They arrive in California each winter, an undulating ribbon of orange and black. There, migrating western monarch butterflies nestle among the state’s coastal forests, traveling from as far away as Idaho and Utah only to return home in the spring. This year, though, the monarchs’ flight seems more perilous than ever. The Xerces Society for […]
Madison Armstrong, a senior studying evolutionary biology and ecology, has spent much of her time experiencing the world through research and scientific exploration. To say that she has been involved in an abundance of research experiences, would be a massive understatement. Armstrong started her research experience in Ecuador at age 17, working for “Operation Wallacea,” […]
Emily Austin, a WSU sophomore and zoology major, says the accelerated Honors Veterinary Medicine program was one of the main factors that drew her to WSU. The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Honors College have partnered up to provide an exceptional opportunity for motivated undergraduate students who are dedicated to a profession in veterinary […]
The breeding seasons of wild house finches are shifting due to climate change, a Washington State University researcher has found. The effect of climate change on the breeding season of birds has been documented before, but in a limited context. Heather Watts, an avian physiologist, reported her finding in Ibis, the International Journal of Avian […]
While humans may be one of the few animals that can give a high five, they are one of many with five fingers and toes. Humans are part of the primate family, which also includes monkeys, apes, and even lemurs. As a member of the family, you also have fingernails instead of claws and pads […]
WSU researchers have reverse engineered the way a pine tree produces a resin, which could serve as an environmentally friendly alternative to a range of fossil‑fuel based products worth billions of dollars. Colleagues in the Institute for Biological Chemistry literally dissected the machinery by which loblolly pine produces oleoresin. Key aspects of their work utilized […]
From the depths of ocean dead zones, to wide swaths of forests, and rising up to the troposphere, where most weather changes occur, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) 2014 Community Science Program portfolio seeks to parse functional information extracted from complex ecosystems to address urgent energy and environmental challenges. These […]
Daniel Mullendore, staff scientist with the WSU Franceschi Microscopy and Imaging Center and a graduate of the School of Biological Sciences PhD program, recently received a TRIO Achiever Award from the Association of Special Programs in Region Eight (ASPIRE). Federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education, TRIO programs provide services and resources to promote access […]
Genes and other genetic variations that appear to be involved in cancerous tumors shrinking in Tasmanian devils have been discovered by Washington State University scientists. The research is an important first step toward understanding what is causing devil facial tumor disease — a nearly 100 percent fatal and contagious form of cancer — to go away […]
Washington State University scientists, led by Andrew Storfer, an evolutionary geneticist and WSU professor of biology, have discovered genes and other genetic variations that appear to be involved in cancerous tumors shrinking in Tasmanian devils. Their research is an important first step towards understanding what is causing devil facial tumor disease, a nearly 100 percent […]