Category: Biology

Photo: John Ohab 12 Days of Christmas The holiday season is upon us! In the spirit of the season, we’ve put together another edition of our ever popular annual 12 Days of Christmas Newsletter. Cheers! The SciStarter Team On the 1st Day of Christmas, Treezilla gave to me: A measuring tape around a pear tree, […]

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 […]

Take a break from online shopping and sharpen that brain by contributing a few minutes to science. Below, our editors present six projects in need of your help. (And really, you know you’re going to abandon that online shopping cart, anyway!)   Visit the SciStarter Project Finder for 1100 more opportunities and join our community […]

Citizen scientists collect data to find out how climate change impacts redwoods by Kristin Butler “The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. […]

This is a guest post by Monaca Noble, a biologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s Marina Invasions Laboratory. For the last 10 years, Ms. Noble has worked on issues related to the transport of marine species in ballast water and the introduced parasite Loxothylacus panopaei. This June, 49 enthusiastic volunteers came out to search […]

Calling volunteers! Cancer Research UK has a new project called The Trailblazer Project. The goal is to develop an app that improves how users analyze cancer pathology data. Volunteers to help test the prototype. The Cancer Research UK’s Citizen Science team is committed to finding innovative ways to accelerate research by crowdsourcing. Already, the team […]

Milo Toor, a software engineer writes about his experience with DIYBio and Counter Culture Labs. You can find more information about Counter Culture Labs and search for other DIYBio projects on the SciStarter citizen science project database. Counter Culture Labs is a 100% volunteer-run, membership funded organization, and is currently running a Kickstarter campaign, funds from which will […]

On June 8th, people across the world will celebrate World Oceans Day, a day set aside to honor and protect our oceans. To help you participate in World Oceans Day, we’ve put together a list of 7 ocean-based citizen science projects that need your help. We are partnering with The TerraMar Project to share SciStarter’s […]

Pollinating animals play a crucial role in our food production system, and they are essential in maintaining the health and vitality of many ecosystems.  Unfortunately, many pollinator species, such as bees and butterflies, have been declining recently.  In response to that decline, the national Pollinator Health Task Force, commissioned by the White House, recently released […]

Do you want to explore, invent, design, or create something but don’t have the facilities to do so? Do you want to learn more about biotechnology, science, and laboratory safety? Community labs may be the perfect fit for you! Community labs are rapidly spreading throughout the world. Our editors highlight five, below. People often pay […]