Our planet is home to all kinds of different plants, and they help make a lot of the oxygen we breathe. To find out how plants make oxygen, I asked my friend Balasaheb Sonawane, a scientist at WSU who researches photosynthesis, or the ways plants use energy from the sun and make oxygen. He said that […]
A biology and organizational communication double major, Edward Felt (’09) is the north American sales manager for VMRD, Inc., a Pullman-based company that develops and manufactures veterinary diagnostic test kits and reagents for distribution in more than 77 countries, as well as performing specialized testing for the global serum, veterinary, and pharmaceutical industries.
Chuck Cody, who has served as the Abelson Hall Greenhouse plant growth facilities manager since the facility opened in 1985, answered questions about the space, the plants, and his career for WSU Pullman’s #FacultyFriday Facebook feature. High above the southern end of the Library Mall, the rooftop greenhouse houses roughly 500 different species within 4,000 […]
There are all kinds of different birds on our planet, and they migrate to different places. My friend Heather Watts, a researcher at Washington State University, is really curious about bird migration and told me more about how birds know where to go. She said there are some birds that make a round-trip flight when they […]
In addition to winning first place in her division for a compelling, three-minute overview of her complex, years-long biological research project, Milica Radanovic won a place among 23 graduate students selected nationwide by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) to inform Congress about the importance of funding scientific research. “We are living during a time […]
There are more than 34,000 species of fish on our planet. It can be tricky to tell the age or sex of a fish, but biologists have come up with a few different ways to find out. My friend Paul Wheeler, a fish biologist at WSU, told me all about it.
Biomarkers in human sperm that can indicate a propensity to father children with autism spectrum disorder have been identified by a team of international researchers led by Michael Skinner, WSU professor of biological sciences. The biomarkers are epigenetic, meaning they involve changes to molecular factors that regulate genome activity such as gene expression independent of […]
Amid the global COVID-19 crisis, there is some good news about a wildlife pandemic—which may also help scientists better understand how other emerging diseases evolve. WSU researchers have found strong evidence that a transmissible cancer that has decimated Tasmanian devil populations likely won’t spell their doom.
The recovery of beavers may have beneficial consequences for amphibians because beaver dams can create the unique habitats that amphibians need. “Beaver-dammed wetlands support more of the amphibian species that need a long time to develop in water as larvae before they are able to live on land as adults,” said Jonah Piovia-Scott, assistant professor […]
A team at WSU Tri-Cities is researching the impact that a type of fungus could have on vineyard growth and associated nutrient uptake, which could lead to less watering and less fertilizer required for a successful grape crop. Tanya Cheeke, assistant professor of biology, was awarded a two-year $40,000 grant to support a field experiment […]