... tales from the field and lab, inspired by nature
By Carolyn Sandoval A shark lurks in the ocean’s wide depths, vigilant green eyes searching for the next meal to fit in its toothy grin. A crafty hunter, both master of stealth and disguise, it feeds on everything from the smallest fish to the largest whale – this shark’s menu has everything. Even submarines are not spared, forcing the most sophisticated machines humanity has to offer back to the…
by Jessica Belmares We all know a crazy cat lady, right? Now, imagine there is a parasite behind this feline frenzy. Brace yourself because this parasite may not be responsible for this odd behavior. The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii , and while there are some truthful aspects to this reference, there are some myths worth debunking. Several groups around the world have taken to researching…
By the BioBlog Team Type the word ' scientist ' into an AI image generator like Freepik, deepAi or DALL-E2. What is the first image you are likely to get? Perhaps not surprisingly, what pops up is someone who could be Einstein's twin brother. That is, a stereotypical, grey-haired, distinguished white male with glasses. It takes some effort to get other depictions ... although the grizzly bear…
by William Luther I sat in a thin line of shade cast by our van. I was hot, it was dry, and I had just lost out on the chance to see one of my favorite species. As I looked out at the horizon, I saw something large gliding effortlessly towards me and my fellow students. What happened next is something I will never forget… I had set out early on a Saturday morning with a group of classmates, UNM…
by Alex Apgar Every time I go to a doctor’s appointment, I become a celebrity. I’ve taken countless selfies with the doctors that have treated me, been fawned over by many a nurse, and once even had a group of students pause their required clinical hours to come and meet me. I must preface this by admitting that medically, I’m nothing special – I’m your typical healthy young adult, which makes me…
by Evan Wheeler There are many decisions to be made following high school graduation that can have a lasting impact on the rest of your life. Though these are some of the most important choices we will make in our lives, the world doesn’t wait long for you to make up your mind. The weight of these decisions, coupled with the impatience of society, leads many to the wrong path or to never making a…
By Natalia Chavez Living in New Mexico has granted me the opportunity to observe immaculate night skies. The sunsets, sunrises, and stars are magnificent and spark curiosity. It is part of human nature to look up at the night sky and ponder what is out there besides stars that flicker. What solar systems occupy the universe? Is there life that exists outside of Earth? If so, what might it look…
By Saul Ortiz Tena The average undergrad experience usually lacks excitement. We’ve all been there -- between the lectures, labs, studying, and final cramming sessions, and on top of that a job -- there’s not much to forward to. So, when given a chance to break the monotony and boredom by working out in the field with BEMP (Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program), I did not hesitate to jump on the…
By Kaleigh Brown Not to sound like your mom, but social media might be part of your problems. In my household I am the oldest of four children, there is a twelve-year age gap between me and my youngest sibling. Being the oldest, I was the “guineapig” child. I always had the most rules and all my younger siblings get to do things way before I was allowed to when I was their age, this includes my…
By Karen Terrazas Have you ever wondered if trees could talk? And if they could, what would they say? Although trees cannot verbally communicate with us, they are able to communicate with one another in an unusual manner-using fungi. In the forest many trees have mushrooms growing around their trunks. However, these are just the fruiting bodies of a vast underground mycelium network through which…
By Sarah Shrum Davis, MPH and Don Natvig, PhD The world just weathered a viral pandemic; could a fungal pandemic be next? A recent blog post by Luke Sanchez discussed the likelihood of an “apocalyptic hellscape” like that in the hit series The Last of Us. Though we may not become crazed, zombie-like clickers any time soon, the possibility of a fungal pathogen impacting our lives may be more real…
By Sydney Gilbert It was a breezy afternoon in the Spring semester of 2022. I arrived at Regner Hall a bit earlier than usual to mentally prepare myself for the approaching hours of fighting with a computer in my Physics Lab. Fortunately, my friend and lab mate Marissa arrived soon after me. My attempt to be productive in those minutes before class soon withered beneath our engaging conversation.…
