insulin, the lifesaving drug used to treat diabetesâ€”has …

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Social jetlag: No plane required

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:26:40 +0000

When my alarm wakes me up at 7:30am on Monday, the first thought that pops into my head is â€œOh dear lord, why?â€ After a beautiful weekend of sleeping in, enough to fill my heart's content, readjusting to my weekday schedule is a constant challenge. I feel tired, irritable, and my thoughts are as murky …

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Shining some light on the science of vampires

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 23:14:15 +0000

This Halloween, as you see kids dressed up as zombies or witches, threatening neighbors into giving them candy it's easy to forget that these terrifying creatures once had a less sugary purpose: in the absence of modern science, our ancestors needed a supernatural technique to explain the plagues and diseases that reason couldn't. One of …

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Saving the world’s seeds, ex situ

Tara Conway — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 18:57:50 +0000

The imposing structure of the Svalbard seed bank is familiar to many. This â€œdoomsdayâ€ vault (ahem, already breached by climate change) is humanity's last resort for preserving the seeds of our crops and plants. But how did this bastion of biodiversity arise? Nikolai Vavilov, a 20th century Russian agronomist and geneticist, established the first modern …

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Last but not yeast, the beer necessities

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 15:36:32 +0000

Fermentation is the process in which sugar is consumed by microbes and converted into another chemical. In the case of brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the fungus responsible for nearly all alcoholic beverages, sugar is eaten and converted to alcohol, phenols, and esters. Other fungi and bacteria have been in use for centuries, but their use …

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Photosynthesis & waffles: how plant sap gets on our breakfast plates

Simone Lim-Hing — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 17:45:17 +0000

Maple syrup is a staple in Western breakfast culture. True maple syrup – as opposed to the thick corn syrup imitation that sits in many American diners – comes from a variety of trees, mostly the sugar maple. But this breakfast condiment is more than just goo that happens to ooze out of a plant …

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Fossilized Ebola is Hiding in Your Pet Hamster's DNA!

Max Barnhart — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 21:10:43 +0000

Ebolavirus is one of the most infamous disease causing pathogens of the modern era. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the largest outbreak of ebolavirus to date, with over 28,000 suspected cases and 11,000 deaths. Ebolavirus is just one member of the Filoviridae virus family. These viruses are colloquially referred to as Filoviruses …

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Awake While Dreaming?

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 00:48:34 +0000

You are in a meadow, walking. You reach the edge of a steep cliff, but you don't stopâ€¦… wait, are you OK? Yes! You seem to be gliding effortlessly through the cool breeze, feeling fantastic. You realize that you are FLYING! But, what do you want to do next? Talk to God or dine with …

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The Solar Power of the Sunflower

Max Barnhart — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 00:34:31 +0000

This article is part of our brand new Athens Science Observer interview series. We are conducting interviews with established scientists in order to get first person accounts of exciting research and hear the stories of those who are making a difference. You may have heard that sunflowers can track the sun during the day, but …

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Scouting for the Next Top Model (Organism)

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 23:17:47 +0000

Here's a valid question: if it's a human condition or disease we're interested in, why do we study flies, plants or bacteria? It's a question that researchers often have to answer: whether it be for grant funding or to their in-laws over Thanksgiving dinner. Certainly, no one wants to hearâ€”or vote forâ€” tax dollars aimlessly …

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You can't Wishcycle your Plastics Away

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 01:49:25 +0000

We've all chucked the occasional to-go container or small plastic item with a recycling code in the recycling bin without thinking about its fate. Surely even if a few of these items can't be recycled, it wouldn't take much for the facility to just remove them, right? Just ask one recycling plant in central Florida, …

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From Social Stigma to Health Sensor: Scientific Tattooing

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 18:03:15 +0000

Tattoos, the artistic insertion of pigment into the skin as a form of body modification, has been around for quite a while, with the earliest preserved example from around 3300 BC. These tattoos comes from Ã–tzi the Iceman, a preserved human found in the Alps between Austria and Italy in 1991. The tattoos were of …

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Viruses: The Original Genome Editors

athenssciencecafe — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 17:31:55 +0000

Viruses stealthily spread among us, commandeering our very cells and waging a relentless war with our immune systems. You know them for everything from the common cold and flu to catastrophic outbreaks of HIV and Ebola. At the very least, they’ve probably ruined your plans once or twice. But did you know that a …

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Vegetables are a social construct

Tara Conway — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 21:24:44 +0000

My particular confluence of knowledge (a blend of economics, environmental policy, and crop science) tends to leave me completely overwhelmed by the discordance among human nutritional needs, environmental health, and global agricultural systems. So, I let out a tiny gasp of elation when the Lancet, one of the world's most prestigious general medical journals, released …

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Plant Cells, an Unculturable Mystery

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 19:38:33 +0000

The simplest unit in biology is the cell. This central tenet has remained true since the coining of the term 'cell' in 1665 by Robert Hooke. Cells have enabled multicellular organisms to conquer every part of the planet, enabling cell line specialization and the formation of more complex organisms. Multicellularity allowed organisms to thrive by …

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Riding the Brain Wave

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 15:50:17 +0000

Wurzburg, Germany, 1892. Hans Berger was in military training when he was suddenly thrown off his horse and injured. That same evening, Berger received a telegram from his family coincidentally inquiring about his health. This event instigated an ambition in Berger to discover the neural basis of â€˜telepathy', communication of thoughts between people without the …

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Malaria: From Miasma to Elimination

Max Barnhart — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 11:43:13 +0000

Life on Earth is full of dynamic and complex interactions between organisms. Some of these interactions are mutualistic, where all parties benefit from the relationship. Others are commensalistic, where one organism benefits and the other isn't really affected. Then there are the parasites, organisms that live and prey on others causing them harm. Parasites are …

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How do plants sense their surroundings?

