Sunishka Thakur – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com A Closer Look at the Science Around Us Sun, 13 May 2018 00:06:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i1.wp.com/athensscienceobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-eye512.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Sunishka Thakur – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com 32 32 94425623 Texan Panthers to the (Genetic) Rescue https://athensscienceobserver.com/2018/04/05/texan-panthers-to-the-genetic-rescue/ Thu, 05 Apr 2018 15:27:57 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=8384 Once upon a time, thousands of panthers roamed throughout the North American continent. Puma concolor are a highly adaptive species that inhabited a variety of habitat types. However, within 200 years after European colonization, they were eliminated from the entire eastern half of North America due to hunting and habitat loss. All that remained was […]

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]]> 8384 The Bunny Invasion https://athensscienceobserver.com/2017/10/26/the-bunny-invasion/ Thu, 26 Oct 2017 20:54:22 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=7818 Australia is trying to kill all the bunnies that have invaded it, and all for environmental conservation. This seems counterintuitive, but ever since rabbits were introduced more than 150 years ago, they have been wreaking havoc.

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]]> 7818 An Update on the Whales https://athensscienceobserver.com/2017/07/13/an-update-on-the-whales/ Thu, 13 Jul 2017 19:44:34 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=7090 Anyone lighting a lamp in 19th century America almost certainly used whale oil. Several products, from bows to baskets to corsets, were made of baleen, which are essentially plates in a whale’s mouth used for filter feeding. As a result, more whales were killed during this century than the four centuries before it combined.

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]]> 7090 Going Bananas Over CRISPR https://athensscienceobserver.com/2017/03/09/going-bananas-over-crispr/ Thu, 09 Mar 2017 16:09:55 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=6224 Americans buy bananas in larger quantities than apples and oranges combined. However, this favorite potassium-filled fruit could soon go extinct. Panama disease, caused by a new strain of fungus called Tropical Race 4 (TR4), is slowly spreading around the world and causing entire crops of bananas to be eradicated.

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]]> 6224 It’s good to be different https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/10/03/its-good-to-be-different/ Tue, 04 Oct 2016 01:45:01 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=4806 Evolution runs on the principle of “survival of the fittest”- individuals that are better suited to their environment will be able to survive and reproduce more successfully. Following this logic, one would think that only the ‘good’ (advantageous) genes are passed on through generations, and the ‘bad’ (disadvantageous) genes are eventually eradicated. Thus, it is […]

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]]> 4806 Maternal Effects: Genes are not all you mother gives you https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/02/11/maternal-effects-genes-are-not-all-you-mother-gives-you/ Thu, 11 Feb 2016 04:04:46 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=2383 Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, is credited with discovering the basic principles of genetics in the 1860s and known as the father of genetics. According to his results, the two parents contribute one set of genes each, which forms the genotype (genetic makeup) of the child. The genotype expresses itself in the physical characteristics (called […]

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]]> 2383 The Magic of (Early) Reading https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/09/10/the-magic-of-early-reading/ Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:00:34 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=1432 My parents encouraged my sister and I to start reading from a very early age. I am pretty sure that as a child I read every book I owned about a hundred times. So imagine my joy when I saw a packed bookshelf at a friend’s house that belonged to her four-year-old sister. Surprisingly, my […]

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]]> 1432 Fighting Poaching with Science https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/06/15/fighting-poaching-with-science/ Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:45:00 +0000 https://athenssciencecafe.wordpress.com/?p=713 by Sonny Thakur, Athens Science Café One of the more direct and disturbing ways that humans are causing environmental damage is poaching, or illegally hunting wild animals for commercial reasons. The two most highly valued items that are obtained from poaching are rhinoceros horns and ivory from elephant tusks. The worst part about it is […]

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]]> 713 The War on Plastic https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/03/23/the-war-on-plastic/ Mon, 23 Mar 2015 11:42:17 +0000 https://athenssciencecafe.wordpress.com/?p=534 Plastic is probably the most important material in our lives today. We see it all around us and use it all the time. So much so that we throw away enough plastic waste each year to circle the planet four times. Why do we consume so much plastic? Sure, it makes our lives more comfortable, […]

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