Dr Olivia Plateau, Department of Earth Sciences, writes: Birds, the only surviving branch of the theropod dinosaurs, are one of the most species-rich extant vertebrate groups with more than 11,000 species. They show great diversity in terms of size, colour, shape and ecology, occupying almost all habitats on the surface of the Earth. I am an evolutionary biologist, and I am particularly interested in the … Continue reading Bird Palates and Feeding
Rosalind Mackay, Museum of Zoology, writes: I am currently studying for a master’s in the Department of Zoology here at the University of Cambridge. My project is about insect conservation and public engagement. These two seemingly disparate aspects are connected by the intervention we’re trialling. Prof Ed Turner, my supervisor, has been collaborating with the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire for several years … Continue reading Butterfly Banks and the Public
Annabel Hunt, Department of Earth Sciences, writes: I study dinosaur skull anatomy for my PhD research at the University of Cambridge. I am a member of the Field Palaeobiology Research Group and I am supervised by Professor Daniel Field and co-supervised by Professor Steve Brusatte. Prior to starting my PhD here in Cambridge, I studied a four-year Integrated Master’s degree in Earth Sciences at the … Continue reading Imaging Dinosaurs
Antonia Netzl, Department of Zoology, writes: I research vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that evolves, which means that it changes over time. These changes lead to its escape from immunity that was generated against a previous strain – the evolved strain is too different to be recognized by our immune system. To keep up with virus evolution … Continue reading Mapping Viruses
Dr Rebecca Smith, Conservation Evidence Manager, writes: Does helping toads across roads actually help increase their populations, or using different coloured tree guards improve the survival of newly planted trees? Conservation actions are often not as good as they need to be to protect and restore species and habitats because information about which actions work (or don’t) is not used by those deciding what to … Continue reading Conservation Evidence – supporting practitioners to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t
Sacchi Shin-Clayton, Museum of Zoology, writes: When we think about conservation, our minds often go to preserving untouched natural forests. While this is undeniably important, we sometimes overlook the pressing need to restore the landscapes we’ve already transformed through human activity. Agriculture, for instance, is one of the biggest drivers of landscape change worldwide, and with the ever-growing demand for food, it’s only intensifying. The … Continue reading Balancing Agriculture and Conservation: A Journey in Restoration Ecology
Emilia Santos NERC Independent Research Fellow and Assistant Professor: As an evolutionary biologist, I study the origins and maintenance of Earth’s remarkable organismal diversity. My research focuses on understanding how organisms function and diversify into different species. I use Lake Malawi cichlid fishes as a model system –an extraordinary example of recent adaptive radiation, with over 700 species evolving in just the past million years. Despite … Continue reading Why and how organisms diversify?
Sofia Dartnell, PhD student in the Department of Zoology, writes: You’ve heard of honeybees, but who are those big, fluffy bees taking flight as it gets warmer each spring? These are bumblebees, a group of about 260 species that are the larger cousins of honeybees. Bumblebees are known for their ‘buzz pollination’ abilities, physically buzzing flowers at a different frequency than other bee species to … Continue reading The life of the cuckoo bumblebee
Dr Becky Heath, Museum of Zoology, writes: In my research, I explore how tropical agriculture can benefit both people and the environment. I focus on oil palm plantations—one of the most important crops in Southeast Asia and a vital source of income for millions of people. My work is all about finding ways to make these landscapes more sustainable without compromising the livelihoods of the … Continue reading Making palm oil sustainable
Dr. Elizabeth Marin, Department of Zoology, writes: I have always been fascinated by insects and raised silkworms and praying mantids as a child. At university, I learned to use the fly Drosophila melanogaster to identify genes used to build animal bodies, including those of humans. Scientists have been working with this insect for over a century, describing gene mutations that change its appearance or behaviour … Continue reading Constructing Connectomes
Mairenn Attwood, Department of Zoology An hour after sunrise, an African cuckoo chick has just hatched. But it hasn’t hatched in an African cuckoo nest: instead of building their own nests, cuckoo parents lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. This chick has hatched in the nest of a fork-tailed drongo, and is sharing the space with a couple of fork-tailed drongo eggs. … Continue reading How to defend your nest from predators and cuckoos: do it like a drongo
Aramish Fatima, PhD student in the Department of Zoology, writes: When you think of crocodiles, you might imagine powerful, fearsome predators lurking in murky waters. But not all crocodylians fit that image. The Indian gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a unique and fascinating species—distinguished by its long, slender snout adapted for catching fish and a more peaceful nature compared to its relatives. Once found in abundance … Continue reading Saving the Gharial: Combining Science and Conservation
International Women’s Day Exhibition: Meet the Scientists Opening on March 8th will be a special exhibition in the Museum galleries. Explore the Museum and find new labels written by some of the fantastic female scientists in and around the Department of Zoology. Find out about what they study and how, and be inspired by their work. This exhibition will run until the summer. Upper Gallery … Continue reading International Women’s Day
Over the past 6 weeks we’ve heard a variety of talks from researchers working in butterfly conservation. Our Researcher’s Stories series ran every Wednesday starting from May 4th and wrapping up last week on the 8th June. The series aimed to showcase the research at the forefront of conservation, as well as giving our audience the opportunity to ask researchers their own questions. In case … Continue reading Researcher’s Stories Series Uploads
The Butterflies Through Time Project aims to link historical museum collections with contemporary conservation, bringing people closer to the natural world in the process. To celebrate the launch of the Butterflies Through Time exhibition, we have invited some of the researchers featured in the exhibition to speak more about their research. Our ‘researcher’s stories’ series will be a set of talks from six different butterfly researchers … Continue reading Butterflies Through Time: Researcher’s stories
Museum of Zoology Blog 