Citizen Science Can Instill Conservation Attitudes This paper (sub) investigates the attitudes of people participating in COASST, Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, a citizen science program focusing on beached birds. Even without specific educational goals, participants increased their conservation stewardship and developed a strong sense of place for the beaches that they patrolled. For…
Tag: Lions
Rewilding: restoring lost species to save ecosystems
At first they were just shadows, dark impressions glimpsed through the mist. Is that really…? Could it be…? As we moved a little closer one of them turned to the east, to face the rising sun. His profile was unmistakable, the curved horns and humped shoulders proclaiming “bison”! And not just any bison, but free-ranging European bison, grazing…
What we’re reading- April 4, 2014
Carnivore Research Effort vs Threatened Status This paper (open) compares the research effort (measured in number of journal publications) across the order Carnivora to both number of species per family and IUCN Red List status. The researchers did not find a relationship between threatened status and research effort, suggesting that species that may benefit from…
What we’re reading- Oct 25, 2013
Public Attitudes towards the Hellbender Educating the public about “uncharismatic” wildlife could lead to more positive attitudes about these species. Conservation informed by social-science could improve conservation outcomes. Epigenetic Clocks Track Aging New research shows how DNA methylation increases over time and may be used to estimate tissue age. In healthy tissues, tissue age would…
Gentlemen, We Can Rebuild It: a Potential Application of Synthetic Biology in Biodiversity Conservation
A few months ago, National Geographic hosted a TEDx De-Extinction meeting in Washington, D.C. What followed the meeting was a flurry of op-eds, thought pieces, and opines on the merits and risks of species de-extinction. Although exciting in its own right (or terrifying, depending on where you stand), I felt that the most interesting part…
WildlifeSNPits 