Leaf litter and other plant debris are broken down in the soil by fungi and microbes, which decompose the organic matter into molecules which they can use. We know that all living matter is connected through complex ecosystem interactions. Changes in predator populations affect the prey populations which may then cause changes to the plants … Continue reading Fear is in the soil
What makes a bloody butcher taste so damn good?
Ever wonder what makes a good tomato taste so great? Well, so do the plant geneticists trying to produce the “better” tomato. The amount of sugar has a lot to do with it, but what about that tomato smell? Our perception of taste is enhanced by how food smells before we put it in our … Continue reading What makes a bloody butcher taste so damn good?
Magneto…nope!
We have all heard about birds being able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field in order to navigate during migration, but how can they do that? There have been a number of studies that implicated iron-rich cells in the upper beak of birds as magnetoreceptors. Just like there are neurons that can sense mechanical stimuli, … Continue reading Magneto…nope!
The good, the bad and the noisy
I thought I would take a break from the complicated molecular pathways for a week and do an ecology paper. It was interesting to read an ecology paper because it was written in a totally different style. I made it half way through the methods section before I realized it wasn’t the results section. The … Continue reading The good, the bad and the noisy
Robin Ball 