Anxious to Evolve?
Anxiety and Stress in Human Evolution

“Exhausting amounts of work, financial pressures, and expectations to publish. Most of our readers will be familiar with these perpetual stressors of graduate school. But regardless of your career, you are likely to experience stress fairly often. The question is, when does stress become anxiety? Does anxiety serve a purpose in the evolution of our species? Finally, how is human anxiety shaped by a rapidly changing world?”

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish – Megafish?

“If I asked you to imagine the largest animals on earth, what would you see? […] It turns out these giants can all be considered “megafauna”, a term for especially large animals. Megafauna are often charismatic and particularly treasured by humanity, making them frequent conservation priorities. Despite this appreciation for our large-bodied brethren, however, we often overlook a fascinating group of organisms: freshwater megafauna.”

Revisiting Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic

“Leopold wrote the book while working as a professor in the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agriculture between 1933 and 1948. It wasn’t until the blossoming environmental movement of the 1960s, however, that the book truly became a classic. In a time when we seem to be losing track of ethics entirely, perhaps it is time to revisit Aldo Leopold’s classic essays for guidance.”

Grandmother Knows Best
Recent Insights into Menopause in Toothed Whales

“From celebrities talking openly about “the change” to new companies that specialize in the health of middle-aged women, menopause is receiving more attention than it ever has. So why do humans go through menopause? Hints to the evolution of this unique developmental milestone may lie with an unexpected group of animals: toothed whales.”

Lumpers vs. Splitters:
“Two Taxonomists, both alike in dignity.”

“In general, “lumpers” tend to combine taxa into larger systematic groups while “splitters” break systematic groups apart into more taxa. Recently, however, it seems like the terms could refer to rival gangs, and one runs the risk of being judged depending on their answer to the question above.”