March 21, 2017 by Linda B. Glaser Harry Greene, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, left, and Cissy Ballen, of the University of Minnesota, hold an osteoglossomorph, Arapaima, probably collected in Brazil by zoologist Louis Agassiz in the 1860s. Agassiz was a visiting professor at Cornell from 1867 to 1873. Credit: Cornell University Pop quiz: Are crocodiles more closely related to lizards or to birds? The answer may surprise you. Although traditional taxonomy classifies birds separately, they are actually closely related to crocodilians, sharing such groupwide characteristics as nest construction, parental care, a four-chambered heart and acoustic communication. Traditional taxonomy "is an exercise in memorization, and we don't want to use brain cells on labels," said Harry Greene, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. The traditional system, invented in 1758 by Linnaeus, uses a hierarchical system of kingdoms, phyla, class, order, family, genus and species to make sense of biodiversity. But with the millions of new species identified since the 18th century, the system has become unwieldy and often is misleading, as the crocodile-lizard-bird example shows. Instead, Greene uses the 35-year-old evolutionary Tree of Life (TOL) classification system, which explains the diversity of life … Continue reading →

Accused member of staff grins from ear-to-ear despite serious allegations of student sex THIS teacher was all smiles after she was charged with romping with a pupil. Brazen Sarah Fowlkes, 27, grinned like a Cheshire cat as cops took a mugshot of her. Later she beamed just as broadly when another photo was taken after she removed her cardigan. But the charges the busty blonde biology tutor face are no laughing matter. She is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. Fowlkes was charged with having an improper relationship with the lad after turning herself in to cops on Monday hours after reportedly celebrating her birthday with her husband. This came after detectives launched an investigation on March 10 after a tip-off from officials at Lockhart High School, Texas. The probe led them to the student who had been in contact physically and by messages with Fowlkes, cops said. Their contact was of a sexual nature, police added. Fowlkes has been suspended pending the investigation. She hasreportedly been married since 2013 and celebrated her birthday at a restaurant with her husband the night before she was arrested. According to her page on the schools website shestarted working … Continue reading →

ASaint Marys marine biology class took in-depth learning to a whole new meaning. The class spent spring break in Belize at South Water Caye applying what it learned in the classroom life to the natural world. Saint Marys assistant biology professor Laura Kloepper said marine biology had not been taught in years, but the department now plans on regularly running the class. For the past few years no one has been teaching that class, Kloepper said. So weve resurrected the marine biology class and we plan on teaching this every two years. This trip to Belize was part of the lab component for our marine biology class that we offer here for majors. Kloepper said studying Belize was an obvious choice because of its diverse environment. She said it provided a unique opportunity to learn more about a field that is not as prominent in a landlocked state like Indiana. If youre teaching marine biology in Indiana doing a lab is a little difficult. So we decided to make our lab one big field trip to Belize where it is a very diverse coral reef ecosystem thats pretty easy to get to, Kloepper said. Its also one of the few … Continue reading →

Chalk it up to a surge in STEM concepts or a parental movement for more offline play, but any which way you roll the dice, board games are on the rise in a big way. Market research firm The NPD Group recently reported that the US Games and Puzzles category grew by 18% in 2016 to US$307 million, making it the fastest-growing toy sector of the year. And research shows every type of game is fueling this uptick, from family strategy and board games, to preschool-skewing ones. Asthe demand for science-based content and toys reaches new heights, companies like St. Louis, Missouri-based Genius Games are introducing board games that teach kids STEMprinciplesat a lower price than other high-tech counterparts. The companys newest offering is Cytosis: A CellBiology Game, which takes players beyond the basics of biology and deposits them directly into a human cell. The science-based strategy game features a board shaped like a cell, and requires players to collect resources like mRNA from the nucleus or ATP from the mitochondria. Players use those itemsto complete hormone, receptor or enzyme cards and gain health points. At the end of the game, the player with the most health points wins, though … Continue reading →

West De Pere High School is the first in Wisconsin to use a virtual 3-D dissection device featuring human and animal cadavers. Wochit West De Pere High School anatomy students have a unique tool to help them learn the intricacies of the human body. The Anatomage Table Alpha shows detailed anatomical images and allows freehand virtual dissection. Students Caroline Kandravi, left, and Sam Ricker used the tool Thursday in Ashley Anthon's college-credit human anatomy and physiology class.(Photo: Jim Matthews/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo DE PERE Students in Ashley Anthons human anatomy and physiology classes at West De Pere High School took a field trip to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay on Monday. They went there to see, touch and examine human cadavers in a science lab. For the last two months, however, those same West De Pere students have been dissecting all kinds of human as well as animal body parts without leaving Anthons classroom. West De Pere is the first high school in Wisconsin to use a virtual 3-D dissection device made by Anatomage, a medical imaging company in San Jose, Calif. Its pretty cool stuff, senior Sam Ricker said as he operated the machine in class last … Continue reading →