Tag: travel

Teamwork makes the dreamwork: success in Western Malaysia

05.04.18.

Ed. Note: Elizabeth Scordato is an evolutionary biologist at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, studying how environmental variation influences the evolution of bird signaling and the formation of new species. From April to June of this year, Liz is conducting field research on the Pacific swallow in Malaysia, Fiji, and Japan, and will be making…
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How fast are Antarctic glaciers contributing to sea level rise? The largest research initiative in 70 years aims to find out.

04.30.18.

Miami. Boston. New York. Norfolk, Virginia. These are just a few of the many American coastal cities where flooding has become a topic as hot as the underlying cause of the crisis: global warming. WATCH: Miles investigates the effects of sea level rise on cities like Boston. These cities are trying to plan for the…
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How to catch a Pacific swallow–dispatches from the front lines of biological research.

04.18.18.

On the fourth day of my field season, I found myself on a tiny boat with three students from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, setting off down a remote jungle river in search of birds. The putt-putt of the outboard motor mingled with the sounds of bird songs, monkey calls, and the rustling of palm leaves…
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What do scientists take into the field? A visual breakdown.

04.11.18.

Right now, I am conducting fieldwork in Malaysia on the Pacific swallow. For the next two months, I will travel to several countries in southeast Asia and the Pacific and keep you updated on my progress. Here’s what’s I’m bringing with me to ensure a successful field season: Mist Nets: Mist nets are the number…
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Fieldwork is an important part of biological research. Here’s how I prepare.

04.03.18.

One of the most exciting parts of being a field biologist is starting a new season. In fact, we talk about “field seasons” with a special sort of reverence. After all, it’s when we leave our fluorescently-lit labs and go out into the real world–forests, deserts, oceans, wherever–and study organisms in their natural environments. Why…
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Human activity may be changing how birds communicate

03.02.18.

When we study animals, we often try to work in pristine, “natural” habitats. I have spent many months wandering around remote forests with binoculars, a notebook, and a recorder, tracking down singing birds and recording their songs, with the goal of understanding what types of information singing birds are communicating to each other. These types…
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