By Sean Flory Imagine finding yourself in a strange land. Before you is a barren landscape with a deep rusty coloration. Sickly green pools of boiling acid lay scattered around pillars and terraces of green and yellow-stained salt deposits. It’s hot. Too hot. Desperately, you scan the area looking for a shady refuge, under a tree or a rock. But the land is flat and there are no trees. In fact,…
By Carolyn Sandoval Imagine you are a clownfish living in a coral reef, where vibrant colors dance under the providing sun. Your home has always been a paradise full of energy and excitement. Then, disaster strikes. A friend has vanished, and in your search, you have swam too far. The safety of the bright shallows are now but a thing of the past as you find yourself in an unfamiliar, eerie…
By Amber Stone Although I don’t remember when my love for animals began, as a kid I remember watching as the birds flew by and being fascinated by the fact that they could fly. I remember being enticed by the uniqueness of tiger stripes and being intrigued by the speed that cheetahs achieved. Throughout my childhood, I was surrounded by animals including cats, dogs, snakes, and fish. Even a lonely…
By Mark Shilling I have been working in medicine for just over 4 years now mostly in an emergency setting at Sandoval Regional Medical Center. As such I had the privilege of caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and got to experience first-hand the rapidly evolving phenomenon that turned the world upside down. Myself and a group of other healthcare workers during the initial days of…
By Sadie Hollrah A small section of Pando in the fall. The year is 8,000 BCE. Early Humans are just starting to get the hang of their new stone tools and the last of the mammoth and saber-toothed cats roam the Earth. In soil still wet from the melting glaciers of what will one day be called Utah, a single quaking aspen seed germinates. Nourished by warmth and light, its first leaves stretch to the…
By Luke Sanchez The Last of Us is HBO’s newest binge-worthy zombie thriller. It has quickly risen to popularity partially due to its star-studded cast, but the wild world of the show is what truly hooked millions of viewers one month ago. The Last of Us (TLOU) is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal outbreak that turns humans into a disgusting creature called “Clickers”. Clickers…
By Ashley Amdor Photo taken in the Jemez Mountains during Covid. Let me paint the picture… Monday, August 24, 2020, at 7:50 am: the biggest change in my life so far, the first day of college ever. I was expecting to be getting ready, brushing my teeth, picking out a cute outfit. At this point I would be panicking because I had class in 10 minutes and had to get across campus, but that was not the…
by Joshua M. Cortez “Are you done with that quad yet?” I look and realize I’ve been done counting for a few minutes now, just staring at the Chihuahuan desert sand. I stand to pick up my meter-by-meter square PVC net from the ground and begin moving through the desert. Walking to my next rebar I position my quad and sit in the middle of the desert to begin the process of counting all over again. A…
By Saul Ortiz Anyone who has been outside for more than half a second during the New Mexico spring will notice the infinite barrage of fuzzy little cottonwood seeds. Commonly referred to as "Cottonwood snow" I personally enjoy seeing the never-ending shower of cottonwood fluff, except for the part where I go into a cartoon-like sneezing frenzy. The cottonwood is a vital part of the New Mexico…
by Brian Ashley View from the Petroglyphs on the west side of Albuquerque, © Wxstorm at English Wikipedia When growing up in the westside of Albuquerque in the 90s there were endless fields of desert behind my old apartment buildings. Those fields are now replaced by warehouses, but it was once was my vast desert backyard. My siblings and I loved running around out in the fields catching different…
By Ashley Amdor Napolean and I at our first ever dog competition at the NM State Fair in 2009. Since the day I came home from the hospital, my family always had a loving companion in our house, specifically black labs. We would do everything with them. Duck hunting… dogs were there. Walk to the park… dogs were there. Mom and dad picked me up from school… oh you bet that a dog was there. Fast…
By Andrea Chin-Lopez New Mexico is home to a myriad of fantastic unique species of flora and fauna. From the charismatic roadrunner to the exotic African oryx, fascinating creatures of all shapes and sizes contribute to New Mexico’s incredible natural landscape. I’ve been fortunate to see many of these incredible animals personally. I’ve seen bodacious blue herons and the racing rainbow trout they…
By Carolyn Sandoval When I was younger, I loved spending my time watching dozens of science-fiction movies as well as documentaries featuring dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Works of fiction such as these are designed to invite our imaginations by tantalizing us with the promise of fascinating worlds and the creatures who call them home. Spending my afternoons marveling at these shows…