@grrlscientist
PhD ornithology, parrot researcher, SciComm journalist & writer
Currently: Forbes
Formerly: The Guardian.
Vegan.
https://linktr.ee/grrlscientist
Vintage Crime: A Short History Of Wine Fraud By Rebecca Gibb — #Review
"A highly entertaining and well-researched tour of wine fraud from ancient Roman times up to the present day."
#Wine #WineFraud #Crime #RichPeople #books https://grrlscientist.medium.com/vintage-crime-a-short-history-of-wine-fraud-by-rebecca-gibb-review-d046034ce56b
What House Sparrow Genes Tell Us About Ourselves
"Did these birds evolve special adaptations that help them live in such close association with humans for so long?"
#sparrows #ornithology #genes #evolution #ecology #agriculture https://grrlscientist.medium.com/what-house-sparrow-genes-tell-us-about-ourselves-169ad9fbddab
Study Shows Microplastics Contaminate HALF Of All Freshwater Insects
"Plastic pollution is not limited to the world’s oceans: it is present in freshwater ecosystems too, where it is far more pervasive than originally thought."
#insects #PlasticPollution #Freshwater #ecology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/study-shows-microplastics-contaminate-half-of-all-freshwater-insects-4536ceba70aa
Nature by Numbers: a video
"Mathematics helps us discover nature: A stunning movie inspired by numbers, geometry and nature, by Cristóbal Vila."
#video #mathematics #nature #science https://medium.com/@grrlscientist/nature-by-numbers-a-video-92b49292d195
Do Kākāpōs Have Superbugs?
"So far, so good: Aotearoa New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō parrots are not showing signs of antibiotic resistant bacteria — yet."
#Kakapo #EndangeredSpecies #AntibioticResistance #Bacteria #Microbes #ecology https://medium.com/microbial-instincts/do-k%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8Ds-have-superbugs-d1429d18d9b9
The Tiny Owl Who Visited The Big Apple
"Five years ago, a tiny northern saw-whet owl was discovered huddled inside the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree that had been transported to Manhattan"
#owls #birds #ChristmasTree #RockefellerCenter #Manhattan #NYC https://grrlscientist.medium.com/the-tiny-owl-who-visited-the-big-apple-41aefc223c81
North Atlantic Right Whales Are Facing Extinction
"Ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements continue to reduce the numbers of North Atlantic right whale population, and the species could become extinct by 2040"
#Whales #Endangered #Extinction #conservation #Whaling #ShipStrikes #FishingGear #FishingGearEntanglements https://grrlscientist.medium.com/north-atlantic-right-whales-are-facing-extinction-c9e6ac60e2c8
Genomics Reveals Snow Leopards Have Always Been Rare
"Whole genome sequencing has revealed that snow leopards have low genetic diversity because they are rare, and probably always have been."
#BigCats #SnowLeopard #Genomics #diversity #Ecology #Evolution https://grrlscientist.medium.com/genomics-reveals-snow-leopards-have-always-been-rare-72c0115a3f6a
‘Vanished: An Unnatural History Of Extinction,’ By Sadiah Qureshi — Review
"A poignant recounting ofthe tangled and unnatural histories of extinction and empire, and how extinction is not necessarily inevitable but instead, is a political choice."
#Science #biology #conservation #extinction #colonialism #wildlife #IndigenousPeoples https://medium.com/@grrlscientist/vanished-an-unnatural-history-of-extinction-by-sadiah-qureshi-review-fe7533c1326a
Birdsongs Can Calm Your Frayed Nerves
"'Touching grass' really does improve one’s mental health."
#birds #birdsong #nature #TouchGrass #anxiety #depression #stress https://grrlscientist.medium.com/birdsongs-can-calm-your-frayed-nerves-21dbf9843dcb
Climate Change Could Cook African Painted Dogs Into Extinction
"Global warming isn’t only affecting animals like polar bears and emperor penguins. African wild dog populations may also collapse due to climate change
#ClimateCrisis #extinction #ecology #environment #conservation #Africa https://grrlscientist.medium.com/climate-change-could-cook-african-painted-dogs-into-extinction-32343730bd69
Monterey Bay is home to Plastic-Filled Seabirds And Fish
"Microparticles recovered from the guts of some seabirds living in Monterey Bay exhibited estrogen-like effects that have the potential to disrupt normal hormone functions"
#Plastic #Pollution #Birds #Seabirds #MarineWildlife #wildlife #MontereyBay https://medium.com/@grrlscientist/monterey-bay-is-home-to-plastic-filled-seabirds-and-fish-9d1f602f794d
Half Male-Half Female Spider Discovered In Thailand Is New To Science
"Not only is this species new to science, but this remarkable individual is the first record of a rare biological phenomenon (bilateral gynandromorphism) in this previously unknown species."
#gynandromorph #NewSpecies #spider #Thailand https://grrlscientist.medium.com/half-male-half-female-spider-discovered-in-thailand-is-new-to-science-78e9e785aea0
What House Sparrow Genes Tell Us About Ourselves
"Did these birds evolve special adaptations that help them live in such close association with humans for so long?"
#sparrows #ornithology #genes #evolution #ecology #agriculture https://grrlscientist.medium.com/what-house-sparrow-genes-tell-us-about-ourselves-169ad9fbddab
Where Did Yellowstone’s Black Wolves Come From?
"Black wolves are either absent or very rare in most parts of their range, but are mysteriously common in some parts of North America"
#wolf #color #genetics #CanineDistemperVirus #MateChoice #Evolution #Behavior #Yellowstone https://grrlscientist.medium.com/where-did-yellowstones-black-wolves-come-from-a21008634f54
The Genetic Basis for Red Plumage Color In Birds
"Two teams of researchers have independently identified a gene-encoded enzyme in birds that converts yellow pigments obtained from the diet into red pigments, which birds then use to color their feathers, bills and bare skin"
#birds #PlumageColor #Red #genetics #ornithology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/the-genetic-basis-for-red-plumage-color-in-birds-f7a5dfc1cadc
How The Horse Genome Was Changed by Domestication
"A study reveals the suite of traits that ancient nomadic peoples selected to develop the type of horse that best fit their purposes"
#horses #genome #domestication #AncientHumans https://medium.com/@grrlscientist/how-the-horse-genome-was-changed-by-domestication-14ecf2f0adbb
The Forbidden Garden Of Leningrad By Simon Parkin — Review
"The untold true story of Russian botanists at the world’s first seed bank in besieged Leningrad during WW2 who faced a terrible choice."
#books #History #SeedBank #scientists #Russia #Leningrad https://grrlscientist.medium.com/the-forbidden-garden-of-leningrad-by-simon-parkin-review-341fd0aa0770
Going Vegan Can Cut Your Carbon Footprint In Half
"Comparisons of four diets revealed a clear pattern: the more plant foods consumed, the smaller the ecological footprint."
#GoVegan #Vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #food #CarbonFootprint #Ecology #ClimateChange https://grrlscientist.medium.com/going-vegan-can-cut-your-carbon-footprint-in-half-2c93c2c17782
Our Brains Our Selves By Masud Husain — #Review
"A frightening but fascinating book that reveals how our personalities and identities hang by the slenderest of neurological threads."
#books #cognition #brain #neurology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/our-brains-our-selves-by-masud-husain-review-d55b7d0abf5c