• Urban Evolution at SICB 2020

    Urban Evolution at SICB 2020

    The annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) is here! From January 3-7 biologists will convene in Austin, Texas to share the latest and greatest from a broad range of research areas. Urban evolution talks have…

  • 2019 in Review

    2019 in Review

    Milestones and more In 2019 we hit a lot of milestones. We turned 1 year old. We were featured in several major news outlets, including as a News Feature in PNAS, the Wildlife Society, and Wired Magazine! We reached over…

  • Natural Selection Favors Black Morph of Eastern Gray Squirrel in Cities

    Natural Selection Favors Black Morph of Eastern Gray Squirrel in Cities

    Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, are some of the most visible and well-known urban animals in the Northeastern United States. Prior to European settlement of the region, the black morph of S. carolinensis (“melanistic”) was much more abundant. Scientists have hypothesized that the…

  • Pigeon Feet in the City

    Pigeon Feet in the City

    If you’ve walked around a city with pigeons, you might have noticed that many of them are missing toes or have deformed feet. These foot deformities are common and may arise due to a number of different ailments including: chemicals…

  • November Comment Contest Winners!

    November Comment Contest Winners!

    In the month of November we asked to hear from you during our first annual November Comment Contest. Now that the month is over, we’ve tallied the comments, responses, and likes and we’re pleased to announce our two winners: Kristin…

  • How to Catch Squirrels in Cities

    How to Catch Squirrels in Cities

    Urban fieldwork is its own beast. Sure, compared to remote sites you might have regular access to bathrooms and food but there are different situations to be aware of or capitalize on when handling animals in the public eye.

  • Entomology Conference 2019

    Entomology Conference 2019

    Entomology 2019 I recently attended the Entomology Conference in St. Louis, Missouri and here are some of the highlights. I was part of the special symposium “What Everyone Ought to Know about Insect Biodiversity in the Urban Environment” where a…

  • A Tale of Two Amphibians: Urban Landscapes Differentially Impact Gene Flow

    A Tale of Two Amphibians: Urban Landscapes Differentially Impact Gene Flow

    When we think of urban organisms, we often don’t think of aquatic organisms. But wetlands exist in the urban matrix, and aquatic and amphibious species are impacted by habitat changes associated with urbanization. A recent study published in Ecology and…

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