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Breakthroughs in Science

Archive for June, 2009

First Rule of Lionfish Research

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Emily Pickering has a rule about swimming with lionfish: don’t get poked! The OSU first-year student is studying these fierce looking fish with OSU coral reef expert Mark Hixon in the Bahamas. Native to the South Pacific, lionfish are raising havoc in the Caribbean and along the Florida coast. Read Emily’s posts from Lee Stocking […]

Epitaph for a Coral Reef

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

For OSU coral reef scientist Mark Hixon, climate change is personal. He studied a tropical reef for a decade, and the results of his work stunned and inspired him. In a new book, Thoreau’s Legacy, published by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Penguin Books, Hixon describes the calamity that struck in 1998. His is […]

Birds not likely descended from dinosaurs

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

From Science Daily: Warm-blooded birds need about 20 times more oxygen than cold-blooded reptiles, and have evolved a unique lung structure that allows for a high rate of gas exchange and high activity level. Their unusual thigh complex is what helps support the lung and prevent its collapse. “This is fundamental to bird physiology,” said […]

Off to Kenya

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Finals this week! And after that, where else to go but Kenya? That’s where Shalynn Pack, a junior in zoology from Marcola, Oregon, will work this summer in pursuit of a career in tropical forest conservation and ecotourism. Check out her lab: Lake Nakuru National Park at www.kws.org/nakuru.html.