Sugarcane aphids are becoming a more prevalent pest in sorghum in the United States, especially in the south and are making their way north. There are many management practices that can be used on sugarcane aphids, the most important being scouting and maintaining populations. The most common mistake once a pest has been found is to immediately…

In the 1990s, classes throughout the United States began participating in Classroom FeederWatch, sending data on birds they had seen at feeders in their schoolyards to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The launch of eBird in 2002 opened up new possibilities for submitting data on all types of bird species, allowing users to record and upload…

Students are amazed when I show them a zoo photo of an animal behind a fence and then a zoomed-in photo where the fence has disappeared. They ask 'Where did the fence go?' This paper will explore this magical phenomenon which draws from concepts in photography (angle of view, depth of field) and physics (convex lenses, focal length, real images).…

Signaled active avoidance (SigAA) is the key experimental procedure for studying the acquisition of instrumental responses toward conditioned threat cues. Traditional analytic approaches (e.g., general linear model) often obfuscate important individual differences, although individual differences in learned responses characterize both animal and…

The laboratory exercise described here aims to provide a relevant context for learning basic DNA techniques in an introductory animal science course at tertiary level. In two 4-hr laboratory sessions, students assess the suitability of bulls for inclusion in a gene-assisted selection program for A2 [beta]-casein by genotyping commercial bull…

Melanoma, a type of cancer that develops in melanocytes, is usually caused by direct exposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation resulting in cellular damage. In this study, a procedure to determine the effects of various commercial sunscreens with SPF values ranging from 15 to 100 was developed using pig skin to mimic human skin. These…

As the role of zoos shifts from entertainment to environmental stewardship, many facilities are embracing new methods of achieving their goals. Recent studies indicate that people who feel empathy toward animals are more likely to engage in conservation actions, leading some zoos, aquariums, and nature centers to incorporate empathy-building…

Many students have very robust misconceptions about natural selection, stemming from intuitive theories that form a child's earliest understandings of the natural world. For example, students often imagine that species evolve in response to environmental pressures that cause a need for change and that all individuals in the population…

In this essay, I discuss my experience as a member of my university's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Using Blum's (2016) model of experiential learning (or "learning in the wild"), I reflect on the connected processes of reading, thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, talking, and listening that were the basis for my…

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has a huge collection of unique and curious objects from the natural world that have been loaned to us by HM Revenue and Customs after being seized at the UK border. Among the turtle shells and snake skins, the strangest of these is perhaps the freestanding rhino-foot ash tray. This single object can open up…

Science popularisation festivals attract more and more people every year, showing that there is a need to satisfy public curiosity. Such events are good occasions to disseminate knowledge to a large audience. The results of scientific research bring advances for mankind. Since research mostly depends on public funds, it is important to gain…

Whether principals are required to allow service animals in the public schools is not entirely clear in law, policy, or practice. The matter is further complicated when the alleged harm caused by denying a request for a service animal is not clearly related to the educational program. The purpose of this article is to inform principals about the…

Ocean acidification (OA) has been called climate change's evil twin for a reason. Increased levels of carbon dioxide, caused by humans burning fossil fuels, are not only causing a rise in global temperature but are also having adverse impacts on marine ecosystems. In the lesson presented in this article, students conduct investigations using…

The topic 'Animals including humans' runs through the primary science National Curriculum in England (DfE, 2013). Ideally, topics such as inheritance will lead onto adaptation, natural selection and evolution across key stages 1 to 2 (ages 5-11). This article provides nine engaging activities to support the teaching of adaptation and improve…

Understanding natural selection and adaptation are important precursors to learning evolution (NGSS Lead States 2013), the central unifying principle of biology. This lesson sequence, guided by the Five Practices Model (Cartier et al. 2013), incorporates data described by Andersson (1982) that details female choice in a population that eventually…