Special Topics Can exposure to insecticides impact monarch butterfly conservation? 24 Jun 2021December 29, 2021 Featured image: Monarch caterpillar photo was taken by Aaron Eckley at Iowa State University. This was originally published by Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium: https://monarch.ent.iastate.edu/can-exposure-insecticides-impact-monarch-butterfly-conservation. The question posed in the title…
Special Topics Discovery of a novel neonicotinoid insecticide effect 30 Jan 2021December 29, 2021 Featured image was taken from Wikimedia commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lepidoptera_Diversity.jpg This article (slightly edited below) was published in Department of Entomology newsletter at Iowa State University: https://www.ent.iastate.edu/department-entomology-alumni-news-2021 Niranjana Krishnan writes: I started…
Special Topics What’s true when it comes to chemical regulations in the U.S. 20 Oct 2019November 27, 2021 Given the details and complexities of chemical regulation, it is not surprising that there is some confusion over what it entails. It took me several classes and specific readings to…
Special Topics What studies should we believe? 9 Sep 2019December 29, 2021 Featured image: Couldn't resist the cuteness. Image taken from Pixabay Have you come across scientific studies that produced opposing conclusions on the same topic? Are carbohydrates responsible for weight gain?…
Special Topics Why synthetic chemicals seem more toxic than natural ones 24 Aug 2019December 7, 2019 This post was originally published in Aeon Magazine. I wrote this article in the hope that it addresses the disproportionate fear that many people associate with chemicals, and to also…
Special Topics Correlation vs Causation 18 Dec 2018December 29, 2021 Featured image: A comic strip explaining the difference between correlation and causation. Image source: xkcd.com As noted in this classic science comic, people often think correlation implies causation. And this…
Special Topics Precision Pesticides 13 Nov 2018November 3, 2019 This post was originally published in ICM Blog Pesticides are substances that are designed to control pests. Every year, nearly six billion pounds of pesticides are applied worldwide. In agricultural…
Special Topics Structure and activity 15 Aug 2018October 7, 2020 There is a reason why toxicologists love chemical structures. Because structures tell stories. And there is this cool model with a not-so-cool name that helps translate chemical goop into interesting…
Special Topics Mapping the sensitivity of multiple species 3 Aug 2018March 13, 2020 Coffee, chocolates and alcohol..how I cherish them. But a dog probably doesn't feel the same -- all these three items are poisonous to them! And this difference is the basis…
Special Topics Why we need a science-based approach to help the monarch butterflies 5 Jul 2018March 31, 2020 [This post was originally published in Students of SETAC Outreach. The work described in this article has now been published: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/etc.4672 ] I will start by acknowledging this: I am…
Special Topics Biological scaling 15 Apr 2018December 29, 2021 Featured image: The brain and heart grow at different rates relative to the human body. [Image source: Shingleton, A. (2010) Allometry: The Study of Biological Scaling. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):2. (Adapted from Moore 1983; Data from…
Special Topics Genetic resistance 24 Mar 2018December 29, 2021 Featured image: A monarch butterfly caterpillar eating milkweed plant. Milkweeds contain a toxin that only a few species, like monarchs, can consume safely. (Photo taken by me at Iowa State…
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