The metaphor “brokenhearted” is often loosely used to describe someone experiencing various levels of emotional distress. This term, however, is not always a metaphor. In the case of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as broken heart syndrome, the heart rapidly weakens after undergoing extreme stress, causing people to suffer from a literal broken heart. In […]
Broken heart syndrome Read More »
Cardiac arrest. For most of us, it spells the end. For wood frogs, however, it’s just their annual hibernation through the winter. Hibernation is usually a similar process among most species — eat as much as possible, find shelter, and live off those energy stores until the snow begins to melt. Usually, the animal spends
Frozen frogs: Nature’s not-so-tasty popsicles Read More »
Animals face numerous dangers, one of them being illnesses. Species have found a variety of ways to protect themselves from diseases, but not much is known about how they affect the physiological state of the individual. A phenomenon surrounding the immune systems of canaries was recently discovered by researchers at the University of Connecticut. The
The extraordinary empathy of canaries’ immune systems Read More »
There’s a trail of red arrows extending along the carpeted floor toward a white tent with two openings, a trace of rubbing alcohol lingers in the air, and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is playing over the speakers dotted along the speckled tile ceiling when, suddenly, there are two faint thuds to the
Glitching out in the face of fear Read More »
In the 1990s, the US government heavily funded neuroscience research and sponsored numerous programs to educate members of Congress and the public about the wonders of the brain. But years before this “decade of the brain”, the writings of a man named Oliver Sacks helped introduce the world to the complexities of neurology and cognition.
Oliver Sacks: A decoder of neurological glitches Read More »
What if “male” and “female” were only temporary states? In the worlds of fish, snails, and slugs, animals can have sexual plasticity: the ability to shift between sexes throughout their lives. Also known as sequential hermaphroditism, the advantages and costs of this reproductive strategy remain debated. There are two main types of sequential hermaphroditism: protogyny,
“Supermales” and social groups: What we know about sex-changing organisms Read More »
What if humans created a leaf better at utilizing sunlight than plants? And what if that leaf was engineered with such efficiency that it could feed the future world? Researchers at Harvard University have created and improved their “bionic leaf” to do just that and are now ready to bring this new technology into the
Foliage of the future: How Harvard’s new tech aims to prevent a global food shortage Read More »
Modern-day folklore is rich with tales of cryptid species: stories of undiscovered animals, lake monsters and strange creatures stalking the night. As fun as these stories are, they don’t represent actual biology research, but in the same woods where people go hunting for bigfoot or the Mothman, one can find real-life cryptic species hiding in
Move over Mothman: Cryptic species and taxonomy Read More »
The California Floristic Province is a region encompassing the entire coast of California and is known and studied for its incredible biodiversity. This Mediterranean-like ecosystem is home to almost 3,500 different vascular plant species — 61 percent of which cannot be found anywhere in the world. This biodiversity hotspot, along with other hotspot regions around