Emma Young is a PhD candidate at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. She joined the Ricklefs lab in 2014 with a background in avian ecology and disease, and she is especially interested in the interactions between disease ecology and conservation biology. She is currently studying malaria parasite distributions and host/parasite interactions in the neotropical birds of Gamboa, Panama. Emma is also an avid proponent of science communication and works for the Story Collider, a live science storytelling show and podcast.
In an increasingly noisy world, it may seem impossible to find peace amongst the cacophony of busy roads, blaring sirens, and roaring machinery. That is, unless you are a wood frog. New research from Pennsylvania State University shows these pocket-sized pollywogs are becoming immune to the stresses…
As a biologist and science communicator, I sometimes have friends and relatives ask for advice on defending scientific topics to skeptical groups, especially climate change. In an era where misinformation runs rampant, this is a desire that is perhaps as admirable as it is foolhardy; on social media, the trolls…
In the dwindling hours of September 2nd, a fire broke out in Brazil’s Museu Nacional, one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The disaster was international news; 90 percent of the museum’s collection (some 20 million items) was lost in the blaze. This included many anthropological items…