Tag Archives: invasive species

Researchers Fight Harmful Fruit Fly Using Gene Drive

Photo by Michelle Bui/UCSD.

A team of researchers has applied a powerful genetic tool to the fight against the spotted wing fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii).

The destructive, invasive pest deposits its eggs inside of ripening fruit.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Researchers Turn To Gene Drive To Fight Destructive, Invasive Fruit Fly

Arizona Utility Looks Into Robots to Maintain Canals

Maintaining water quality across Salt River Project’s 131 miles of canals, connected by more than 1,000 miles of lateral ditches and pipes, poses unique technical and workforce problems.

Now, SRP is working with Arizona State University robot experts to develop robotic solutions to the problem.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Lifeblood Of The Desert: Salt River Project Teams Turn To ASU Robots To Maintain Canal System

Study Offers Hope for Fungus-Infected Frogs

Photo courtesy Cori Richards-Zawacki.

Scientists from the U.S. and Panama have found that some frog species can recover from chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease partly responsible for amphibian die-offs around the world.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
For Fungus-Infected Frogs, It’s Change or Die

Gila River Indian Community to Drive Back Salt Cedar

The upper Gila River. Photo by James Hatten, USGS.

The Gila River Indian Community Council in September approved plans to reclaim an 80- to 100-square-mile section of the Gila River and floodplain from invasive salt cedar, or tamarisk.

Removing invasive salt cedar reduces the risk of wildfires, but it also offers a chance to restore native plants and wildlife.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Gila River Indian Community to Restore River Habitat

Cloning, Hubris and the Dino-DNA “Use By” Date

Be careful what your wish for. Photo by MathKnight and Zachi Evenor.

We know surprisingly little about juvenile dinosaurs, so every time a paleontologist uncovers a clutch of eggs or embryos, it is cause for celebration – at least until someone in the media gets hold of the story and asks The Dreaded Question: “Is Jurassic Park only a few years away?” or some variant thereof.

Being a member of said media, I am occasionally assigned one of these stories. And, although I don’t much care for sensationalism in science coverage, I’m generally too thrilled to be researching dinosaurs and cloning to complain very much. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to tell a deeper story, like this one.

Could we resurrect dinosaurs from fossil embryos?