Mar. 07, 2013
The Future of Women's History
by The Bug Chicks
We may never make history, but each week we teach young women who could, particularly in the sciences.
Mar. 07, 2013
Don't Miss This Comet!
by Ira Flatow
Visible With the Naked Eye
Feb. 20, 2013
Open Invitation to Lamar Smith, House Science Committee Chairman: Accepted
by Ira Flatow
Science Friday invites Chairman Lamar Smith to discuss technology that will track objects such as asteroids that threaten Earth.
Feb. 12, 2013
Battle of the Electric Cars: "Hydrogen Sucks," Says Elon Musk
by Ira Flatow
War of the Currents Redux: Fuel Cells vs Batteries
Jan. 29, 2013
Flatow File: Spider Webs, Tractor Beams, and Beer
by Ira Flatow
This week, I'm focusing on some really geeky -- I should say Benjie* -- research that caught my eye. Be ready for some gorgeous graphics and hi-tech talk.
Jan. 22, 2013
Flatow File: Water on Mars, Sea Creatures, NFL Concussions
by Ira Flatow
Once more, lots of intriguing stories making the news this week. Here are a few of my favorites.
Oct. 15, 2012
Frosted Flowers: The Complexity of Climate Change in the Rocky Mountains
by Kara Rogers
Like many other species of subalpine and alpine wildflowers, each year, as the winter snowpack recedes, the glacier lily comes to life, sprouting leaves and flowers as soon as conditions are favorable and taking advantage of every moment of the short growing season.
Oct. 03, 2012
Tarantula ICU
by The Bug Chicks
When a tarantula is sick and weak, what do you do? Stick it in the ICU!
Sep. 27, 2012
Rover Finds Ancient Stream Bed on Mars
by Ira Flatow
NASA's rover has discovered an ancient stream bed on Mars.
Sep. 14, 2012
Record Breaking Planet
by Lisa Gardiner
Climate is defined as an average of thirty years of weather data. It is the norm, the average, what’s expected. When our planet’s climate veers from what’s expected, when a record is set, the question is – why?
Sep. 12, 2012
Insectivus for the Rest of Us
by The Bug Chicks
For bug lovers, there are lots of cool events happening all over the country.
Sep. 11, 2012
Meet the Strandbeests
by Leslie Taylor
Meet Animaris gubernare and Animaris adulari, two of kinetic sculptor Theo Jansen's strandbeests.
Sep. 11, 2012
See Ya, Sea Ice.
by Lisa Gardiner
This autumn, new records are being set for the minimum amount of sea ice in the Arctic. On August 26, the extent of ice diminished to less than it has ever been -- at least in the 30 years we've been watching it with satellites.
Sep. 10, 2012
Foresight in the Arctic: Predation and Preservation
by Kara Rogers
Do Arctic wolves use cooperative hunting strategies?
Sep. 05, 2012
Insectos en Español? Que fantástico!
by The Bug Chicks
Learn about the yucca moth and the yucca plant and why pollinators are so important. In English and Spanish!
Sep. 04, 2012
Delmarva Peninsula's Endangered Squirrel
by Kara Rogers
The Delmarva fox squirrel is a very, very large squirrel. It can tip the scales at as many as three pounds.
Aug. 29, 2012
Insects and Human Society: Webspinners
by The Bug Chicks
You’ve probably all seen silk webbing in the ridges of tree bark. It could be a spider’s web, or it could’ve been made by the elusive and shy insects called webspinners in the Order Embiidina.
Aug. 27, 2012
A Warbler Rises from the Ashes
by Kara Rogers
Down to just 167 singing males in 1987, the Kirtland's warbler population has rebounded, with 1,828 males counted in 2011. The species has risen, almost literally, like a phoenix from the ashes.
Aug. 22, 2012
Insect Collecting: Pan and Baited Traps
by The Bug Chicks
A few weeks ago we showed you how to make a piece of insect collecting equipment called a beat sheet. In this post, we’re going to add pan traps and baited traps to your DIY collecting tools.
Aug. 20, 2012
The Fabled Jackdaw
by Kara Rogers
The jackdaw's intelligence and curiosity perpetuate the bird's tendency to get into trouble.
Aug. 16, 2012
Hot Guys and Smelly Socks
by Danica McKellar
An excerpt from the book "Girls Get Curves" by Danica McKellar provides an introduction to logic and reasoning.
Aug. 15, 2012
Tricky Mister! Indirect Sperm Transfer in Primitive Hexapods
by The Bug Chicks
In this video, we teach about indirect sperm transfer behaviors of these arthropods, in a slightly different way than other entomologists. Our way involves costumes. And mustaches. Enjoy!
Aug. 08, 2012
the tANTalizing touch
by The Bug Chicks
This podcast explores the tactile communication of ants and how they use touch to interact with their environment.
Aug. 08, 2012
Mars Excitement: Back to the Future
by Ira Flatow
Curiosity Lander: Excitement Recalls Viking
Aug. 07, 2012
The Numbat: A Most Unusual Marsupial
by Kara Rogers
The numbat, aka the banded anteater, is a marsupial native to Australia.
Jul. 25, 2012
Message in a Cornicle
by The Bug Chicks
Aphids produde an alarm pheromone to defend themselves against predation.
Jul. 24, 2012
Life in the Street Canyon: The Role of Plants in Maintaining Air Quality
by Kara Rogers
Street canyons--narrow streets lined by buildings hundreds of feet tall--are unique to the urban landscape. But while their structure undoubtedly adds to the allure of cities, it also effectively traps pollutants emitted by vehicular traffic traversing the canyon floor, resulting in poor air quality.
