Ever wonder how new species begin? Join director and narrator Nick Batora and animator Rishi Masalia as they explore the evolutionary processes of speciation and how the genus Mimulus has been used to study it. This video was made for students at the University of Georgia in BIOL 1107, an introductory biology lab, but is
Evolution runs on the principle of “survival of the fittestâ€- individuals that are better suited to their environment will be able to survive and reproduce more successfully. Following this logic, one would think that only the ‘good' (advantageous) genes are passed on through generations, and the ‘bad' (disadvantageous) genes are eventually eradicated. Thus, it is
Some of the most powerful things are quite small: a microscopic virus can defeat an elephant; Giant Redwoods grow from tiny seeds; a computer chip the size of your fingernail can send us to Jupiter and back; and just one minuscule sperm cell can fertilize an egg and start new life. In most animals, sperm
My baby brother is 16, a rising high school junior. As much as I love him, he can really be a pain. He's too smart to take advice, too cool to be silly, too busy to bother. “You were just like himâ€, my parents tell me. Obviously the 10 year gap between my adolescence and
Camels are rightfully known as “the ships of the desert†because of their impressive ability to carry up to 500 lbs on their back! While camels seem to conjure up images of pyramids and arid, desolate seas of sand dunes, they weren't always the quintessential desert-dwelling beasts that they are today. Camels actually originated in
Welcome to Star Wars week here at the Athens Science Observer. To help celebrate May the 4th – Star Wars Day – we wanted to take a look at the real life science of that galaxy far far away. When Kanjiklub and the Guavian Death Gang boarded the Eravana, the three most beloved characters in
I don't know where I would be without my abuela. As my mother's mother, she is so much more than just a convenient and free babysitter. Sure, abuela took care of me when mom had to work, but she also sang with me on our walks home after school. She's the one I call when
For most of human history, being able to live long enough to reproduce was somewhat of a hassle. We had natural predators, diseases we could not treat, and hygiene that could have used some more work. The ones who would survive this war against nature would be able to pass down traits that allowed them
by Stephanie M. Halmo When and where the world's first domesticated species of dogs originated is a hotly debated topic by geneticists. A recent study places the origin of human's best friend in Central Asia or modern day Mongolia and Nepal. These results, published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Around mid-summer each year, stories about wildfires, especially in the Western United States begin to dominate the news. Since 2000, there have been between 40,000 to 100,000 wildfires in the U.S. each year that are responsible for an average of 19 fatalities and 7 million burned acres (about the size of Massachusetts). When humans live
