June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and I keep thinking about a presentation I saw last year at the annual Animal Behavior Society meeting. Dr. Marlene Zuk, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Minnesota and former president of the Animal Behavior Society, discussed the errors of the common belief that same-sex behavior in nonhuman animals is a mistake. Researchers tend to assume that observations of same-sex behavior are cases of mistaken identity while attempting to mate,

In October 2025, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) downlisted the green sea turtle from Endangered to Least Concern. This has been celebrated as a conservation victory, and it is, but there are some caveats worth talking about. The IUCN created the Red List of Threatened Species in 1964 to serve as a central location for global biodiversity and species health data. Over 172,600 species are currently on the list, and countless organizations and governme

As we near the end of Black History Month, I think it's important to talk about racial disparities in the effects of environmental degradation and climate change. This may be something you've already heard of or learned about, or it may be the first time you're hearing the term Environmental Justice. Either way, I'd love to welcome you to this conversation and discuss the ways in which environmental issues disproportionately affects low-income communities and people of color,