Jul. 17, 2012
The Contagious Nature of Yawning
by Kara Rogers
That we can “catch” yawns is in itself fascinating, but that we can’t catch them from just anyone -- that we are immune to the yawns of perfect strangers but highly susceptible to those of family members or friends -- makes this behavior all the more intriguing.
Jul. 11, 2012
Amazing Insect Feats
by The Bug Chicks
Fleas can jump over 150 times their own body length. A house fly can beat its wings 200 times per second. How do these feats compare with those of other animals?
Jul. 10, 2012
Excerpts from "Out of Nature": Challenges Facing Biodiversity Conservation
by Kara Rogers
There are major hindrances to prioritizing biodiverse areas for conservation. Examples include determining the size of land area that must be set aside, which generally must be very large to ensure that ecosystems can maintain their functions, and determining the value of these places in economic terms.
Jul. 05, 2012
First Shadow Of A Single Atom
by Ira Flatow
What does a single atom look like?
Jul. 05, 2012
Top 5: Red-headed Mouse Spiders
by The Bug Chicks
For Kristie, this spider is #1 on her "Top 5 Spiders To See Down Under" list. Sadly, she missed it last year while traveling in NSW but we thought we'd share this photo and take the opportunity to teach about some of the cool morphological features these spiders and their relatives have.
Jul. 03, 2012
One Species at a Time: Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles
by Encyclopedia of Life
Cyprus is split in half, with a Turkish sector in the north and a Greek sector in the south. The unofficial division makes scientific collaboration in this Mediterranean island nation all but impossible; it also complicates management of the island's endangered sea turtles.
Jul. 03, 2012
Excerpt from "Out of Nature": The Role of Plants in Medicine
by Kara Rogers
The global value of plant-based medicines is most readily apparent in revenue generated from sales of over-the-counter herbal preparations. In 2005 more than $14 billion (USD) was spent on such remedies in China alone. In 2007 US citizens spent even more -- nearly $15 billion -- on over-the-counter natural products.
Jun. 27, 2012
Teen to Teen: Talking with Intel STS Finalist Danielle Goldman
by Caitlin Gee
Caitlin Gee, a student at High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, interviews Danielle Goldman, a student from Bronx High School of Science, about her experiences in the Intel Science Talent Search competition.
Jun. 27, 2012
Cultural Entomology: Cockroaches
by The Bug Chicks
Cockroaches get a bad rap. Just the word makes people “ew” and “ugh”. Even though only 10% of species are pests of humans, we tend to associate all of them with filth. This video explores the biology, morphology and mythology surrounding these misunderstood animals.
Jun. 26, 2012
Mosquitoes Go With the Flow When Flying in the Rain
by Kara Rogers
Jun. 20, 2012
Bug Bytes: Chill Out
by The Bug Chicks
For this podcast, world renowned architect Mick Pearce joins us from Zimbabwe to talk about the design of the Eastgate Center in Harare. There are no electrical AC units in the building – instead, Pearce used termite mound structure as inspiration for the ventilation system!
Jun. 20, 2012
It's 10:00 PM, Do You Know Where Your Face Is?
by Ira Flatow
Facebook buys facial recognition company. Facing up to the consequences.
Jun. 19, 2012
Anole Lizards
by Encyclopedia of Life
Encyclopedia of Life fellow Rosario Castañeda takes us to the back rooms of Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, searching through dozens of jars of pickled anole lizards to see the traces of evolution in action.
Jun. 14, 2012
DIY Insect Collecting: Beat Sheet
by The Bug Chicks
People always ask us how they can collect insects safely. Professional insect collecting equipment can be expensive, so we’ve decided to make a little DIY series about how to make your own insect collecting equipment on the cheap.
Jun. 12, 2012
Epiphytes and the Hidden Biodiversity of Rainforests
by Kara Rogers
While epiphytes are defined by their growth on other plants, most commonly trees, they do not steal nutrients away from their hosts. Rather, they rely on specialized aerial root systems that absorb water and nutrients directly from the air.
Jun. 12, 2012
Fungi Podcast
by Encyclopedia of Life
This week’s EOL podcast begins with a riddle about a life form that’s all around us, yet rarely seen. Working under cover, it sends its ghostly tendrils into almost every corner of the terrestrial world. We associate it with death and decay, but life as we know it would be impossible without it.
Jun. 12, 2012
The Bay of Fundy Tides
by Coastal Studies for Girls
One place where the tides have an extreme effect on the ecosystem is in the Bay of Fundy.
Jun. 07, 2012
Cultural Entomology: Walking Sticks
by The Bug Chicks
Call them what you want – stick insects, walking sticks or stick bugs – we call them masters of camouflage! Insects in the Order Phasmatodea look and behave like plants and hide from even the most intrepid entomologists. In this new video we created for Texas A&M University’s Department of Entomology, we take you through the morphology, biology and mythology of these fascinating creatures.
Jun. 05, 2012
The Molecular Secrets of Turtles
by Kara Rogers
There are few animals in the world that share the morphological peculiarities of turtles, and the physical likenesses that do exist between these shelled wonders and other animals are so ambiguous as to be considered one of the last great obstacles to a more complete understanding of not only the turtle's evolutionary past but also the whole of vertebrate evolution.
Jun. 05, 2012
Daisy Brittle Star
by Coastal Studies for Girls
Brittle stars are not like most sea stars when it comes to taking in and digesting food. Most sea stars extrude their stomachs to feed, but the brittle star cannot. The brittle star’s food is taken in to the mouth, through the stomach and absorbed along the alimentary canal as it has no intestines or anus. The waste then goes back out of the mouth.
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