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Black and white headshot of author James MacDonald

James MacDonald

James MacDonald received a BS in Environmental Biology from Columbia and a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, spending 4 years in Central America collecting data on fish in mangrove forests. His research has been published in scholarly journals such as Estuaries and Coasts and Biological Invasions. Until his death in the fall of 2019, James worked in fisheries management and outreach in New York.

Limpets on a rock
Plants & Animals

The World’s Strongest Material is Limpet Teeth

The world's strongest material is no longer spider silk, it's limpet teeth.
Fossilized shells
Plants & Animals

Searching for a New Species? Look in the Museum

A Doncaster museum found that an old plaster cast of an ichthyosaur was in fact a brand new species.
Plants & Animals

Outdoor Recreation Can Impact Wildlife

That hike is low-impact, but not no-impact. Even low-impact outdoor recreation can impact wildlife
Fish steaks on cooled market display
Plants & Animals

The Obama Administration Tackles Seafood Fraud

In December, the Obama administration announced a wide-ranging plan to combat seafood fraud.
Stormy Winds Leveling Huge Waves Flat
Science & Technology

Can International Marine Reserves Save The Ocean?

The oceans may be on the verge of biological collapse, can international marine reserves save them?
Stairs of an NYC subway station
Health

Subway Bacteria: Commuting with E. coli

Unknown bacteria on the subway share a commute with many of us daily. Should we be concerned?
Brian Williams
Education & Society

Brian Williams and Our Treacherous Memories

There’s been some hand-wringing from pundits about truth and memory in the wake of Brian Williams recent embellishments.
Large planet with the sun in the background and moon in the foreground
Science & Technology

So You Want to Move to Mars?

A Dutch non-profit plans to send voyagers on a one-way trip to Mars
A chemist looks at a test tube in a medical lab
Health

When It Comes to Science, Scientists and the Public Diverge

Scientists and the public understand science topics quite differently, according to a new poll.
A close-up of a zebra
Plants & Animals

Why Do Zebras Have Stripes?

Why do zebras have stripes? Perhaps to cool off, according to new research.
Black and white illustration of a beached whale
Plants & Animals

An Age-Old Whale of a Tale

Researchers recently sequenced the genome of a 200 year old bowhead whale.
A silverback gorilla
Plants & Animals

The Hidden Toll of Ebola: Apes

There is a hidden cost of the Ebola epidemic: Africa’s great apes are declining.
Cupped hands holing soil
Health

Scientists Have Isolated a New Antibiotic from Soil

Scientists have isolated a new antibiotic from soil.
Entrance to Disneyland
Health

Welcome Back, Measles

The news of a recent outbreak at Disneyland in California brought measles back into the public view.
An orange and cream lizard tilts its head and tail up
Plants & Animals

Animal Penises Can Tell Us a Lot About Evolution

There is a surprisingly large body of work regarding animal penis evolution.
yellow-green image on a lake that is poisoned and polluted
Science & Technology

The Latest Legacy of Acid Rain: Jellied Lakes

The impact of decades of acid rain (better known as acid precipitation) is causing North American lakes to turn to jelly.
A cavern in the deep ocean
Plants & Animals

Into the Challenger Deep!

Researchers surveying the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, also known as the Challenger Deep, made a number of remarkable discoveries.
Perspective of peering down a library aisle full of books on either side
Natural Science

Research Fraud: When Science Goes Bad

At its worst, science research fraud might have deadly consequences. What can be done about it?
A bear looks out of its cave over the snow covered terrain
Plants & Animals

The Mysteries of Hibernation

Bears in hibernation have a lot of physiological issues to solve.
The planet Mars
Natural Science

Is There Life on Mars?

Is there life on Mars? Probably not, but it's likely that there used to be.
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus (Hilversum, The Netherlands)
Plants & Animals

When Birds Drink Too Much

In case you think a few drinks makes your singing better, it doesn’t—and the same goes for drunk birds.
Neon vortex
Natural Science

A Universe Where Time Runs Backwards

Running out of time? Not in a universe where time runs backwards.
Illustration of the Kepler spacecraft
Natural Science

Kepler: The Little Telescope That Could

A year after a potentially fatal setback, a rejuvenated Kepler telescope discovered the first exoplanet (outside the solar system) of its new mission.
Ice floes float in icy water
Natural Science

Hidden Ecosystems Under Arctic Ice Reveal Themselves

Thanks to remotely operated vehicles scientists are able to peek at one of the coldest, darkest environments of all: ecosystems deep underneath arctic ice.
A maroon and cream striped octopus on the seafloor
Plants & Animals

Mimics of the Animal Kingdom

Art Imitates Life? Try Bird Imitates Caterpillar. Animals that mimic to survive

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