#ForewordFriday: What is Conservation Biology?
By Meghan Bartels / On October 24th, 2014
Island Press Staff Picks - Intelligent Tinkering
By Jason Leppig / On September 27th, 2014
Calculating How Fast Trees and Forests Grow
By Joe Landsberg / On August 11th, 2014
That might sound like a rather dry, technological subject, but it is, obviously, quite important in relation to wood production from forests. It’s also important to be able to calculate tree growth rates so we can estimate how fast forests can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon.
An Imperfect Safety Net for Carnivore Conservation
By Cristina Eisenberg / On July 15th, 2014
Tool Chests, Toolboxes, and Tool Belts
By Charles C. Chester / On January 28th, 2013
On Monday, June 18, 1883, “Darwin’s bulldog” made a big mistake. Famous for his pugilistic defense of Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Thomas Henry Huxley played a prominent role in English society—and on this particular day he was delivering the inaugural address to the assembled representatives at London’s “great International Fisheries Exhibition.” Over twenty governmental entities, some as far flung as China and Tasmania, displayed their wares at the Exhibition, so this was no small honor for the great English scientist.
Global Networking for Science and Conservation
By Aníbal Pauchard / On January 11th, 2013
Ecological observations across multiple continents can give us insights into patterns and mechanisms that may allow for broad generalizations in ecology. In the book, Rafe and I discuss how data can come from everywhere and how networks of observers can really push the limits of ecology by using very simple observational protocols across multiple temporal and spatial scales. International networking can also help us to face the many challenges of global change using local information in a global context.
On Bias
By Rafe Sagarin / On January 10th, 2013
Some of the best science stories seem to emerge in a three step process. Step 1: Someone points out an error in your thinking, or you can’t let go of a nagging feeling that somehow you are wrong about what you think your data are telling you. Step 2: In a deep, and sometimes painful, exploration of what went wrong with your own analysis, you discover a systematic error in the way whole groups of researchers are thinking about the issue. Step 3: The new story you are able to tell by looking at the data fresh turns out to be more interesting than the standard account.
The Premium Rush of Field Ecology
By Rafe Sagarin / On September 4th, 2012
I don’t often endorse late-summer-multiplex-popcorn-with-butter-like-topping fare, but Premium Rush is, for what it is, phenomenal. It’s true, if you watch the trailer, you’ve basically got the whole thing in microcosm, but trust me, it is much better on the big screen. It’s basically a 91 minute movie, of which about 85 minutes are mad chase scenes of our bike messenger hero Wilee (pronounced “wiley,” like the coyote, and