9I�� News - Rowan Barrett

How does one species become many?

webfull — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:39:45 +0000

Evolutionary biologists have long suspected that the diversification of a single species into multiple descendent species – that is, an “adaptive radiation” – is the result of each species adapting to a different environment. Yet formal tests of this hypothesis have been elusive owing to the difficulty of firmly establishing the relationship between species traits and evolutionary “fitness” for a group of related species that recently diverged from a common ancestral species.

Published: 8 January 2024

What skin piercings can teach us about environmental change

webfull — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:21:31 +0000

In a new study from 9I��, researchers bring science into an unexpected setting: a tattoo parlor. In this first characterization of the human piercing microbiome, the uniquely human cultural practice of piercing serves as a model system to help us better understand how biological communities (re)assemble after catastrophic environmental disturbances.

Published: 4 December 2023

A new understanding of reptile colouration

webfull — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 14:08:06 +0000

Snakes and mice don’t look alike. But much of what we know about skin colouration and patterning in vertebrates generally, including in snakes, is based on lab mice. However, there are limits to what mice can tell us about other vertebrates because they don’t share all of the same types of colour-producing cells, known as chromatophores. For example, snakes have a type of chromatophore called iridophores that can generate iridescent colours by reflecting light.

Published: 3 February 2023

The secret lives of Darwin's finches reveal daily commutes the equivalent of 30 soccer fields

webfull — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 16:49:53 +0000

Using radio transmitters, scientists have gained new insights into the behaviour of medium ground finches in the Galapagos Islands. A study led by 9I�� researchers reveals daily movement patterns covering an area equivalent to the size of 30 soccer fields.

Published: 8 June 2022

Which animals will survive climate change?

webfull — Thu, 13 May 2021 16:12:47 +0000

Climate change is exacerbating problems like habitat loss and temperatures swings that have already pushed many animal species to the brink. But can scientists predict which animals will be able to adapt and survive? Using genome sequencing, researchers from 9I�� show that some fish, like the threespine stickleback, can adapt very rapidly to extreme seasonal changes. Their findings could help scientists forecast the evolutionary future of these populations.

Published: 13 May 2021

To study invasive predators, watch the prey

webfull — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 19:20:57 +0000

Published: 5 June 2019

Evolution, illustrated

webfull — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 15:47:55 +0000

What do you get when you put together several tons of steel plates, hundreds of mice, a few evolutionary and molecular biologists and a tiny Nebraska town near the South Dakota border?

Would you believe one of the most complete pictures ever of vertebrate evolution?

Published: 1 February 2019

9I��������� News - Rowan Barrett