UNM BioBLOG

By Carolyn Sandoval 

A shark lurks in the ocean’s wide depths, vigilant green eyes searching for the next meal to fit in its toothy grin. A crafty hunter, both master of stealth and disguise, it feeds on everything from the smallest fish to the largest whale – this shark’s menu has everything. Even submarines are not spared, forcing the most sophisticated machines humanity has to offer back to the scrapyard. This description brings to mind some kind of gigantic monster, no doubt – a demon from the deep, a modern Megalodon, a hideous horror that consumes anything that makes the mistake of crossing it. This shark has a name – and a rather unassuming one at that – the Cookiecutter Shark.

by Jessica Belmares 

We all know a crazy cat lady, right? Now, imagine there is a parasite behind this feline frenzy. Brace yourself because this parasite may not be responsible for this odd behavior. The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii, and while there are some truthful aspects to this reference, there are some myths worth debunking. Several groups around the world have taken to researching the notion that Toxoplasma controls behavior.

By the BioBlog Team

Type the word 'scientist' into an AI image generator like Freepik, deepAi or DALL-E2. What is the first image you are likely to get? 

Perhaps not surprisingly, what pops up is someone who could be Einstein's twin brother. That is, a stereotypical, grey-haired, distinguished white male with glasses. 

It takes some effort to get other depictions ... although the grizzly bear image below came up as 'scientist 3'.

by William Luther 

I sat in a thin line of shade cast by our van. I was hot, it was dry, and I had just lost out on the chance to see one of my favorite species. As I looked out at the horizon, I saw something large gliding effortlessly towards me and my fellow students. What happened next is something I will never forget… 

I had set out early on a Saturday morning with a group of classmates, UNM faculty, and grad students on a three day “birding extravaganza” around southeastern New Mexico.

by Alex Apgar

Every time I go to a doctor’s appointment, I become a celebrity. I’ve taken countless selfies with the doctors that have treated me, been fawned over by many a nurse, and once even had a group of students pause their required clinical hours to come and meet me. I must preface this by admitting that medically, I’m nothing special – I’m your typical healthy young adult, which makes me a rather boring patient.

by Evan Wheeler

There are many decisions to be made following high school graduation that can have a lasting impact on the rest of your life. Though these are some of the most important choices we will make in our lives, the world doesn’t wait long for you to make up your mind. The weight of these decisions, coupled with the impatience of society, leads many to the wrong path or to never making a decision at all.

By Natalia Chavez

Living in New Mexico has granted me the opportunity to observe immaculate night skies. The sunsets, sunrises, and stars are magnificent and spark curiosity. It is part of human nature to look up at the night sky and ponder what is out there besides stars that flicker. What solar systems occupy the universe? Is there life that exists outside of Earth? If so, what might it look like?

When I was 16 years old, I went on a family vacation to California.

By Saul Ortiz Tena

The average undergrad experience usually lacks excitement. 

We’ve all been there -- between the lectures, labs, studying, and final cramming sessions, and on top of that a job --there’s not much to forward to. So, when given a chance to break the monotony and boredom by working out in the field with BEMP (Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program), I did not hesitate to jump on the opportunity. That’s how I ended up inspecting a burn site for the city of Albuquerque this summer.

By Kaleigh Brown

Not to sound like your mom, but social media might be part of your problems.  

In my household I am the oldest of four children, there is a twelve-year age gap between me and my youngest sibling. Being the oldest, I was the “guineapig” child. I always had the most rules and all my younger siblings get to do things way before I was allowed to when I was their age, this includes my parents rules regarding technology.

By Karen Terrazas

Have you ever wondered if trees could talk? And if they could, what would they say? Although trees cannot verbally communicate with us, they are able to communicate with one another in an unusual manner-using fungi. In the forest many trees have mushrooms growing around their trunks. However, these are just the fruiting bodies of a vast underground mycelium network through which trees are able to communicate.