Mastodawn

my features published in #CurrentBiology this year, issue 1: Revisiting the #conservation of #sharks and #rays pegged to the recent #CITES meeting that ramped up their protection. https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/01/stopping-shark-trade.html #science #marineBiology

A rare bit of good news for marine biodiversity arrived last December from the unlikely location of landlocked Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The 20...

my features published in @CurrentBiology this year, issue 2: the #urbanEcology of feeding animals like #gardenBirds and #squirrels

Back in December, I spotted a research paper about the ecological impact of human-provided food on squirrel populations, and I started to wo...

It has been known for centuries that certain kinds of plants thrive on soils heavily contaminated with toxic metals, even on mining waste. I...

my features published in @CurrentBiology this year, issue 4: We need to keep an eye on #eagles even though they aren't acutely threatened. https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/02/eagle-issues.html #science #ecology #conservation #birds #raptors

There are animal species, often apex predators, which many humans seem to worship for their fierce power, such as lions, cheetahs and eagles...

my features published in @CurrentBiology this year, issue 5: #AncientDNA reveals the unusual origins of #syphilis

Many infectious diseases have managed to establish themselves in human populations after the advent of agriculture, when dense settlements e...

my features published in @CurrentBiology this year, issue 6: Microbial #Conservation only became a thing last year, so here's my first feature about it: https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/03/save-microbes.html #science #ecology #microbiology #microbes #microbiota

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the fact that commensal microbiota are important just about everywhere, fro...