Exploring Biodiversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Erin Canter found her way to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, in eastern Tennessee, from what she describes as a very “stereotypical science” background: white coat, gloves, sequencing DNA in a lab. But “that didn’t quite do it for me,” she says. After six months spent mostly outdoors living in a tent while … Read more “Exploring Biodiversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park”

Categories: Biology, Environment

City Squirrels Look Different. Is Evolution Driving a Color Change?

In 1902, an international trade deal was brokered between the U.S. and Canada. Frank Baker, superintendent of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., had been working on the deal for some time. In a letter from 1900 sent to several addresses in Ontario, Canada, Baker explains he is “very desirous of obtaining” a particular … Read more “City Squirrels Look Different. Is Evolution Driving a Color Change?”

Categories: Animals

Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help

For many of us, the sound of fall is defined by honking geese overhead and the calls of familiar songbirds in our yards. Every year, billions of birds, bats and insects take to the air in an ancient migration that leads them from the northern reaches of our continent to more temperate climates in the … Read more “Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help”

Categories: Animals

How Old Family Fishing Photos Unlock the History of Atlantic Fisheries

Rusty Hudson grew up on the salt-laden docks of Daytona Beach, Florida. As a third-generation fisherman, he naturally took to the industry. When he was just 9 years old, Hudson started his first job as a bait boy aboard the Mako, a charter boat owned by his grandfather, Captain Jake Stone. By the late 1960s, … Read more “How Old Family Fishing Photos Unlock the History of Atlantic Fisheries”

Categories: Biology

Museums are Full of Forgotten Treasures. You Can Help Find Them

Around the world, in thousands of museums, there are millions of specimens representing the known biological diversity of our world. Each one of those specimens is a physical snapshot of time, prepared and preserved by a collector in a carefully curated collection. They’re often pressed in the pages of books, sketched into drawings and notes, … Read more “Museums are Full of Forgotten Treasures. You Can Help Find Them”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment

#BlackInNature: How Young Scientists are Pushing for Equality

Deja Perkins loved animals growing up. And by the time she left her native Chicago to attend Tuskegee University in Alabama, she wanted to become a veterinarian, often the only animal-related career introduced to people of color, she says. But it didn’t take long before Perkins realized she’d rather study animals in the natural world. … Read more “#BlackInNature: How Young Scientists are Pushing for Equality”

Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other

Earth Day Activities: These Science Projects Get You Outside Virtually

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a time of year when many people by get outside to take part in community clean ups and environmental celebrations. But this year is different. Schools and parks have closed, and we’re left to celebrate while social distancing. This list of citizen science activities and projects can … Read more “Earth Day Activities: These Science Projects Get You Outside Virtually”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Ecology & Environment

Join a National Moth Week Event Near You!

Tomorrow, on Saturday, July 21, Moth Week will commence! Running until Sunday, July 29, Moth Week is a way for people of all ages all around the world to come together to celebrate the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. These self-described “Moth-ers” are in fact citizen scientists, as one of the key missions … Read more “Join a National Moth Week Event Near You!”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, Education, Events

Mobilize hundreds of years of biodiversity information with WeDigBio!

By: Dr. Libby Ellwood Each year, millions of people flock to natural history museums to see examples of plants, animals, gemstones and more from places around the world. But what those visitors don’t get to see are the countless additional specimens behind the scenes. These specimen collections, housed at museums, universities, and other institutions, are … Read more “Mobilize hundreds of years of biodiversity information with WeDigBio!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile