The Mystery of Stanhopea Orchids

Number of words: 1,623 Suspended beneath a thick canopy of trees, the sloth inches along with slow strides . Painfully slow. Intentionally slow. Crawling high up among the branches, traipsing along a 100-foot steel cable, the little creature is like a lethargic acrobat. But its goal is not to delight or to put on a show; in … Read more

The Dynamics of Cooperation in Social Structures

Number of words: 445 From the lofty summit of this mathematical achievement, we had a commanding view of evolutionary dynamics. We could reveal the precise conditions for natural selection to favor cooperation over defection in populations that are structured around sets. One simple conclusion that we could draw from Corina’s work was that the more … Read more

The Intricacies of Animal Languages Explored

Number of words: 900 We can see the ingredients all around us, in the chemical signals that flicker on and off between cells, the waggle dance of bees, territorial calls of various creatures, and the remarkable repertoire of birdsong. There are the complex patterns of moans, cries, and chirps in the songs of whales. There … Read more

Intricate World of Ants and Their Fungal Partners

Number of words: 735 Remarkably, the colonies cannot survive without their Leucocoprinus fungus and the fungus is found nowhere but in these colonies. They do not do farm the precious fungus on the surface. Instead, they grow fungus in underground chambers that can reach the size of a football. In all, a single leaf-cutter nest … Read more

The Ingenious Design of Colon Crypts and Their Benefits

Number of words: 242 The clever design of crypts is a direct consequence of how tissues are renewed by stem cells, the “parent cells” in the body. This is particularly important because, given how much material we digest, the lining of the colon is forever being replenished. A few stem cells sit at the base … Read more