Originally published as a digital essay for a university course April 22, 2020. In the Family Coronaviruses cause diseases in humans ranging from mild colds, which may do little more than annoy the sufferer, to MERS, which kills 37% of those infected. Seven types affect humans so far, but thousands exist. Most come from bats, … Continue reading Coronaviruses That Spillover
There's a phenomenon science students experience. Perhaps there's an inspirational, rare term assigned to it though I do not know what that would be. The landscape is no longer a cohesive environment of greenery and blotchy earth colors punctured by charismatic creatures and dramatic waterfalls. It...becomes millions of things that non-sciency friends rare their eyebrows … Continue reading Views of Lake Fort Smith (Part II: Scientist)
Mycorrhizal fungi grow in and around plant roots as well as provide a nutrient-exchanging path for different individual plants. Occasionally I'll see some meme or link to a brief YouTube video about these fungi, not that one would recognize the term "mycorrhizal" because it is never used. It's danced around. Sometimes substituted with something in … Continue reading Trending: Mycorrhizae Without Writing “Mycorrhizae”
Deep oak and hickory wood laced with purring creeks and rocky rubble beckons me, but most days they must wait, as getting out of town to the nearest decent public hiking area requires twenty minutes--more than one can afford on a working day. Instead, I often opt for a five-minute drive (to avoid crossing a … Continue reading Wilson Park: Dogs, Flowers and Fungi (Oh! The Fungi!)
“Who would want to get even?” I was the only one to raise my hand, and after noticing that I withdrew it. Something was wrong. The mockery began. Fifth grade teacher and several students pfft and rhetorically asked what person would spend a genie-granted wish on revenge? Then it clicked. The words “get” and “even” … Continue reading Cognitive Distortions: The Term That Had to be Out There
Adrenaline. This is the magical solution for many a questionably-survivable scenario in a movie or video game. As a biology nerd and exploration history buff I feel like shouting to the world, “That’s not how adrenaline works!” More recently I’ve watched a YouTube playthrough of Until Dawn, which is a survival horror game set in … Continue reading Adrenaline and Hypothermia: Fact versus Hollywood Fiction
Originally posted and full article at Research Frontiers blog: You usually do not think much about teeth. You brush them twice a day and use them to chew your food. But who would have thought that the texture of your teeth can tell scientists, now or give or take a few million years, what … Continue reading From Hominins to Hadza: the Evolutionary Dental Approach
What is the largest organism on Earth? An elementary student might respond with, "The blue whale." Let us face it, most of us think about animals when it comes to biology. Someone who has grown past the childhood obsession with animals or expanded upon it might respond with, "The redwoods," or "The sequoia." I know … Continue reading Don’t Ignore the Giant Panda in the Room…on the Plateau…Under the Ground
Your average plant would not survive without fungi. In all regions of the world and among almost all plants, mycorhizzal fungi essentially are socks. As you would cover your feet with a sock, plants cover their roots with fungi. However, while socks can wick moisture and keep you warm, mycorhizzal (my-co-rise-uhl) fungi provide plants with … Continue reading The Value of Best Friends for a Plant in the Tropics
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