Life Sciences Commons^™

Nsf Bets Big On David Angelini, Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

Something has been bugging Colby geneticist David Angelini.

How, Angelini wonders, can a single species (in this case the soapberry bug) produce two distinctly different forms, one with long wings and one with short, that are not linked to sex? What is the genetic mechanism that causes the wings to develop differently?

"Why does it not overshoot the long form? he asked. "Why doesn't it undershoot the short form? Why doesn't it end up somewhere in the middle? That's an open question."

And a question that the National Science Foundation wants him to answer.

Modeling Maine’S Rockweed Harvest, Meagan Hennessey

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Currently, Maine is in a political struggle over the best way to manage the harvesting of Rockweed, or Ascophyllum nodosum. As the dominant macro algae along the state’s rocky intertidal zone it supports over 150 different species, meaning its loss could impact food web stability, protection of endangered species, and support of economically viable harvests. This work takes parameters found in the literature to create a Stella model, which is then manipulated to explore the relative impact of possible management strategies. It is found that a strictly accurate model is not possible to create given the current biological knowledge and …

The Hot Zone And The Cold War, Peter Nichols

Colby Magazine

It was a time when, in the nation's schools, drills for nuclear war were as frequent as fire drills- when Americans and their Soviet counterparts lived with a constant fear of imminent worldwide destruction. "You had a cultural mindset that was apocalyptic," said Robert S. Weisbrot, Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at Colby, "that believed you could not guarantee that your wonderful suburban home and family and community...would survive ten more seconds."

"It was not simply a matter of two countries that are adversaries building up weapons," said Weisbrot. "Each saw the other as the incarnation of …

The Birdman Of Colby: Eagle-Eyed Professor Herb Wilson Is Winging His Way Into The Hearts Of Students And Birders Alike, Robert Gillespie

Colby Magazine

Professor Herb Wilson's passion for ornithology is contagious- at Colby and in the community.

Getting In Deep, Earl Smith

Colby Magazine

Cleaning up Johnson Pond required wading through a quagmire of regulations- and produced some surprising revelations.