Feature – Athens Science Observer

Helping plants thrive: assisted gene flow may combat habitat loss

Riley Thoen — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:26:08 +0000

If you have ever driven on a rural road, you have likely seen flowers in small patches of land on the roadside. While it is easy to write these habitat patches off as “just some on the roadside,” they actually serve as some of the last remnants of the American prairie. Before the colonization of …

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From Touring Musician to International Mycologist

Inam Jameel — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 22:30:36 +0000

Dr. M. Cathie Aime is a Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology and Director of the Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel Herbaria at the University of Purdue. Her lab specializes on the biology of rust fungi as well as the biodiversity of tropical fungi, which has led her research to have an international focus. Interestingly enough, …

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Egg Freezing: Are Silicon Valley Companies Entering the Ice Age?

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 03:45:32 +0000

In 2014, Facebook was the first tech company to announce it would pay for egg freezingâ€”both for female staff and the spouses of its employees. Soon after, Apple and Google started offering egg freezing as a benefit too. We all know that a gender gap exists in the workplace; and STEM industries, especially tech companies, …

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Dogs: Origins, Evolution, and Breed Concerns of Man's Best Friend

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 22:11:10 +0000

â€œ A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.â€ – Josh Billings For thousands of years, dogs have faithfully served by man's side. Along the way, different breeds have emerged with distinctive personalities and skills. German shorthaired pointers are great hunting dogs while Doberman pinschers are loyal …

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Out There With the Old, In with New: The James Webb Space Telescope

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 23:12:23 +0000

What is the fate of the universe? Will it keep expanding forever? What did some of the first galaxies look like? Why are we here? The Hubble Space Telescope was commissioned to answer just these sorts of queries – well, except for that last one, you're on your own there. Indeed, Hubble has shed clarity …

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Understanding Diabetes: Life with a Chronic Illness

athenssciencecafe — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:56:05 +0000

Header Image Courtesy of Flikr You wake up, and the first thing you think about is diabetes because you have to check your blood sugar â€¦ and kind of know where to start your day. She was sitting in her kitchen, chatting over FaceTime as if a friend had just dropped by for a visit. …

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The confusing world of black holes and quantum mechanics

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 16:50:41 +0000

The dramatic story of black holes is one filled with mysteries, intrigue and paradoxes. From the obscure birth at the beginning of the twentieth century to their rise in importance at the end of the past century, black holes have constantly made us question the very foundations of what we thought we understood about physics. …

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Wealth versus wellness: The complex world of global health

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:35:34 +0000

Over the course of the year 2005, nearly 9,500 people lay in bed with arsenic coursing through their veins. They had watched as the toxic drug was slowly forced into their bloodstream, hopefully through a glass syringe; as it is dissolved in propylene glycol, a close relative of antifreeze, the drug melts plastic syringes used …

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