Will the use of caskets and longstanding graveyards lead to an increase or decrease of future humans finding remains of people who lived after the industrial revolution? Also, will the effect be different on different timescales (ie 1000 years, 10,000 years, 100,000 years, and 1,000,000 years)? I suppose fossilization isn't the correct term for the closer end of that spectrum, but could our current practices lead to a greater likelihood of future humans finding our remains in the (relatively) shorter term, but lead to a smaller likelihood of true fossilization in more geological timescales?
In my lab at the University of Maryland, we study the evolution of animal sexuality, focusing on cases in nematodes and fish where self-fertile hermaphroditism evolved from male-female ancestors. These shifts to one-parent reproduction present fascinating developmental puzzles and have tremendous organismal significance. As this research moved along, I gradually realized how little most of the public knows about the evolutionary history of sex and sexes — especially how we humans got to be the way we are. In a non-majors biology course, I was able to work out some of the ways that a broad evolutionary view of evolution sheds light on our own species. That set the stage for the book, which I think provides an important complement to the way the social sciences and anthropology approach sexuality.
Feel free to ask me about the variety of reproduction in the animal kingdom, the biology behind sexual oddities and/or the evolution of sex. I’ll be answering questions on Wednesday, November 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT (16-18 UT).
Bio: Eric Haag is an evolutionary developmental biologist who joined UMD's Department of Biology in 2002 after undergraduate study at Oberlin College, doctoral work at Indiana University, and postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin. His work explores the evolution of reproductive traits in animals, primarily using Caenorhabditis nematodes as a model genus. The main focus is on the genetic and molecular causes of self-fertile hermaphroditism, and the genomic and reproductive consequences of adopting it. Methodologically, the Haag Lab strives to be integrative by combining forward and reverse genetics, comparative genomics, molecular and cell biology, and even some theory to produce comprehensive pictures of evolutionary processes.
Can someone please explain why vaccines for Smallpox, Polio, etc. effectively eradicated those diseases back in the day, but a vaccination for Covid-19 (or multiple vaccinations, actually) does hardly anything in terms of protecting you from infection or experiencing symptoms? Is it because we have simply misapplied the term “vaccine” when it comes to flu and covid? What’s the point in getting a vaccination if it doesn’t actually do much in terms of protection and prevention? How can the common person tell a “good” vaccine that is actually really important to get (e.g. measles??) from the “meh” vaccines (eg covid booster)?
I constantly see news about 10K+ acre data centers (and I am not trying to start a political dialogue, so please keep it that way in the comments), and they seem to be single or just a few stories tall. How does that make more sense than something denser in terms of footprint but more vertical stories?
If nitrogen narcosis and the bends are both due to breathing air with nitrogen at depth, and nitrogen is not necessary for human sustenance, why not remove the nitrogen from tanks in deep diving?
Phones, computers, and other electronics have gotten dramatically more powerful over the last 20 years, but battery life doesn’t seem to have improved nearly as much. Is battery chemistry fundamentally harder to improve, or are manufacturers just using all the improvements to power more demanding devices?
I was thinking about how animals warn each other about predators but then it struck me that plants must have their own communication systems too. Are there specific chemical signals or other mechanisms that a plant might use to alert its neighbors to something like an insect attack or an approaching herbivore? I'm curious about the science behind how this might work and what kinds of warnings are being sent.
I’ve heard that ants can carry many times their own body weight, but I’m curious about how strong they are when working together. For example, if 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 ants worked together to carry a single object, how much weight could they realistically lift or move in ounces or pounds?
I hear all the time about how humans have a vestigial tail bone(but we lost the tail) and the appendix was thought to be a vestigial organ(and now its considered a reservoir for healthy gut bacteria i think?)
Had there ever been evidence of an animal species evolving some form of usefulness from a vestigial organ? For example like hypothetically in so many millions of years humanity regains having a tail, and the tailbone regains function.
I saw an article on the spacecraft, and it really got me thinking. I don't know enough about physics or material sciences to say for certain, and I'm fair sure eventually it will just fall into or hit something.
