The First Pregnancy Tests and the Demise of Frogs
The African clawed frog is a carrier of Batrachochytrium dendrobatis (Bd), the fungus responsible for amphibian chytridiomycosis, which has devastated frog populations in recent years. Whether trade of the African clawed frog is responsible for the global spread of Bd is unclear, but the story behind the idea is intriguing, not least because of its ties to pregnancy testing. Read the rest of this entry »
Lush Vegetation: 5 Questions with Amy Stewart, Author of The Drunken Botanist
New York Times best-selling author Amy Stewart discusses her boozy new book with Britannica research editor Richard Pallardy. Read the rest of this entry »
“Hound Dog”: An Old Dog That Keeps on Running
Big Mama Thornton first charted with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's R&B song "Hound Dog" 60 years ago. Almost immediately, the song was softened, turned from a woman's blues growl into a man's novelty song—turning Leiber and Stoller into hitmakers in the bargain, to say nothing of a young man named Elvis Presley.
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Lethal Ladybugs: The Invasive Harlequin
The harlequin ladybug is an aggressive invasive species that has leveraged intraguild predation to devastate native ladybug populations. Saving those native species might now rest on finding ways to eliminate a parasitic fungus that was recently discovered inside harlequins and that may be responsible for the harlequin's lethal effects. Read the rest of this entry »
A Tad Spiny, But With Violet Fins to Die For: 5 Questions with Shark Ecologist Paul Clerkin
Many of the species of sharks (and shark relatives) that Paul Clerkin studies live at such depths that the only contact they have with humans is when they surface as bycatch on commercial trawlers. On a two-month voyage aboard one such vessel last year, Clerkin, a graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California, discovered some 10 species new to science. Read the rest of this entry »
Britannica1768: The Ship
A ship is undoubtedly the noblest machine that ever was invented; and consists of so many parts, that it would require a whole volume to describe it minutely. However, we shall endeavour to satisfy the reader the more fully on this head. Read the rest of this entry »
The Life and Death of Languages: Prehistory
Languages change—sometimes abruptly, sometimes at a predictable rate, almost always profoundly. Linguists are pressing on with their long-standing quest to trace the evolution of the languages we speak, even as so many of those languages are disappearing. Step inside for more on this complex subject. Read the rest of this entry »
Seeing Green: Urban Trees Worth Billions
What are America's urban trees and forests worth? A recent study suggests that when it comes to carbon storage and sequestration, their economic value soars to more than $50 billion. Read the rest of this entry »
Britannica Classic Videos: Office Courtesy (1953)
Britannica staff began producing film and video 70 years ago, which means that our archive is quite the treasure trove. Some of these films are outdated, some are irrelevant, and some others are cultural artifacts—kitschy products of their time. We have decided to start sharing the most entertaining ones here on the blog as "Britannica Classic Videos."
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Read the rest of this entry »
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