Tag Archives: Biological Evolution

BEACON Researchers at Work: Investigating the dynamics of diversification in chipmunks

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by University of Idaho graduate student Brice Sarver. Speciation, the set of processes through which new species arise, is one of the central areas of biological study.  It is easy, relatively speaking, … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Nutrition limitation’s role in phytoplankton evolution

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU graduate student Megan Larsen. We all know that the world is more complex than the simplified systems and questions we use in laboratories. And yet, as scientists we have … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: If Sticklebacks Could Talk…

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU postdoc Liliana Lettieri. “My what a red throat you have, and such a blue belly!  You’ve got some impressive dance moves, and you’ve built a nice nest.” If stickleback … Continue reading →

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BEACON scientists show how new viruses can evolve and become deadly

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. The scientists showed for the first time how … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Studying the evolution of sociality with real and digital hyenas

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU postdoc Aaron Wagner. The evolution of sociality is one of the most fascinating and productive topics in evolutionary biology. Though it is often very useful to look to social … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: How the cricket lost its song

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by MSU postdoc Robin Tinghitella. Last April I had the pleasure of writing the very first BEACON Researchers at Work blog post. I shared a story about how a tropical field cricket, … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Deciphering Avian Aromas

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by BEACON Managing Director Danielle Whittaker. The sense of smell is one we often take for granted in our own lives. However, even though we may not be conscious of it, odor … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Experimenting with predation

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU graduate student Michael DeNieu.  The Dworkin lab is like a certain popular energy drink…it gives you wings. There’s a wide range of topics ongoing in the lab spanning functional … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Effects of rapid environmental change on evolution

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by University of Washington postdoc Jenna Gallie. Life has existed on Earth for nearly four billion years. Given that organisms have been evolving continuously, why are they still not perfectly adapted … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: How do geckos stick to the wall?

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by University of Idaho graduate student Travis Hagey. I am a fourth year grad student in Dr. Luke Harmon’s lab at the University of Idaho. My thesis looks at how geckos (and … Continue reading →

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