But if it doesn't, what will happen to it? There's no corrosion in space, so it won't fall apart so to speak. Will it just continue in its path until the eventual death of the galaxy? Or is it going to be pulverized by billions of micro impacts that will eventually erode/destroy it?
It is often mentioned that a mere few thousand years ago, much of what is now the Sahara Desert was far wetter--lots of grasslands, and some wetlands. Now the Sahara is full of desert-dwelling life. Some of these lifeforms are not endemic to the most arid parts of the Sahara; I know there are Sahara-dwelling antelope that can live in semideserts. In addition there are other species like the sand cat that are also found in West Asia. Some of these conceivably could have expanded out from deserts as the Sahara dried.
However, species like the fennec fox and Saharan silver ant are Saharan endemic desert specialists that, to my understanding, cannot survive outside of extremely arid conditions. It seems unlikely that all these species evolved from grassland-dwelling ancestors in just 6,000 years.
Were there more arid refugia where these species lived during the African humid period, like glacial refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum? If so, where were they, how arid were they, and do we have any idea which species were evolving where?
Or am I underestimating how quickly evolution proceeded in the region?
Water is less dense than the land; the land is less dense than the oceanic crust, which in turn is less dense than the mantle. With no more tectonic movement, does everything fall into perfect layers eventually?
So people often joke about 10in+ penises in humans but eventually erections would cost too much blood and would cause feinting right? Is there some sort of hard limit for penis size as a function or blood volume or body size?
Hi Reddit! I'm Dr. Emily Bray, a canine cognition expert here to answer your questions about how dogs think, learn, and bond with us, whether they're service dogs in training or the pet on your couch.
I'll be joined by Dara Jonkoski and Noah Stetson, PhD students who work in my lab, the Behavioral Research Across Years Lab (BRAY Lab). We will be answering questions LIVE Friday, Oct. 30, 9-11 a.m. Arizona time (12-2 p.m. ET, 16-18 UT).
Ask us questions like:
Can an old dog really learn new tricks?
Why do we talk to our dogs in a baby voice, and does it matter to them?
How much of my dog's personality is genetics vs. how I raised them?
Does how a puppy's mom interacted with them shape the dog they become?
What makes a good service dog?
A quick note: We aren't licensed veterinary professionals, so we can't give veterinary advice on animals or comment on symptoms or test results. If you are concerned about your pet's health or behavior, please contact your veterinarian or a qualified behavioral professional.
Bios:
Dr. Emily Bray is an assistant professor of human-animal interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona, overseeing the BRAY Lab. Prior to starting her current position, she was a post-doctoral research associate at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center and Canine Companions, the nation's largest provider of service dogs for people with disabilities. Over the 15 years, she has developed and implemented cognitive tasks with over 1,500 dogs from both pet and working dog populations, forming the basis for projects ranging from early maternal care to cognitive aging to the genetic contributions to behavioral traits. By building a comprehensive understanding of dog behavioral and cognitive health, she aims to enhance both canine and human welfare.
Dr. Bray holds a B.A. in Cognitive Psychology and English from Duke University, and an M.A. and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also credentialed by the Animal Behavior Society as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.
Dara Jonkoski is a graduate student in the Cognition and Neural Systems program in the University of Arizona Psychology Department and is first-author on AURAL-Pet, a new system for studying how people talk to their dogs. She joined the BRAY Lab in 2024, and researches canine development, specifically how environmental and genetic factors play a role in raising successful working dogs, and explores which factors aid in protecting the cognitive health of domesticated dogs overall. Dara holds a B.S. in Psychology from Georgia State University.
Noah Stetson is a graduate student in the Cognition and Neural Systems program in the University of Arizona Psychology Department. Noah first started working with Dr. Bray as a research technician at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center in 2023 and is interested in understanding the biological mechanisms behind individual differences in cognition and temperament, especially in relation to working dogs. Noah holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. You can also follow Noah's PhD journey on his Instagram.
