Paleontology
This is your brain on arthropod evolution
Reference: Moysiuk, J., Caron, J.B. (2022). A three-eyed radiodont with fossilized neuroanatomy informs the origin of the arthropod head and…
Author: Fayth Tan
I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Biology at Caltech. I study animal regeneration across phylogeny— my interests include the evolution and development of weird animals and obscure science history.
Human impacts
Industrialized shipping (literally) impacts whale sharks
The world’s largest fish suffered a mysterious decline. Researchers embarked on a global tracking project to find out why. Reference:…
Evolution
The Care and Feeding of Tropical Cichlids
Parenthood is an all-consuming task. How did some tropical fish evolve to take that sentiment literally? Reference: Weller, H. I.,…
Biological oceanography
S’not your typical carbon capture
This mucus-making microbe deploys a snotty strategy for cycling carbon in the ocean. Reference: Larsson, M.E., Bramucci, A.R., Collins, S.…
Paleontology
Motion in the ocean: how did the earliest animals move?
Fossils over 500 million years old may give us insight into the evolutionary origin of animal movement. Reference: Wang, X.,…
technology
Algal Automata
Unlike fictional cyborgs, this unlikely robot is powered by a biological process millions of years old. Reference: Phillips, N., Draper,…
Ecology
Diatom Dialogue
Reference: Font-Muñoz, J. S., Sourisseau, M., Cohen-Sánchez, A., Tuval, I., & Basterretxea, G. (2021). Pelagic diatoms communicate through synchronized beacon…
Biology
A “super simple” approach to immunity
This super simple animal has immune cells. What does it mean for biology? References: Mayorova, T.D., Hammar, K., Jung, J.H.…
Evolution
How did flying fish get their “wings”?
The evolution of their long, fin-like wings might be surprisingly simple.