A debate going on in the scientific communities about the benefits of fertilizing the oceans with iron as a way to combat global warming. The theory behind iron fertilization is to remove CO2 gas from the environment by creating phytoplankton…
Read more
Kinorhynchs are tiny marine worms that almost no one except invertebrate zoologists have even heard of, much less seen. Their common names are ‘mud dragons’ and spiny-headed worms. The name Kinorhynch means movable snout, which refers to the way they…
Read more
Most worms aren’t pretty. Earthworms may be useful and important biologically but they aren’t exactly photogenic Some are downright revolting: tapeworms, liver flukes, pin worms, round worms. There are so many sorts of worms that it has taken scientists a…
Read more
The polymerase chain reaction, known more commonly as PCR, is a lab technique used to amplify a sequence of DNA. The process takes advantage of the cellular system of DNA replication. Geneticists and medical researchers use PCR to determine if…
Read more
Acarology is the study of mites and ticks, animals which are classified in the Order Acari of the Class Arachnida, which is part of the Phylum Arthropoda. As such they have typical arthropod characteristics, including an exoskeleton which they have…
Read more
Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order Lepidoptera, which means scaly-winged. These scales give butterflies their colour and moths their camouflage. For the most part, moths are nocturnal while butterflies are diurnal. The Lepidoptera are holometabolous insects which means…
Read more
Tardigrades. What are they? Their name means ‘slow walkers’ and their common name is ‘water bear’ because they do have a rather bear-like appearance under the microscope, if you ignore the fact that they have eight legs. They have also…
Read more
The Black Handed Spider Monkey is found in South America, in the countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. In these countries you will find slightly different sub-species, but all can be known as…
Read more
Mayfly Nymphs, a brief question and answer survey. 1) What is the classification of the organism for its adult form? 2) Where and when is this organism usually found in the environment? 3) What is the major food source of…
Read more
Before I start to tell you what the molting process of a hermit crab is, I am going to explain exactly what molting is. According to Merriam Webster dictionary www.merriam-webster.com molting is “to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an…
Read more