In the Fenway Victory Gardens, just minutes from Northeastern University, lizards reign supreme. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, is a non-native species that recently established itself in the gardens. This small green and tan lizard has remarkably managed to survive and thrive in Boston — and in several other cities and towns in the […]
Meet the lizards of the Fenway Victory Gardens Read More »
While the wooly mammoths, smilodons, and giant ground sloths starred in Disney’s “Ice Age,” do prehistoric creatures have a place on Earth today? When species go extinct, evolution fills the ecosystem gap with modern species, renewing balance and moving forward in evolutionary history. The hot-topic term “de-extinction” describes the process of using genetic engineering to
Reincarnation: Dodo or do-don’t Read More »
Extending a human’s lifetime sounds like something that would only exist in a fictional realm. A recently published study, though, shows that this ability may one day be achievable in our own world. A common theory regarding the mechanism that drives aging is that the accumulation of genetic mutations eventually causes cells to lose their
Out with the old: Geneticists reversed aging in mice Read More »
It’s October 2019, and Exploration Vessel Nautilus is on its last expedition of the season, live-streaming footage from its submersible’s cameras. At 3,240 meters deep, they’re exploring the seafloor of Monterey Bay when a shape comes into view, and the team quickly erupts into enthused echoes of “ohhh, whale fall!” What lies in front of
Deep-sea banquets: The anatomy of a whale fall Read More »
This article contains spoilers for Naughty Dog and HBO’s “The Last of Us.” The recent television adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game “The Last of Us” has sparked renewed attention to its source material. The game paints a dismal picture: Humanity has fallen to the cordyceps fungus, which infects humans and takes complete
As climate change escalates, preventative measures to reduce global warming are almost futile without a uniform attempt by civilization. Damage control is likely the future of sustainability and fungi may be an effective way to help in the restoration of forests after a wildfire. Below the typical fruiting body or mushroom we see on the
Fungi’s role in fighting the climate crisis Read More »
In the video game and HBO hit series “The Last of Us,” an outbreak of mutated parasitic fungi devastates humanity and the modern world — a threat based on a very real organism. Ophiocordyceps, also known as “Cordyceps,” is a genus of fungi that grows on the larvae of insects, infecting the host and controlling
Off the coast of mainland Australia, the small, sun-baked island of Tasmania houses nature’s most feral creature. With a piercing shriek, lingering stench, and penetrating eyes, the Tasmanian devil reigns as the largest carnivorous marsupial in wildlife. Its ever-growing teeth sink into bones and feast on the bloody, meaty flesh of its latest catch. As
Catching cancer: Biology’s devil Read More »
The only place that prioritizes its department of defense more than the United States is the human body. We have a comprehensive immune system with two lines of protection: barriers and fighters. Within this second line of defense, antibodies act as soldiers that circle through the bloodstream marking foreign invaders for destruction. Specifically, the immune
Support our troops: The drugs harnessing the immune system to fight disease Read More »