Scientists at work: bridging the divide between development and conservation in Cambodia
Intensified rice production in Cambodia's dry season is wreaking havoc on local bird populations.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Scientists at work
Displaying 1 - 20 of 35 articles
Scientist at work: Bio-prospecting for better enzymes
Bio-prospecting is the search for useful materials from natural sources. A biologist explains what we can learn from bacteria about breaking down plant material, and how we can use that knowledge.
McBoatface lead scientist: how famed submarine will help unlock the causes of deep sea warming
The new sub allows scientists to access some of the most remote and hazardous environments in the ocean.
Scientist at work: Tracking muskoxen in a warming Arctic
How is rapid warming in the Arctic affecting animals that are adapted to cold? A wildlife biologist is using many techniques to find out, including stalking muskoxen in a polar bear costume.
Scientists at work: meeting the Syrian refugee women of Beirut
A PhD candidate retells the moving stories of Syrian women, as they try to find a place in their new neighbourhoods.
We made an app to identify bird sounds – and learned something surprising about people
Our citizen science project was designed to record bird sounds but produced some surprisingly funny impressions.
Scientist at work: Tracking melt water under the Greenland ice sheet
A glaciologist develops a lightweight method for probing the depths of Greenland's ice sheet to answer a crucial question: How fast is it melting?
Scientist at work: Revealing the secret lives of urban rats
Rats foul our food, spread disease and damage property, but we know very little about them. A biologist explains how he tracks wild rats in New York City, and what he's learned about them so far.
Scientists at work: Public archaeologists dig before the construction crews do
Cultural resource management archaeologists don't choose where they dig. Instead they identify, evaluate and preserve cultural heritage sites in locations slated for development.
How do you make a rockstar scientist? It takes more than a multimillion-dollar prize
Glamorous award ceremonies and popular TV shows can only get you so far – finding the time to do the science is still the most important thing.
Scientist at work: searching for tiny neutrinos in the South Pole’s thick ice
A cubic kilometer of clear, stable ice could help physicists answer big questions about cosmic rays and neutrinos. Hardy scientists collect data via a unique telescope at the frozen bottom of the world.
Scientists at work: tracing the path to peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Louis Monroy Santander has been looking at how locals in the town of Sanski Most are moving on after a brutal conflict.
Scientist at work: observing termite behaviors, personalities – and souls?
They're the soil-builders that allow Africa's arid savannas to be lush grasslands. What do they do inside their huge mounds – and how does a collective mind allow them to do it?
Scientists at work: space balloons and charged particles above the Arctic Circle
Geomagnetic storms can interact with particles near Earth, causing issues for satellites and other tech. Researchers send balloons 20 miles into the sky to figure out just what's going on up there.
In the path of the polar bears: what it’s like to be an Arctic scientist
Stay alert, make lots of noise, and if all else fails, carry a big gun.
Scientists at work: cracking sea lions’ high-thrust, low-wake swimming technique
The way sea lions swim is unique among fish and marine mammals. Their technique provides a biomechanical model to design agile underwater vehicles... but first we have to figure out how they do it.
Scientist at work: mathematician collects ocean and glacier data in the field to make climate models in the lab
To create accurate models that predict how ice sheets and oceans will react to changing climate, modelers need precise current data. One researcher heads to the ends of the earth to collect just that.
Scientists at work: tracing the origin of ancient water flows on Mars in the lab
For centuries, scientists have wondered how water channels on Mars formed. Our model suggests that they were caused by water erupting from subsurface lakes on the ancient planet.
Scientists at work: studying indoor microbial ecology means sampling in public restrooms
We spend much of our time inside buildings. What chemicals and microbes are in here with us? And how do they affect each other? One scientist collects dust to find out.
Scientists at work: most days in the life of an astronomer aren’t spent at telescopes
Astronomers aren't mere stargazers these days. One researcher explains the ins and outs of how they collect data from far-off galaxies and what they do with it back at the office.
Top contributors
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Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
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Honorary Fellow Manager, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
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Lecturer in Oceanography and Climate Change, Imperial College London
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Principal Research Fellow, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
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Lecturer in Volcanology, University of Hull
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Spacecraft Engineer, University of Bristol
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Missouri-Columbia
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Senior Research Associate, Cardiff University
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PhD candidate, University of Bristol
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Professor of Paleontology, Durham University
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Head of Specialised Assay Service, University of Edinburgh
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Lecturer, Swansea University
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PhD student, Nottingham Trent University
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Graduate assistant, University of Arkansas
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PhD Student in Geosciences, University of Arizona
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