Feast upon these delectable citizen science projects

If you’re spending time with family and friends, here are activities to do together to discover more about your mental, biological and genetic health and more. Feast upon these delectable citizen science projects guaranteed to satisfy even the most insatiable curiosity! Thank you for being part of our growing family (150,000 strong now!) of thinkers … Read more “Feast upon these delectable citizen science projects”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Ecology & Environment, Health, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, podcast

Simple ways to learn about and help koalas, kangaroos, and coastlines

Looking for new ways to spend some of your spare time? Check out the SciStarter Affiliates page featuring dozens of gold-star projects linked directly to your SciStarter Dashboard. To get you started, we’re featuring five Affiliate projects below. Cheers! The SciStarter Team  

Categories: Alzheimers, Amphibians, Animals, Bats, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter, Ocean & Water

A raccoon crosses a paved road in the woods.

This Citizen Science Project Is Taking On Roadkill — and Potentially Saving Animals

In the United States, it is estimated that more than one million vertebrate animals are killed by vehicle collisions every day. Yet, despite the ubiquity of roadkill, there is actually little comprehensive data on how many animals are killed by cars every year. The U.S. has no national database for roadkill, and most states don’t … Read more “This Citizen Science Project Is Taking On Roadkill — and Potentially Saving Animals”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile

Celebrate Halloween With Citizen Science Projects Featuring ZomBees and More!

Welcome to our annual (spooky) edition of the SciStarter Halloween blog! In the spirit of the season, we’re highlighting five projects that impart science with a healthy dose of frights and scares. But be bold, because your participation also brings critical new data to light and helps advance science everywhere. There’s nothing scary about that! … Read more “Celebrate Halloween With Citizen Science Projects Featuring ZomBees and More!”

Categories: Animals, Environment, Featured Projects, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

Ocean waves and water

How Citizen Science Helps NOAA Keep Tabs on Our Oceans

Our oceans are vast, powerful and mysterious — and even after centuries of study, there are still many things scientists don’t know about our planet’s blue expanses. But the ocean affects all of our lives intimately, even those of us who live far from the coast. Oceans provide food for billions of people, shape weather … Read more “How Citizen Science Helps NOAA Keep Tabs on Our Oceans”

Categories: Animals, Climate & Weather, Environment

Marine Iguana Galapagos Islands

Help Study the Galápagos Marine Iguana With a New Online Project

Do you know the fictional Japanese monster Godzilla? We present to you its miniature version — the very real marine iguana. Marine iguanas are a quirky, charismatic species of reptile living in the tropical paradise of the Galápagos Islands. People often refer to them as mini-Godzillas or marine dragons, but they are definitely not monstrous. … Read more “Help Study the Galápagos Marine Iguana With a New Online Project”

Categories: Animals

Image of shark on reef with small, colorful reef fish.

Tracking Sharks and Listening to Rays

Sharks get a lot more attention than, say, sea cucumbers, possibly because sharks tend to have much bigger teeth. They even get their own week! (note to Discovery Channel: please find room for Sea Cucumber Week). And yet, as marine scientist and shark expert David Shiffman points out, scientists are still discovering new things about … Read more “Tracking Sharks and Listening to Rays”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water

Top 7 Citizen Science Problems (And How to Solve Them)

Lost your smartphone? Rabbits eating all your sunflowers? Can’t seem to find opportunities right for you? Sometimes doing citizen science can bring some unexpected problems. But take heart — whatever challenge you’re facing, you’re likely not the first one to deal with it.  We surveyed SciStarter’s users about the problems they’ve encountered while trying to … Read more “Top 7 Citizen Science Problems (And How to Solve Them)”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Other

Martin Dohrn filming a bumble bee hovering over a dandelion.

Inspire Your Community to Protect Local Pollinators

When the global pandemic hit, acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn, locked down in his small city garden in Bristol, England, decided to turn the cameras on the wildlife in his backyard. He was particularly fascinated with the bees visiting his garden. Putting his unparalleled skills and cameras to use, he filmed more than 60 different … Read more “Inspire Your Community to Protect Local Pollinators”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science Month, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Events, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

A brown dog's face from the nose up on a white background.

Are Dogs Aware of Their Own Thinking? Volunteers with Canine Metacognition Put Pups to the Test!

Does a dog ever think, in their own way, “That sure looks like a squirrel, but I could be mistaken?”  Throughout history, humans have thought that our ability to reflect on our own thinking — what scientists call metacognition — distinguishes us from other animals. But there’s growing evidence that’s not the case. Researchers have … Read more “Are Dogs Aware of Their Own Thinking? Volunteers with Canine Metacognition Put Pups to the Test!”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science