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9 July 2019
Human Rabies Mortality in India: Why Is This Still An Issue?
There are an estimated 25 million stray dogs within the country of India. These animals serve as carriers for one of the deadliest diseases in the world – one that has ravaged the country and surrounding areas within Southern Asia. This disease is rabies, and India makes up 36% of the world’s rabies deaths each year. About 30% to 60% of rabies victims within countries where the disease is endemic are children under the age of 15. Some of them don’t even know they’re infected until symptoms begin to show and it’s too late.
8 July 2019
Cicadas + Magic Mushrooms = ?
Magic mushrooms, also known as shrooms, are not allowed for human consumption, but cicadas are also experiencing the same drugs via a different route. Does it affect them the same as it does humans?
5 July 2019
Lyme Disease in Winter
Similar to other wildlife diseases, there are myths about Lyme disease. While many myths exists, one of the most interesting myths about Lyme disease pertains to transmission. People believe that ticks cannot survive in the winter; so, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted during winter.
4 July 2019
Are possums actually awesome?
It is a common misconception that possums are rabid, disease carrying animals with no good intentions. When someone says the word “possum” the one thought that will probably pop into most people’s head is rabies.
3 July 2019
Toxoplasma: A Cat-astrophe?
Could your pet cat really be carrying a dangerous disease?
Some people might be afraid of adopting cats due to the fear of contracting Toxoplasma, a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii which is one of the world’s most common parasites. While this disease is usually correlated to cats it is more often contracted through eating contaminated food.
Climate Change is Now Harming… Our Dogs?
As if climate change did not seem to be negatively impacting everything as we know it already, it also has recently been shown to trigger the spread of diseases throughout the United States.
1 July 2019
It’s the most, wonderful time, in the field!
Every summer I take a break from the concrete jungle of DC and head to rural Pennsylvania to teach a field course for the University of Pittsburgh Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (my undergrad alma mater).
7 May 2019
Paying SciComm Forward with SCOPE
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is home to world-class research across broad-ranging topics relating to oceanic, atmospheric, and earth sciences. Located in sunny San Diego, the institution is also home to a thriving outreach program – the Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE) program.
22 April 2019
Connecting Kids to Real World Science through Children’s Books
Many science education projects for elementary school age kids start with the assumption that, in order to get kids interested in the science, there needs to be a character like “Barbara Bacteria” or “Larry the Lava Flow” to get their attention. In my over twenty years of experience as a science educator and children’s author, I feel confident in saying that this is not the case.
27 March 2019
Science communication needs mentorship. You can help.
As a grad student, I knew that I wanted to do communication and outreach work outside of academia. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to start. I had created a research plan from scratch, executed multiple experiments, and was in the process of writing my thesis; however, the idea of “outreach” scared the crap out of me. At least with that other stuff there was a road map from my adviser, colleagues, and committee members. But with outreach, I had no map, no examples, no mentor.
The Plainspoken Scientist is the science communication blog of AGU’s Sharing Science program. With this blog, we wish to showcase creative and effective science communication via multiple mediums and modes.
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