Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Darwin's Ark, Nov 14, 2024
Have you watched your cat make a beeline for an empty box or zoom around the room after a nap and wondered: why do they do that? Scientists have pondered the same questions, but there are few definitive answers. Despite being our companions for centuries, our scientific understanding of cats is surprisingly sparse. This knowledge … Read more “Darwin’s Cats: Using Citizen Science to Crack the Cat Code”
Categories: Animals, mammals, Project Profile
By Eric Betz, Jan 19, 2021
The future of individualized medicine may depend on an army of one million volunteers. And scientists want you to get involved. Researchers with the National Institutes of Health are recruiting citizen scientists to enlist in a study of unprecedented scope and depth. The program, called All of Us, promises to take personal data from a … Read more “How One Million Volunteers Could One Day Revolutionize Medicine”
Categories: Health
By Shruthi Manjunath, Dec 08, 2020
In today’s world, computers both big and small produce vast volumes of data in record time — millions of trillions of bytes worth. It’s so much information that researchers can’t properly analyze all the data produced, and the overload can also lead computers to make mistakes. That’s why researchers are increasingly turning to citizen scientists … Read more “How Playing Science Games is Advancing Genetic Research”
Categories: Gaming, Other
By Megan Ray Nichols, May 08, 2018
Genetics plays an enormous role in our lives, even if we don’t always realize it. Have you ever wondered why some people love cilantro, but it tastes like soap to others? While it might all be in your head, chances are it’s actually in your genes. A study was posted to arxiv.org in 2012 that … Read more “Citizen Science Is Helping Scientists Uncover the Genetics of Taste”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Sarah Newman, Nov 09, 2017
November 10th is World Science Day, presented by UNESCO, AND Science Museum Day, presented by the International Science Center. To celebrate, SciStarter’s editors have selected six citizen science projects organized by science centers. You can do several of these from the comfort of home. Thank you for making the world a better place. Peace, The … Read more “Citizen Science + Science Centers”
Categories: Featured Projects, Insects
By Editorial Team, Sep 07, 2016
The beauty of citizen science is that it gives non-professional researchers the chance to get up close and personal with science. But when SciStarter interviewed citizen scientists this summer, they learned that the number one reason volunteers quit a project was because the scientists never replied to them. Think about all of your experiences collecting data from your … Read more “Conversations in Citizen Science: Alberta Chu of FaceTopo, a project to crowdsource face data!”
Categories: Citizen Science, CitSci Research, Project Profile
By Kristin Butler, Dec 19, 2015
Citizen scientists help make discoveries about how genetics may shape the way we taste food. Turkey or ham? Stuffing or mashed potatoes? Pumpkin or apple pie? As I prepared for Thanksgiving this year, I reflected on all the culinary choices this feasting day offers and wondered why people who share a culture, a community, or … Read more “Citizen Scientists Help Unravel the Genetics of Taste”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, CitSci Research, Project Profile
By Arvind Suresh, Feb 09, 2015
DNA, proteins, and chromosomes are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but there are plenty of citizen science projects that make the building blocks of life accessible to us all. Here are some great projects that need your help to advance our understanding of what we’re made of and where we come … Read more “Citizen Science for Your Genes and Proteins”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Newsletter
By Lily Bui, Feb 11, 2014
The Genetics of Taste citizen science project from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science set out to understand the link between genetics and TAS2R38 gene, responsible for the “bitter” taste receptor. Come to your senses! SciStarter has curated a list of citizen science projects for all five senses. Guest post by Michelle Murphy-Niedziela. Don’t like … Read more “The Genetics of Taste: A Bitter Story”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor
