Blogs to Follow

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Science Fiction Prototyping

  Preface      I took a class this fall semester titled “Wildlife & Society.” Through research papers we explored different parts of the world and looked at human-wildlife conflict. We looked at the debates around wolf reintroduction in parts the U.S., impacts of agriculture/fuel collection on Pandas in China, the impact of bushmeat in different parts of the world, and much more. One of the big takeaways from this class was that often times marginalized or poverty-stricken people end up bearing the brunt of conservation policies and that there can be unintended feedbacks in terms of how people view wildlife as a result.      Our final project of the class was to write a science fiction short story based around the idea put forth by ecologist E.O. Wilson that half of the earth should be set aside for the protection of biodiversity. Some big questions around Wilson’s idea are: What does “Half-Earth” look like? Who does it affect? How is it enforced? ...
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BOOK TALK: Secrets of Snakes

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With weather warming up and snakes beginning to move about, I thought I would take the time to write what will be my first book review. The book is Secrets of Snakes: The science beyond the myths  by David Steen. This is Steen’s debut book, but not even close to his first publication. Since 2004, Steen has had his name attached to 63 peer reviewed Journal Articles , 35 peer reviewed notes and reviews, and contributed to three book chapters. These academic papers should not intimidate anyone into thinking his book will be dry. Steen has had an active role in science communication through blogging and social media, especially via his twitter account where he has been identifying snakes for people, so he is no stranger to dispensing information in an easy to digest way. Because of all the reasons above,  Secrets of Snakes is exactly what science communication should look like. Secrets of Snakes by David A. Steen From the start, Steen’s dedication to the people want...
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Reaching Out

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It's 9 p.m. in April of last year and I'm headed out into the woods to look for amphibians. It's dark, it's raining, and it's cold. I've chosen a forest in my hometown because it's full of vernal and semi-permanent pools which would be perfect for frogs and salamanders to lay eggs. These shallow ponds often dry up by late summer which means fish do not reside in them; this allows for minimal predation on the eggs and larvae of amphibians. I knew I would find frogs, but what I really wanted to find were salamanders. Many salamanders are secretive creatures and may spend most of their lives buried in leaf liter or well below the soil. But spring is the time to see them, when they make journeys out from their hides and burrows to ponds. Here they'll swim through the leaves and murky water to find a mate and make the trek back to their hides once the mating period is over. As I approached my target pond, the frog calls were loud. Males were out, posturing...
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