Counting Fish with DNA

New technology is revolutionizing underwater science. A brand new field is using DNA testing to study and track species diversity in various ecosystems and environments. Biologists can study one liter of seawater and identify the fish that swam through that water. This allows them to study fish and whales without having seen them and without the expense of divers and equipment. But, there are a few issues with some of the data, such as finding the DNA of food that was eaten miles away. Listen to how data from genetic testing can be used to protect marine life, and how it is changing the research process.

Migratory Birds Bring Immigrants Together

Birds like the Black-Throated Blue Warbler are migratory birds that travel from America to Mexico and Central America during the winter. The Bird Ambassadors Program recruits new American immigrants from the same area to plant bushes and flowers for the birds' "pit stop" in the United States. Listen to this public radio story to hear about the connection these immigrants make with the migratory birds.

Starfish Sickness

Starfish are mysteriously becoming infected by a deadly disease that causes their arms to fall off and makes regeneration impossible. Scientists are urgently trying to figure out how their sickness is affecting the rest of the marine environment.

Find any sick starfish? Be sure to use #sickstarfish to help scientists!

Drought Cripples Community

A third of the country's produce is grown in California, but more than half of the state is under severe drought conditions. The financial loss is huge since land cannot be planted and produce is not grown and sold. Listen to this story to learn who else a drought affects.