TREEHUGGERS

TREEHUGGERS

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD I’ve been called a treehugger more than once in my life, and while I know the comments weren’t intended as such, I always take them as compliments. As a sobriquet it’s both true and false: true, because I do spontaneously hug exceptionally...
SHELL GAME

SHELL GAME

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Sometimes you just need to shut out the world for a while, you know? If you can’t relate, I know the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) certainly can. Whether the threat is carnivores or a demanding career or even an infinite to-do...
WINGSUIT

WINGSUIT

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Is there any non-human skill people covet more passionately than the ability to fly? Understandably, early aviation experiments centered around mimicry of birds, complete with flapping arms that were usually covered in feathers. The Greek legend...
FLAT AS A PANCAKE

FLAT AS A PANCAKE

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Ever notice how many of the colloquialisms we use for comparisons aren’t all that apropos, or even true?  Like…      –  graceful as a swan (have you ever seen one on land?)      –  dull as ditchwater (believe me, that liquid is lively at the...
TRACK & FIELD

TRACK & FIELD

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD On your mark…. Get set… HOP! This morning, just in time for Easter, I saw my first Eastern Cottontail of the year. An article I read while eating breakfast had me thinking about track meets, and I’m sure that’s why I noticed, for the first time,...