mastodon 4.5.18PhD ornithology, parrot researcher, SciComm journalist & writer
Currently: Forbes
Formerly: The Guardian.
Vegan.
https://linktr.ee/grrlscientist
How hummingbirds live at high altitudes
"New research finds that hummingbird species living at high altitudes have independently evolved hemoglobin with enhanced oxygen-binding properties so they can thrive in oxygen-poor environments."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#birds #ecology #physiology #evolution https://grrlscientist.medium.com/how-hummingbirds-live-at-high-altitudes-69b4761069b1
Indigenous Communities Report Dramatic Loss of Large Bird Species Over 80 Years
"As the global avian extinction crisis accelerates, the loss of large-bodied birds is destroying local biodiversity and ecology, and eroding the cultural memory of Indigenous Peoples."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#IndigenousPeoples #Birds #BiodiversityLoss #Ecocide https://grrlscientist.medium.com/indigenous-communities-report-dramatic-loss-of-large-bird-species-over-80-years-5165822406af
Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners by Thomas D. Seeley
"The personal backstory to 20 of the most exciting research projects that the author has been part of during his 50 years of research into the abilities and behaviors of honeybees."
#BookReview by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#honeybees #books #pollinators #NaturalHistory #Entomology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/piping-hot-bees-and-boisterous-buzz-runners-by-thomas-d-seeley-review-90f7d1d746d1
Clever Cockatoo Manufactures And Uses Tools
"Not known to manufacture or use tools in the wild, a captive cockatoo demonstrates that parrots can make tools to suit their needs"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#cognition #ToolUse #Cockatoos #ornithology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/clever-cockatoo-manufactures-and-uses-tools-350214a04362
Watch: How do Sensitive Plants Respond So Quickly To Being Poked?
"This video captures a weird plant behaviour; a sensitive plant folding up its leaves in response to a variety of disturbances."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#plants #PlantBehavior #ecology #physiology #botany https://grrlscientist.medium.com/watch-how-do-sensitive-plants-respond-so-quickly-to-being-poked-e0d9d299ecc0
Endangered Frogs Born In London Zoo After Rescue From Deadly Fungus
"London Zoo is celebrating the birth of 33 Darwin’s frogs, following the zoo’s urgent mission to rescue the critically endangered species from the brink of extinction"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#frogs #amphibians #endangered #chytridiomycosis #conservation https://medium.com/grrlscientist/endangered-frogs-born-in-london-zoo-after-rescue-from-deadly-fungus-3faede5497b0
This Biological Battery Inspired By Electric Eels Could Soon Power Your Pacemaker
"Sometimes used by aquariums and zoos to light Christmas trees, electric eels are teaching scientists how to create bio-batteries that can keep your implantable medical devices functioning forever (well, almost)"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#ElectricEel #fish #pacemaker #batteries https://grrlscientist.medium.com/this-biological-battery-inspired-by-electric-eels-could-soon-power-your-pacemaker-4efe8bda4a73
Sensing Longitude Amongst Migratory Birds
"Migratory songbirds solved the longitude problem long before humans came down from the trees, yet we are only beginning to understand how birds deal with this incredibly difficult problem"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#Longitude #Navigation #Migration #MagneticFields https://grrlscientist.medium.com/sensing-longitude-amongst-migratory-birds-a6150ec16a10
Complex Communication In Wild Yellow‐Naped Amazon Parrots
"Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrots use complex, warbling duets in very specific ways to argue over territory."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#communication #behavior #Parrots #ornithology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/complex-communication-in-wild-yellow-naped-amazon-parrots-21f798f39375
Predictable evolution is bad news for toads, good news for their predators
"Under certain circumstances, the process of evolution can be highly predictable, especially when there are limited solutions to a particular problem, such as resistance to dangerous toxins"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#evolution #poisons #phylogenetics #Australia https://grrlscientist.medium.com/predictable-evolution-is-bad-news-for-toads-good-news-for-their-predators-7260c33dc54c
Did Seabird Guano Shape The Expansion Of Peru’s Pre-Inca Society?
"The use of seabird poop as a fertilizer for corn and other food crops supported the expansion of pre-Inca civilizations despite living in an extremely arid environment."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#Seabirds #Society #fertilizer #Peru🇵🇪 https://grrlscientist.medium.com/did-seabird-guano-shape-the-expansion-of-perus-pre-inca-society-b2224b97441d
Why Cats Leave Their Food Bowl Half Full
"Japanese scientists report that when a food’s scent becomes familiar, cats quickly lose interest in eating, even if they are still hungry."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#cats #EatingHabits #behavior #food https://grrlscientist.medium.com/why-cats-leave-their-food-bowl-half-full-cb83b81b3bcc
Einstein, Gifted Talking And Singing Grey Parrot, Dies At Age 38
"The world is a little bit darker and sadder after the death of this talented and beloved parrot"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#parrots #Einstein #ZooKnoxville #Obituary https://grrlscientist.medium.com/einstein-gifted-talking-and-singing-grey-parrot-dies-at-age-38-4d7c861bedc8
Targeted Conservation Efforts Help Restore Crashing Biodiversity
"A major review of over 67,000 animal species has found that with greater resource allocation, conservation can halt and reverse biodiversity loss."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#biodiversity #conservation #WildlifeConservation #EndangeredSpecies #Extinction https://medium.com/grrlscientist/targeted-conservation-efforts-help-restore-crashing-biodiversity-eea5645484a8
How Can Overwintering Bumblebee Queens Survive Underwater?
"A lab accident serendipitously revealed that bumblebee queens can live underwater for up to a week."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#Bumblebees #physiology #ecology #Diapause #metabolism https://grrlscientist.medium.com/how-can-overwintering-bumblebee-queens-survive-underwater-3f868764c6bd
Whale Earwax Records Its Lifetime Exposure To Ocean Pollutants
"Scientists have developed a new method for learning all sorts of interesting things about whales by studying their earwax."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#whales #pollution #Ocean #ecology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/whale-earwax-records-its-lifetime-exposure-to-ocean-pollutants-5216ba46d430
Climate Change Is A Ticking Time-Bomb For Great Tits
"Birds that depend upon an abundance of particular food sources at specific times of the year may not be able to adapt fast enough to climate change"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#ornithology #ClimateChange #ecology #evolution https://grrlscientist.medium.com/climate-change-is-a-ticking-time-bomb-for-great-tits-9e5c092d4a02
How To Walk Without A Brain
"How do sea stars monitor and coordinate hundreds of tube feet whilst moving around — and how do they do this without a brain?"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#SeaStar #biomechanics #robotics #Movement #Starfish #Biodiversity https://grrlscientist.medium.com/how-to-walk-without-a-brain-c1fe1b055330
Evolutionary Insights Into Longevity And Cognition Provided By Parrot Genomes
"Analysis of the genome of an Amazon parrot and 26 other birds revealed a large number of similar mutations in genes associated with longevity, larger brains and advanced cognitive abilities"
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#longevity #cognition #parrots #genomes https://grrlscientist.medium.com/evolutionary-insights-into-longevity-and-cognition-provided-by-parrot-genomes-1946856df696
Native Deciduous Trees Support Urban and Woodland Birds Better Than Exotics
"Native trees, especially oaks and birch, are important to the reproductive success of insectivorous birds and other wildlife."
#SciComm by @grrlscientist@me.dm
#NativeTrees #ExoticTrees #ecology #insects https://grrlscientist.medium.com/native-deciduous-trees-support-urban-and-woodland-birds-better-than-exotics-d6059cb30fe3