July 25, 2011

Drawing a Line on Preservation

Conservation programs that perform captive breeding for endangered animals  – like the Duke Lemur Center – face a difficult choice when choosing pairs to breed.

DNA analysis suggests that some populations of rare animals which have been isolated from one another by fragmented habitat may in fact be distinct sub-species. If they've been separated long enough without mating opportunities, their genomes have evolved subtle differences.

June 16, 2011

Mining Beneath the Sea

If mountaintop mining were being conducted 1600 meters under the ocean – where very few people would ever see it – would it make any difference?

Well, it just might, says Cindy Lee Van Dover, director of the Duke Marine Lab and one of the world's authorities on the unique life forms surrounding deep sea hydrothermal vents. 

March 28, 2011

Why We Study Chimpanzees

“Why do people do something that benefits someone else but is detrimental to themselves?” Ian Gilby asked during a panel discussion, March 24. “Chimps are one of the few animals that do this really frequently,” he said.

March 28, 2011

Putting Values on Resources

“Unless you know that [a resource] is going to be in your family for a very long time, you usually don’t manage it sustainably,” evolutionary anthropology professor Thomas Struhsaker said during a panel discussion, March 25.

October 15, 2010

Lemur play is on solid ground

Unless it leads to sex, adult male primates usually aren't very playful. Except if they’re Silky sifakas.

May 26, 2010

A Beautiful Lemur Slideshow

It's a shame the Interwebs don't have a plug-in for smell yet. Evolutionary anthropologist Christine Drea's work on scent communication among lemurs forms the basis for a lovely slideshow of images from her research and shots by a professional photographer on the BBC's Earth News web site. (Start the show!)

May 20, 2010

Playing Tag with a Sleeping Whale

Ever wonder what it's like to tag whales for research in Antarctica? Wonder no more! This short video from a team of Nicholas School of Environment researchers puts you right in the Zodiac boat next to a humpback.

I hope you're wearing rain gear.