CreatureCast: The Resurrection Fern
Rebecca Haumann, from Erika Edwards' Plant Diversity course at Brown University, describes how different plants cope with drying out.
Life Sciences
What is this thing called life? Biologists are life's detectives, discovering how life works and what makes animals, plants and microbes "alive." Organisms don't remain the same forever. Without change, life on Earth would stagnate. Species are in a constant dance with their environment. When an environment changes, the species that live within must change too, evolving to better adapt in order to survive. The end result is the diversity of life we see around us.
In The Grass, On The Reef: Can Mud Crabs Hear?
Dr. David Kimbro and Dr. Randall Hughes study fear on the oyster reef. A predator gives off a chemical "scent," and its prey changes its behavior to avoid being detected. Now, Randall and David are asking, "Do mud crabs hear their prey?"
CreatureCast: Ginkgo
Discussing the life and times of ginkgo trees
In The Grass, On The Reef: Testing The Ecology Fear
Florida State University ecologists look at how the fear of being eaten may make healthier coastal ecosystems.
Apalachicola Oyster Reef Survey
A study headed by Dr. David Kimbro is tackling the Apalachicola Oyster Fishery crisis. In the first phase of this research initiative, small sample areas across the bay were sampled to determine the relative health of reefs in different areas within it.
Crown Conch - Friend Or Foe To The Coastal Salt Marsh?
Dr. Randall Hughes and Dr. David Kimbro look at how the conch affect their prey- the marsh grass eating periwinkle snail- through fear. Will the periwinkles be too scared to eat? For that answer, you may want to check your tide chart.
Coelacanth Genome Surfaces: Unexpected Insights To An Ancient-Looking Fish
An international team of researchers has sequenced the genome of the African coelacanth -- a giant, ancient fish thought to have gone extinct around the time of the dinosaurs but discovered a few decades ago off the coast of Africa. Their research reveals insights into how some vertebrates adapted to life on land, while others remained creatures of the sea.
CreatureCast: Getting Around When You Are Round
Humans have a front and a back and two legs. We walk around on our two legs. When we need to change the direction we are moving in, we first turn our body to face the new direction and then use our same two legs to keep going. It works for us. But, what about a round animal that also has an odd number of limbs?
The Synergy Project: Sacred Intersections
Synergy is an experimental program that catalyzes partnerships between artists and research scientists. Ellie Bors studies deep-sea life. Laurie Kaplowitz creates mixed-media drawings and paintings.
Creaturecast: How To Hide
Riley Thompson, from the College of the Atlantic, tells the story of how animals become invisible.
NSF Science Now 9
NSF Science Now series spotlights NSF science and engineering research and discoveries
Fire Ants: Coping With These Invasive Insects
Management, not eradication, could be the key to co-existing with fire ants
Facing The Future: Adélie Penguins And Climate Change
David Ainley and Jean Pennycook are studying Adélie Penguins in Antarctica to learn how they may adapt to climate change. Ainley is looking closely at the "superbreeders" among the penguins for clues.
The Moorea Island Biocode Project
Gustav Pauley, a marine malacology curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, details the Moorea Island Biocode project and discusses its importance. The project is the first and most comprehensive scientific effort to identify, photograph and collect DNA from every visible organism in one specific location.
The Art Of Science
Science isn’t just electron microscopes and high-tech instruments. Researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech are examining the intersection of art and science.
Researching Cold Water Corals
Pioneering faculty and students at UMaine's Darling Marine Center dive into the rarely seen world of deep sea coral bringing new and exciting discoveries to the surface.
NSF Science Now 5
NSF Science Now series spotlights NSF science and engineering research and discoveries
What's In A Name?
Species names are important, and much like the species they refer to, names often change over time, too. Taxonomists have been struggling to keep track of them all since the origins of natural history. Binomial nomenclature, the standardized way in which scientists name species, was a major breakthrough.
Whales In Fjords
Researcher Eric Keen describes his research about fin whale occurrence and vocalizations within a developing coastal corridor. Produced for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program Video Contest.
Turtles In The Deep
This short video explains how Lindsey Peavey's PhD research is shaping the field of sea turtle ecology by taking investigations from nesting beaches into open ocean habitats where threatened turtles spend the majority of their time and encounter major threats. The open ocean foraging ecology insights that result from her research will be instrumental in informing marine resources managers tasked with balancing species protection, fisheries production and ecosystem preservation. Produced for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program Video Contest.