Ecology59
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Glow in the Dark Creepy Crawlers
Deep in the ocean, in the absence of penetrable sunlight, nature produces a spectacular light show. The glowing orbs seemingly dance in the night, uniting to form an awe-inspiring rainbow of greens, blues, and yellows. To cope with darkness, we turn on a flashlight or light a candle; deep-sea marine life evolved their own strategy:…
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The Buzz on Elephants
African-born, Oxford-trained biologist Lucy King recently won an award for a promising solution to a longstanding problem in Africa—elephants raiding crops.
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Confessions from a Former Coniferphile
The first time I felt truly fanatical about coniferous trees was while walking among the great eastern white pine trees in the Adirondack State Park as an undergraduate research assistant and student.
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Rain, Rain, Go Away…
Assessing biodiversity on coffee farms in Costa Rica is a difficult task when unyielding torrential downpours strike.
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How Coffee Affects Biodiversity
S. Amanda Caudill is currently evaluating mammal biodiversity in coffee dominated regions in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Her findings will help determine which habitat parameters are important to the mammals and shape suggestions on how to enhance the habitat.
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Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?
For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …
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PhD. Ode to a Tree
“I was deeply saddened by the loss of one of our most beautiful trees on campus during the last storm. It had perfect symmetry and such a beautiful color display late in the fall,” wrote geochemist Martin Stute, after a highly unusual heavy October snow felled a 22-year-old Bradford pear at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where he…
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Two Wren Brains Are Better Than One
When researchers observed activity in the brains of plain-tailed wrens while singing, they discovered something striking: In both sexes, the neurons reacted more strongly to the duet song than individual contributions — they are seemingly wired to enhance cooperation.
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How You Can Help Earth Cope with 7 Billion
Earth’s population has more than doubled in the last 50 years to 7 billion. The numbers represent big challenges—feeding and providing for additional people on a planet already stressed by environmental damage and climate change. What can ordinary individuals do?
Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School Class of 2026 and all of our 2026 Columbia University graduates! Learn more about our May 15 Climate School Class Day celebration. 💙 #Columbia2026 #ColumbiaClimate2026
