Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior

How an Eight-Sided ‘Egg’ Ended Up in a Robin’s Nest

2021-01-29

Last spring, robins living on an Illinois tree farm sat on some unusual eggs. Alongside the customary brilliant blue ovoids they had laid were some unusually shaped objects. Although they had the same color, some were long and thin, stretched into pills. Others were decidedly pointy — so angular,...

Shipwrecked ivory a treasure trove for understanding elephants and 16th century trading

2020-12-21

In 1533, a Portuguese trading vessel carrying forty tons of gold and silver coins along with other precious cargo went missing on its way to India. In 2008, this vessel, known as the Bom Jesus, was found in Namibia, making it the oldest known shipwreck in southern Africa. Now, an international...

Professors Alison Bell and Alex Harmon-Threatt recognized for leadership and research

2020-11-24

Four professors in the College of LAS have been named Richard and Margaret Romano Professorial Scholars for their leadership and research. Richard Romano (BS, ’54, chemical engineering) and his wife, Margaret, established the program, which provides...

Study finds sexual lineage plays key role in transgenerational plasticity

2020-11-20

A new pair of papers published in the Journal of Animal Ecology has shown that sexual lineage matters for how offspring receive adaptations from parents in stickleback fish. Researchers in the Bell Lab studied how parents who were exposed to...

Have you become obsessed with bugs or hummingbirds? In the pandemic, you’re not alone.

2020-09-14

In the midst of the grief, confusion and anger of the past few months, many Americans have developed a new obsession with the creepy little things in life, by which I mean bugs. I’ve never heard so many people talking about bugs as I have through this spring and summer, never seen so many social...

In times of ecological uncertainty, brood parasites hedge their bets

2020-08-24

Some birds lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species and let the host parents raise their young. A new study finds that in times of environmental flux, these brood parasites “diversify their portfolios,” minimizing the risks...

Study of giant ant heads using simple models may aid bio-inspired designs

2020-07-10

Researchers have developed a simple model to study how ants balance their large heads relative to their body size. Such models may have useful applications in bio-inspired designs. They use a variety of modelling approaches to study form and function. By using a basic biomechanical model for...

SIB Director Carla Cáceres honored with Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award

2020-06-19

Carla Cáceres, a professor of evolution, ecology and behavior and director of the School of Integrative Biology, ...received the Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding academic leadership and...

Cowbirds change their eggs’ sex ratio based on breeding time

2020-06-24

Brown-headed cowbirds show a bias in the sex ratio of their offspring depending on the time of the breeding season, researchers report in a new study. More female than male offspring hatch early in the breeding season in May, and more male hatchlings emerge in July.

How Humanity Unleashed a Flood of New Diseases

2020-06-22

What do Covid-19, Ebola, Lyme and AIDS have in common? They jumped to humans from animals after we started destroying habitats and ruining ecosystems.

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