Lindy joins Ira to discuss how mosquitoes have evolved to sniff out humans and how learning what chemicals they are attracted to could lead to new traps or repellents. The human scent is made up of a combination of 100 odor compounds. Not only are the compounds produced by a person but some are from their microbiome. These molecules aren’t…

As Princeton senior Daniel Petticord was conceptualizing his thesis on animal movement in the African savanna, he could have chosen to study elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas or any of the iconic animals that inhabit central Kenya. He chose the ubiquitous leopard tortoise. 

Princeton graduate student, Lu Yang, and undergraduate students, Mariana Wu and Adam Rosenstein, work with Professor Andolfatto to study the evolution of cardenolide-insensitivity in the "gaudy grasshoppers". This is an example of strong evolutionary constraint on Na+,K+-ATPase overcome by duplication and neofunctionalization in insects that…

Rob Pringle led an international team of researchers to investigate how invading predators affect species diversity. A leading cause of extinction is the introduction of predators into an isolated system like an island or a lake. The destruction is usually blamed on the predator’s eating choices, but sometimes the key lies in the prey animals’…

Princeton University awarded honorary degrees during Commencement exercises Tuesday, June 4, to six individuals for their contributions to education, literature, public service, science and space travel.  Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber awarded degrees to Dr. Michael Drake, president of The Ohio State University; Rodney…

The egg is perhaps nature’s most perfect life support system. These remarkable structures nurture new life; protecting it from the outside world at the same time as allowing it to breathe. They are strong enough to withstand the full weight of an incubating parent and weak enough for a hatchling to break free. But how is an egg made? Why are…

Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced that Saki Takahashi, a 2019 graduate alumna, is one of 20 new Schmidt Science Fellows — a program of Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust. Takahashi works to understand the spread of infectious diseases. She completed a Ph.D. this year with Jessica Metcalf, an assistant professor of EEB and…

Levine, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB), was recognized by Ecological Society of America (the world’s largest professional organization of ecologists) “for research that fundamentally advances understanding of biological invasions and species coexistence, often by deploying creative, highly controlled experimental units…

A team of ecologists including Princeton's Rob Pringle, Corina Tarnita, Justine Atkins and Arjun Potter took advantage of a rare opportunity to study what happens to an ecosystem when large carnivores are wiped out (in this case through past civil war). Using a series of experiments in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, the ecologists…

Chris Tokita, an EEB graduate student who works with associate professor Corina Tarnita, is partially funded by a fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Tokita and Tarnita work to create computational models for how social groups — including ants and humans — develop properties like division of labor and social networks.