
That’s Life [Science] is a free source of articles spanning the realm of the life sciences and more. It was created by an interdisciplinary collective of graduate students who strive to provide readily accessible information about STEM to the general public. While That’s Life [Science] began with a focus on life at its many levels (from molecules to entire ecosystems, and the evolutionary history, behavior, physiology, and ecology of life), we’ve broadened our scope to examine other science topics including chemistry, astronomy, and physics. If you want to learn about who you’re sharing the planet with and how, check out Earth’s Organisms and Our Ecosystems. If you’re curious about a new disease, odd animal behavior, or orbital dynamics, we’ll show you How It Works. Come with us to our labs and field sites in Grad School Diaries to see what day-to-day life is like as a scientist. Join us as we explore the world through the lens of science!
TLS articles do not represent the views of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the UMass Amherst Graduate Student Organizations, or any affiliated groups or persons beyond the individual author(s) of each article. To receive TLS articles in your inbox, enter your email below, and check for a confirmation email (might be in your spam folder).
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Are We Running Out of Invasives?
Have we already experienced so many invasive species that we’re exhausting the pool of potential species?
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Death Stinks
What is it that causes the smells associated with decomposition?
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Trickle-Down Academics – Facing the Loss of the NSF DDIG in Biology
Losing the NSF DDIG in biology will have lasting ramifications on graduate student independence…here’s why.
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Too Clean for Comfort
The old adage “a little dirt never hurt” might actually be good health advice after all! Find out how our obsession with being “clean” might be doing more harm than good for our health.
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Walking through Transitions
Walking isn’t just good exercise, but a great way to be in many places at once!
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Tuberculosis: A Romantic Disease?
Emily S. Melzer | August 27th, 2017 Studying the bacterial species Mycobacterium smegmatis, which is what I spend my days doing, hardly feels like an art form. This nonpathogenic (harmless) species is closely related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes the deadly disease tuberculosis (TB). Because M. smegmatis is both safer and easier to work with…
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How a cattle vaccine helped save giraffes
Find out how a vaccine for cattle resulted in a rebound in giraffe populations on the Serengeti.
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Life on the Edge: 3 Important Ways that Habitat Edges Affect Forests
Edges exist in nature, but what happens when humans continue to fragment habitat?
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Through the Mycologist’s Hand Lens: Deceptive Decomposers
Fungi are fascinating! You can find them just outside your door, and some wild varieties are edible. But be careful! These decomposers can be deceptive!
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Lessons from My First Conference
I attended my first mega-conference as a graduate student, and I learned a few things along the way…
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Frankenstein: A ghost-story about scientific ethics and work-life balance
Happy Halloween! Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein turns 200 this year. Let’s take a closer look at this ghost-story about science gone wrong.
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Standing on the shoulders of giants
Scientific discovery is incremental and extends beyond the lifespan of a single researcher. But whose shoulders do I stand upon?
