The Academic Minute

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Tom Smulders of Newcastle University explains why our fingers become wrinkly after prolonged exposure to water.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Alex Hastings of Georgia Southern University reveals how work on the Panama Canal has helped paleontologist gain a better understanding of crocodile evolution.

Alex Hastings is a visiting instructor in the Department of Geology and Geography at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. His research is focused on questions regarding paleobiogeography, ecology, cladistics, and functional morphology, particularly of crocodilians. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Andrew Goldfine of Weill Cornell Medical College takes a second look at a study that found awareness in some patients that were in a vegetative state.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Darby Proctor of Emory University shares research indicating a innate sense of fairness in chimpanzees.

Darby Proctor is a postdoctoral fellow at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University where her research examines the decision-making processes of nonhuman primates under circumstances of risk. She is currently working on a series of gambling style tasks to elucidate risk preferences in chimpanzees. She holds a Ph.D. from Georgia State University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Kelly Benoit-Bird of Oregon State University explains why marine prey species do not always find safety in numbers.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Lisa Aziz-Zadeh of the University of Southern California explains how the brain behaves differently while observing someone we dislike.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Sam Sommers of Tufts University demonstrates how our behavior is often influenced by the context of our daily lives.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Robert Schwartz of Mount Holyoke College explores the historical events that inspired Victor Hugo to pen Les Misérables.

Robert Schwartz is the E. Nevius Rodman Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College where he teaches courses on the history of eighteenth and nineteenth-century France. His current research studies rural communities and politics in Burgundy during the century following the French Revolution. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. David Burley of Simon Fraser University explains how radiometric dating techniques are improving our understanding of exactly when the settlement of Polynesia began.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Richard Palmer of the University of Alberta reveals a surprising find about how some barnacles reproduce.