Longevity may be a consequence of grandmothering.  Continued life after reproduction may be adaptive when post-reproductive individuals increase the reproductive success of their extended kin.  As Kristen Hawks suggests ‘grannies have a lot to offer their grandchildren” (Hawkes 2004).  By subsidizing grandchildren, grandmothers enhance the fertility of their daughters.  In other words, more robust elders… Read More Grandmothering — Dr Kristen Hawkes

Maternal Care?  Let someone else do it! — Dr Kathleen Lynch Birds display a diverse array of parental care strategies. Dr. Kathleen Lynch examines one of the rare forms of care; giving up on care altogether. For 1% of avian species, females abandon maternal care altogether and lay their eggs in the nests of another… Read More Maternal care? Let someone else do it –Dr Kathleen Lynch

The hyena watcher — Dr Kay Holekamp A Smith College alumna, with a PhD from University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Kay Holekamp has studied hyenas in Kenya since early 1988.   As a result of her work we now have a much improved understanding of hyena biology in particular female reproduction and behavior.  Her research focus… Read More The hyena watcher — Dr Kay Holekamp

Move Over Daddy-Longlegs, Mommy’s Here — Dr. Mercedes Burns Dr. Mercedes Burns is an Assistant professor at the University of Maryland. She conducts research on the ways reproductive behavior is affected by demography, environmental factors, and evolutionary selective pressures  Her taxonomic focus is species of harvestmen, commonly known as daddy-longlegs, from North America and Japan.… Read More Move Over Daddy-Longlegs, Mommy’s Here — Dr Mercedes Burns

  Migrating Females Dr Abigail Kimmitt is a postdoctoral researcher at Texas A&M University working with Dr. Kira Delmore. Her research is motivated by understanding how seasonal migration contributes to population divergence. She studies differences in gene expression and hormones associated with reproduction in subspecies of juncos that differ in migratory behavior but are found… Read More Dr Abigail Kimmitt: migrating females

Dr. Sara Lipshutz went to Swarthmore College for her undergraduate degree. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Tennessee. She now works in the Biology Department at Indiana University and studies the endocrine and neuro-genomic underpinnings of female competition. Her research includes understanding female aggression in avian species, for example the wattled jacana.… Read More Aggression in Female Birds: Dr. Sara Lipshutz