Biology
The Twinsburg John Doe: Forensic Reconstruction
The Twinsburg John Doe case is an especially tough one, and the Summit County Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s office need help identifying this man. No dental records have been found that match his teeth. I hope my facial reconstruction will jog someone’s memory, and that he will be recognized. Background for Twinsburg Case [...]
Post on Nov 09, 2011 by Linda Spurlock from QUEST Ohio
Science on the SPOT: Resurrecting the Dead
QUEST travels to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to meet Linda Spurlock, an anatomist and forensic reconstruction artist who uses clay to re-construct the faces of ancient humans in order to show what they looked like when alive. She also sketches more recently deceased people using only their remains in order to help police solve crimes.
Video on Nov 09, 2011 by Toivo Motter from QUEST Ohio
‘Superfast’ Muscles Help Bats Find Their Dinner
As a hunting bat closes in on a flying insect, its echolocation calls get closer and closer together, and shorter and shorter in duration. Scientists recently discovered how their muscles can produce more than 160 calls every second.
Post on Nov 09, 2011 by Carolyn Beeler from QUEST Philadelphia
Your Photos on QUEST: Mike Forsberg
Mike Forsberg, a nationally renowned photographer, conservationist, and author from Nebraska, spent four years traveling 100,000 miles across the Great Plains—from North Dakota to Texas—to create a portrait of under-appreciated species and habitats of what many consider “flyover country.”
Video on Nov 08, 2011 by Gary Hochman from QUEST Nebraska
Sniffing Out Mr. Right
Biology may have made it so that women prefer the smell of men with different immune systems from their own. Disturbingly, the pill may turn this on its head so that women like the way men with similar immune systems smell.
Post on Nov 07, 2011 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
From Swords to Test Tubes: The Million Veteran Program
A massive database like what the VA is building would allow scientists to compare thousands of anonymous medical records with just a few keystrokes, to study conditions such as cancer and PTSD.
Audio Report on Nov 04, 2011 by Amy Standen from QUEST Northern California
Update on the Salt Creek Tiger Beetles: Q & A with Stephen Spomer
Steve Spomer has been involved in Salt Creek Tiger Beetle research for more than two decades. Spomer is now working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a capture and recovery program to save the species.
Post on Nov 02, 2011 by Perry Stoner from QUEST Nebraska
Sharktober Continues in November
To sharks, it's still Sharktober. Weather permitting, we will continue our expeditions through SF Bay Whale Watching over the next few weekends looking for turtles and sharks.
Post on Nov 02, 2011 by David McGuire from QUEST Northern California
Scientists Work to Measure, Understand Jersey Jellyfish Explosion
New Jersey scientists study proliferating populations of sea nettles, which have made some waters un-swimmable.
Post on Nov 02, 2011 by Carolyn Beeler from QUEST Philadelphia
Asian Carp, an "Alien" Threat to Lake Erie
Lake Erie is considered to be the most productive of all five of the Great Lakes.Within its waters are diverse and interdependent plants and animals that make up an intricate web of life. Mostly due to human carelessness, the lake has become home to an increasing number of non-native plants, animals, and micro-organisms which threaten [...]
Post on Nov 01, 2011 by Toivo Motter from QUEST Ohio
Collecting "Environmental DNA" (eDNA) in the Fight Against Invasive Species
Scientists from federal and state agencies are regularly collecting samples of the water in the Chicago Area Waterway System looking for DNA cells that have been shed by Asian carp. Finding this environmental DNA (eDNA) would indicate the invasive species is present in the area.
Slideshow on Nov 01, 2011 by Donna Crane from QUEST Wisconsin
Back from the Brink of Extinction: Habitat Map for the Lake Erie Watersnake
On August 16, 2011 the Lake Erie watersnake became only the 23rd species to ever be removed, or “de-listed,” from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s list of endangered and threatened wildlife. So how did the Lake Erie Water Snake, or LEWS, beat the odds?
Post on Nov 01, 2011 by Toivo Motter from QUEST Ohio
Asian Carp: Threat to Great Lakes
The invasive Asian carp has wreaked havoc in the Mississippi River system. The voracious plankton eaters have out-competed native fish and have become the dominant species in many locations. If the carp reach the Great Lakes, they pose a threat to its $7 billion fishery, so a battle against them is taking place on many fronts.
Video on Nov 01, 2011 by Andy Soth from QUEST Wisconsin
Cool Critters: Lake Erie Water Snake
Within and along the waters of Lake Erie (one of the five Great Lakes), there is a daily struggle for survival between natives and unwelcomed invasive species.
Video on Nov 01, 2011 by Toivo Motter from QUEST Ohio
Food Increases Gut Size By Stimulating Stem Cells And Insulin
Stem cells in the gut of Drosophila divide in response to food.
Post on Oct 28, 2011 by Darya Pino from QUEST Northern California
Sanctuary for Whales, Sanctuary for Sharks
Yesterday I led another expedition out into the Gulf of the Farallones on the Outer Limits with Captain Jimmy. Primarily billed as whale watching, these trips are really about the entire ecosystem, and when I’m aboard, we talk shark, because sharks are what I love, study, advocate and protect through my non-profit Sea Stewards.
Post on Oct 26, 2011 by David McGuire from QUEST Northern California
The Bay Area Science Festival Begins
The Bay Area Science Festival, a 10-day celebration of science, starts this week. There are over 50 exciting events throughout the Bay Area, including hikes, lectures, and concerts.
Post on Oct 24, 2011 by Jennifer Skene from QUEST Northern California
Will He Have My Nose?
I get these kinds of questions all the time. And except for a few traits, I have to pretty much say I don’t know.
Post on Oct 24, 2011 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
Guadalupe Island: Protecting Sharks through Ecotourism
Last week I joined four Italian photographers, three Japanese and six Americans on a Mexican Shark watching vessel to enter underwater cages, and experience what it is like to be in the water with a Great White Shark.
Post on Oct 11, 2011 by David McGuire from QUEST Northern California
Sequencing Within Reach
The cost of figuring out what someone’s DNA looks like is dropping like a stone. For casual consumers, though, affordable DNA sequencing can be less than useful. In fact, it might even make a difficult situation worse.
Post on Oct 10, 2011 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