Simone Lim-Hing — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 19:30:59 +0000

When laying the most essential foundation of biological sciences to a bunch of first graders, educators often start with a lima bean. Between two layers of a wet paper towel, a lima bean takes root and then sprouts its first two leaves. In a mere eight days, what was once a dry bean is a …

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Does Your Multitasking Spark Joy?

Rebecca Atkins — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:09:39 +0000

As a graduate student, I'm fortunate enough to dictate my own work hours. However, with this freedom comes expectations of productivity; I must juggle writing manuscripts, mentoring students, applying for grants and conducting my research. Amidst these tasks, I inevitably find the time to toggle between the 30-something tabs on my internet browser, scroll through social …

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Preventing the Next Epidemic: Scientists Take a Closer Look at Rift Valley Fever

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 23:09:02 +0000

In 2015, Zika virus resulted in a global public health emergency. The epidemic caused severe brain defects in thousands of Brazilian newborns after the virus was transmitted to pregnant mothers via infected mosquitoes. The rapid emergence of disease caught everyone by surprise, and with little understanding of the virus pathogenesis it left scientists unprepared to …

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Lost in Translation

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 31 May 2019 15:24:19 +0000

The year is 2019; the place, your local grocery store. You, the unwary consumer, wander the aisles on your weekly shopping excursion. Reaching for the milk, you hesitate; “non-GMO” is emblazoned across one milk carton. Meanwhile another label holds no such distinction. It does not assure you, the consumer, that its contents are free of …

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Flight of the Living Dead: Is the Zombification of Flies Facilitated by an Interkingdom Host Switch?

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 22 May 2019 15:21:32 +0000

In July of 2018, the Eisen lab at UC Berkeley published what Michael Eisen described as one of the wackiest discoveries of his career. They discovered a virus that swapped hosts from a fly to a fungus. This virus might underlie the fungus' ability to control the minds of insects. Since the 1850s, people have …

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Cleaning up Chernobyl with Sunflowers

Max Barnhart — Thu, 16 May 2019 11:12:35 +0000

On April 26, 1986, in the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, a group of engineers working on the No. 4 Reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accidentally caused one of the greatest environmental disasters known to mankind. 50 tons of radioactive material were released into the atmosphere and dozens of lives were lost. Pripyat was …

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Blinded by the Blue Light

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 09 May 2019 10:42:34 +0000

â€Don't stare at your phone/computer too much, you will hurt your eyesâ€ – we've probably all heard this at some point in our lives. Is this true? Does staring at a screen really â€œhurtâ€ your eyes? What other effects does it have on the body, and is it something that will impact our health as …

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Men control the reproductive rights of plants too

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 02 May 2019 11:19:01 +0000

When confronted with the imprecise notion of â€œsustainabilityâ€ in agriculture, most people's thoughts drift to ideas of ecologically-mindful land management practices. I'll dub these concepts â€œthe classicsâ€: rotate your crops, use less fertilizer and pesticides, always employ cover cropping. While these ideas are not wrong, they are incomplete in that they tend to omit some …

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The Cartography of the Genome

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 19:42:39 +0000

What is a map? What does it REALLY represent? You might answer a map generally represents the relationships of locations. However, maps have evolved substantially in modern times. For example, modern genomics and cartography? While they might seem like different worlds, they actually share much in common. Both focused on a similar goal – spatial …

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The Secret World of Plant Chemistry: Plant Communication

Simone Lim-Hing — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 11:16:13 +0000

Part II of the series exploring plant chemistry through different lenses. Plants are the perfect embodiments of natural selection â€“ they can't just get up and move; so whatever adversity they face, they generally have to stick it out. It leaves the strongest individuals to survive while the weaker ones perish. This situation warrants some …

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Littering 2.0

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 13:32:25 +0000

Like many kids, I dreamt of becoming an astronaut; exploring distant planets and making contact with aliens. With a huge number of planets out there, it's hard to think we're all alone in this vast universe. But, as I grew as a scientist, my curiosity focused on a specific question: How can we find alien …

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When Wild Avocados Roamed the Earth

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 20:29:31 +0000

If you've ventured outdoors in the southeast over the last couple weeks, then you may have noticed that things are looking distinctlyâ€¦yellow. Everywhere you turn, cars and sidewalks are covered in a fine layer of yellow â€˜dust'. The hazy quality to the air, as any sufferer of seasonal allergies will be happy to inform you, …

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