Evolution’s Fake News: There is a Mechanism to Drive Macroevolutional Change

The term, and even the concept, of “fake news” is a relatively new phenomenon in the context of political journalism. In the past, “news casts” were thought to be objective reporting of the facts regarding the news of the day by unbiased journalists seeking only to discover the truth. For instance, in the 1970s almost no American would have questioned the veracity of any report coming from the lips of Walter Cronkite. Much has changed since those days! Only the most naïve of American citizens believe they can blindly trust the words of political journalists. We realize that almost all reporting comes with the particular “spin” of the journalist and network reporting on the news of the day.

The Amazing Parathyroid Gland: Small but Mighty!

Most individuals are familiar with the major organs of the human body such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. However, fewer people are knowledgeable about the smaller organs such as the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands, the lymph nodes, or the parathyroid glands, even though their functions are still vital for life. This article examines the tiny parathyroid glands and their physiologic role and importance to our bodies.

Neck anatomy

Insects: Musings on the Monarch, It’s Migration, and Butterfly Metamorphosis

Insects are amazing! The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L., is featured in this article; however, there are thousands of other species with intriguing lifestyles. The European honey bee, Apis Mellifera L., for example lives in colonies with up to 60,000 nest mates— nearly all are sisters of one mother (the queen). After a young bee completes her duties as a “nurse” bee in caring for the immature “brood,” she takes flight in search of nectar-rich flowers as far as three miles from the hive. Upon her return, the location (flight path) and richness of her find is “communicated” to other foraging bees by way of a unique dance on the surface of the honeycomb.

Butterfly development cycle