This fun reflection prompts me to ponder the impact of Urban parks on Birds
Cities may not seem like hotbeds of evolution. Tropical rain forests, maybe. The Galapagos Islands, certainly. But Central Park? Yes, even Central Park. Wherever there is life, there is evolution. Organisms reproduce, passing down their genes to their offspring. Some variants of those genes may become more common over the generations thanks to lucky rolls of the genetic dice.
"The birds-of-paradise are among the most beautiful creatures on earth-and an extraordinary example of evolutionary adaptation. On this site you can find what few have witnessed in the wild: the displays of color, sound, and motion that make these birds so remarkable. Then you can delve deeper, examining the principles that guided their evolution and the epic adventure it took to bring you all 39 species."
This resource by Howard Hughes Medical Institute addresses the questions of how species form and why there are so many species. Includes films on Charles Darwin, finch beaks, and evolution of lizards.
This interactive investigation explores these questions:
- What evolutionary processes have affected the distribution of Earth's species today and in the past?
- How do scientists study past evolutionary processes on Earth?
- How do graphs and charts help scientists test their hypotheses?
"Don't despair: that's the message of a new paper in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, which argues that decades of conservation actions at multiple scales have had a positive impact for many of the world's endangered species. "
The Club-winged Manakin is a bird that makes an odd foghorn call using its wings rather than vocal chords. Through 13 short videos, this site explores how these wings "work," how they evolved, and how this was discovered by Cornell scientist Kim Bostwick.
These online video features bring curious visitors the latest developments
in the fields of astrophysics, human biology, biodiversity, and evolution.
The Bulletins contain additional resource links, educator resources, and a
guide designed specifically for science educators to help them incorporate
the Bulletins into classroom work. All of the Bulletins are produced through
the collaboration of in-house writers, producers, and designers. They are
offered here in sections that include "Astro", "Earth", "Bio", and "Human",
and visitors are welcome to browse through the full-features,
visualizations, and snapshots. First-time visitors might want to start by
viewing either the feature on invasive species or "The Last Wild Horse: The
Return of Takhi to Mongolia".
Edge species are truly one of a kind. If they disappear there will be nothing similar left on the planet. Two-thirds are receiving little or no conservation attention. Help save these remarkable species.