A creature more ancient than dinosaurs by over 200 million years, the Atlantic horseshoe crab is an organism treasured by conservationists, biomedical researchers, and even Northeastern’s very own “Dang, I love fossils” club. With five pairs of claws and able to grow up to two feet long, the horseshoe crab is an incredibly useful animal […]
Baby-blue blood: Nature’s antidote Read More »
Sea otters, adored for their expressive faces and fluffy fur, are some of the most well-known and charismatic aquatic animals. Beyond their cuteness, these marine mammals are keystone species that play an integral role in their environment. As top predators, sea otters are crucial to balancing coastal ecosystems such as kelp forests, enhancing ecological resilience
Sea otters: Guardians of the kelp forest Read More »
It was 2007 — the year of “Spider-Man 3” starring Toby McGuire, Obama’s first election campaign, and the launch of the first iPhone. On a small island in French Polynesia, the last tree snail of the species Partula cytherea quietly, and most likely violently, met its demise. Reports from the International Union for Conservation of
The rapid extinction of the world’s slowest creatures Read More »
Think mushrooms. Other than juicy, beefless patty substitutes sizzling on a grill, your first thoughts may have ventured to vivid, orange blooms sprouting out of rotting tree trunks. Fungi — even the term evokes vague revulsion or apprehension — are synonymous with rot and decay. They are harbingers of death, macabre forest floor scavengers who
The mycelial cycle: Replenishing the world with fungi Read More »
The circle of life is an intrinsic part of existence. A flower buds from a seed, blossoms, loses its petals as it begins to frost, and slowly withers away, returning to the earth to be decomposed. From here, an orchestra of events occurs with microscopic creatures breaking down what once was alive and returning it
Human composting: A new future for our dead? Read More »
Cloning is evolving from sci-fi movies into laboratories. The idea of creating life — or even creating products of life — has always enticed humanity. Despite this fascination, the concept of cloning; whether of cells, animals, or humans; still fills most with unease and even disgust. Despite its unsettling connotations, billions of dollars have been
A salmon’s life begins with death. Hundreds of miles inland, adult salmon swim against fierce currents, passing hundreds of predators to reach the stream they were born in. There, they spawn and lay thousands of eggs in nests, called redds. For eggs to hatch and new life to begin, mature salmon commit themselves to death
There’s nothing quite like the brilliant shifting color of a butterfly’s wings. Humans have long been fascinated by the dynamic properties of anything that sparkles – gemstones, the feathers of a hummingbird, the scales of a fish. What makes this elusive property of nature so unique is not only the colors that it exhibits but
Glacial retreat due to climate change is currently one of the most concerning environmental transformations. As temperatures rise, glaciers recede, unveiling vast, barren landscapes called glacial drifts. These areas, once buried beneath ice, pose unique ecological challenges for the establishment and sustainment of life. However, recent research has revealed a surprising ally in the race
Llamas: The unlikely hero of ecological restoration Read More »