Cancer as a breakdown of cooperation (and how science+internet = easier confirmation bias)

This post is going to be about a recent paper about cancer co-authored by my PhD advisor. But to explain why I'm excited about it, let me start at the beginning... I love it when I'm writing about a topic I know so well that I can drop the references into place as quickly as … Continue reading Cancer as a breakdown of cooperation (and how science+internet = easier confirmation bias)

Know any bat biologists looking for a postdoc position?

Do you know anyone who might be interested in a position studying the foraging behavior of frog-eating bats? If so, keep reading this update to my last post. First, some background: the position is working with two of the best young scientists working with bat behavior. Yossi Yovel's lab in Tel Aviv, Israel have invented the most exciting … Continue reading Know any bat biologists looking for a postdoc position?

Acoustic-GPS pilot tests with frog-eating bats

I just arrived in Panama and I'm very excited to be here. I recently joined a collaboration between Rachel Page's lab in Gamboa, Panama and Yossi Yovel's lab in Tel Aviv Israel. Rachel studies the fringe-lipped or frog-eating bat, Trachops cirrhosus, a bat that eavesdrops on the mating signals of its prey, frogs and katydids. … Continue reading Acoustic-GPS pilot tests with frog-eating bats

Does neocortex size predict social grooming in bats?

The social brain hypothesis predicts that species with larger neocortex volume for their body size should possess more social complexity [1]. Does this apply to bats? It's not really clear. Wilkinson [2] found that relative cortex volume did not correlate with colony size, but it was greater among those bats with stable social groups. Colony size … Continue reading Does neocortex size predict social grooming in bats?

The best popular science books? My picks.

One of the most frequently read posts on this website was my review of E.O. Wilson's ambitious but flawed book Social Conquest of the Earth. But there are many more popular science books that I really love! So that's what I"m writing about here. Most popular science books have clear and enjoyable writing that explains some field or … Continue reading The best popular science books? My picks.

Using DNA to uncover vampire bat diet

There's an article on getting DNA from vampire bat feces in Science Magazine here. When I was an undergraduate at Cornell University, I worked on that topic for my undergraduate honors thesis. I extracted and sequenced DNA from the crap of vampire bats that fed on chicken blood. I was pretty excited after it finally … Continue reading Using DNA to uncover vampire bat diet

Dissertation defense talk date and time

I submitted my dissertation to my doctoral committee. If interested, you can read my submitted draft here (note: this link is temporary until my official approved dissertation is published by the school). There are 4 chapters: 1) my reciprocity review paper, 2) my study on predictors of vampire bat food sharing, 3) a study on oxytocin and food … Continue reading Dissertation defense talk date and time

New reciprocity experiment with rats

Norway rats reciprocate help according to the quality of help they received Abstract: Direct reciprocity, according to the decision rule ‘help someone who has helped you before’, reflects cooperation based on the principle of postponed benefits. A predominant factor influencing Homo sapiens' motivation to reciprocate is an individ­ual's perceived benefit resulting from the value of … Continue reading New reciprocity experiment with rats

Studying bat pollination in Thailand

My friend Alyssa Stewart studies bat pollination in Thailand. I visited her this December to help* her with one of her dissertation chapters and to do a small study of our own. Alyssa is studying just how good the flower-visiting bats are as pollinators in Thailand. The most common flower-visiting bats there are: Eonycteris spelaea … Continue reading Studying bat pollination in Thailand