The ocean, for most, represents a great blue void. It is sometimes hard to imagine that an incredible world, much larger than the space terrestrial beings inhabit, lies beyond the shoreline and below the surface. The Censes of Marine Life, completed in 2010 by 2,700 scientists from 80 countries, identified more than 1 million species that call the ocean home. In addition, researchers feel that despite their great accomplishment, 50-80% of the species inhabiting the sea surrounding South Africa, Antarctica, Japan, the Mediterranean, and Australia are yet to be discovered. The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface and holds 97% …
Category: Featured
Ph.D. Student Conducting Research on African Elephants
By: Brooke Boening The Daily Athenaeum Shortly upon completing her undergraduate studies in animal and nutritional sciences, West Virginia University Ph.D. student, Tina Dow, discovered a passion that would take her beyond the ordinary work environment – elephants. When Dow landed an internship at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., in 2002, she quickly developed a fascination with the park’s African elephants. “I had an appreciation of standing beside something that is living and breathing and weighs over 10,000 pounds,” Dow said. “Then to see how intelligent and caring they are – I fell in love.” Today, Dow is …
Human-Wildlife Conflict
To most of us, looking out our window and seeing wildlife up close would be a dream come true. However, to those people who actually share space with magnificent wild creatures on a daily basis the dream can quickly turn into a nightmare. Human-wildlife conflicts are continuing to increase globally at an alarming rate. Some argue that wildlife populations are growing, causing animals to crossover safe boarders of national parks and wildlife refuge areas into urban land inhabited by humans. In contrast, human population growth is at an all time high; humans are encroaching into areas set aside as safe …