What can fossilized dolphin skeletons tell us about how whales transitioned from land to sea millions of years ago? New research describes Ankylorhiza tiedemani, an extinct species of dolphin that hunted large prey in the ancient seas of South Carolina. Julia ZehI am a PhD candidate at Syracuse University studying marine mammal communication. My research […]
Why do narwhals have tusks that make them look like unicorns? As climate change continues, what is the fate of narwhals and their enigmatic tusks? Two recent studies of these unicorns of the sea start to answer questions about their past, present, and future. Julia ZehI am a PhD candidate at Syracuse University studying marine […]
How do scientists build better suction cups? Turn to nature’s hitchikers for inspiration! Read on to see how remoras inspired a robotic suction disc that does a great job of sucking! Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island where I studied the sensory biology of deep-sea fishes. I am fascinated […]
When most people think about evolution, they see it as an extremely slow, gradual process that occurs over almost unthinkably vast timescales. Darwin certainly believed that evolution progressed slowly. While it’s true that evolutionary change requires a span of generations, for many reasons, it is actually possible to watch evolution occur in real-time, within a […]