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I love entomology, cell biology, all the -omics, microbiology, neuroscience, and institutional writing. I'm mostly human when not embodying my professional alter ego: Washington State University's Ask Dr. Universe. Tell your bees I said hi.
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Ask Dr. Universe: https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/
Science Books
The world is full of tiny viruses and bacteria that can be seen only through a microscope. Some bacteria can be helpful, but others cause diseases such as typhoid fever. Viruses can cause deadly diseases such as COVID-19. Young readers will get all the facts about bacteria and viruses, including...
Did you know that there are animals all around you that you can’t see without a microscope? Sometimes it’s good you can’t see them. As you shed dead skin cells, thousands of dust mites gobble them up. Gross! Tiny water bears are super tough. They can survive in Earth’s...
Can't sleep? Too many things to worry about? Or do you get lost in your mind thinking about all the ways tomorrow could go wrong? Why does this happen? The
An excerpt from a middle grades reader exploring neuroscience and emotion
Entomology Writing
Monitoring infestations of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) is a challenge for pest management pros. A new study details a fast field technique for measuring ants in a graduated cylinder, using a standard density of 130 ants per milliliter.
Many ants are social parasites, but Formica aserva can kidnap ants from at least 20 other species-even though sometimes it doesn't kidnap other ants at all.
A study details the community of arthropods that live between soil and snow-and warns of their precarious state in the face of warming winter temperatures.
A new study finds little genetic variation among the entire North American population of the only praying mantis species that always reproduces asexually.
The costs associated with invasive insects add up to more than $70 billion every single year-and that price tag is expected to increase as climate change, global trade, and an overall uptick in human movement help expand the ranges of exotic pests.
Neonicotinoid pesticides kill insect pests by acting on their nervous systems, eventually causing paralysis and death. That makes them effective pesticides, but it's not great news for pollinators that come into contact with neonicotinoids while foraging or nesting.