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

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?

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