Scribbles of a Zoology Student

Attraction. Barrier. Collision. The ABCs of road ecology and resulting roadkill. What would these mean for the reptiles and amphibians of Singapore, and how much are they really impacted by our extensive road and path networks? #ProjectRunover by the Herpetological Society of Singapore hopes to find out just that in the long run. But for now, we are collecting data with the help of citizen scient…

Last week, I had the most wonderful experience of doing a night hike on one of Singapore’s offshore islands. The many islands surrounding mainland Singapore are famed for their rich biodiversity on terrestrial and aquatic fronts, and visits have always been highly rewarding. And this night walk did not disappoint at all. Our little team was on the lookout And this night walk did not disappoint at…

What does the front of a Japanese bullet train, sonar, and Velcro all have in common? They are all human inventions that were conceived and adapted from evolutions that exist in nature. How does nature inspire us, and how much more can we learn and adapt from nature? And can we embrace a biomimetic future, as we have done with biophilia? Dr Anuj Jain, co-founder of the Biomimicry Singapore Networ…

Since the (exaggerated) beginning of time, the snake has been the symbol of evil, deceit, villainy. And even in cultures where the serpent is worshipped, it is often feared more than revered. Singapore is home to about 70 species of snakes, and there are regular instances of human-snake interactions. Sankar Ananthanarayanan, president of the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS), will be intr…

Singapore is home to three native primate species; the long-tailed macaque, the Sunda slow loris, and the Raffles’ banded langur. Of these three, the Raffles’ banded langur is the rarest, with only 67 individuals found here. With only around 300 left in the world, these 67 rare monkeys are a top conservation priority. Dr Andie Ang, Research Scientist at Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fu…

Dr Darren Yeo from the NUS Biology lab spoke to us about investigating Singapore’s biodiversity using “environmental forensics”, but not quite the one you are thinking of, CSI-fans. When the general human population imagines biodiversity, megafauna comes to mind. Charismatic vertebrates dominate the media and act as flagship species for conservation campaigns. But, what if they are just the tip o…

We are going to need a bigger boat, because sharks! For our 12th and last #SGSTEM session of 2020, we had Ms Kathy Xu from The Dorsal Effect to take us on a dive into the world of shark conservation with a global perspective. Her experiences and expertise allowed us to better understand the work of shark conservation, along side some cool fun facts and stories as she got up-close and personal wit…

In this session, GIS Expert Mr Tony O’Dempsey helped us navigate the world of maps through his passion for putting the art back in cartography. And we all know that ‘X’ marks the spot, but why ‘X’? Maybe Tony would tell us! Maps of the past Maps in the 12th century, where some of the earliest surviving ones are from, were not as we know them today. They were just as much a work of art as they wer…

Even in a bustling city like Singapore, illegal wildlife trade is still prevalent. For our 10th #SGSTEM session, we had Ms Anbarasi Boopal, one of the Deputy Chief Executives of ACRES, to give us an insight into the ever-evolving fight against wildlife crime in Singapore. Her dedication and expertise are a powerful combination, making her a key figure in giving the animals of Singapore a voice. A…

Ever sat on a local beach and wondered what lurked beneath our unassuming ‘Milo-brown’ waters? Well, you do not have to wonder anymore. For this session, we were joined by Dr Toh Tai Chong, who took us on a virtual dive to introduce us to the multitude of charismatic species that call our island’s waters home. Get ready to witness an underwater world we don’t usually get to see! Our tour started …

When we visit a zoo, we do not think past the exotic animals or fun shows. But there is more to zoos than the animal exhibits, presentations, and animal-themed merchandise. Zoos play an essential role in conservation and education. And the larger and more reputable a zoo, the wider its conservation reach. In our 8th … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 8: Conservation at WRS with Dr Jessica Lee"

How does a cute red panda lead to disease studying? Last week, we were joined by Debby Ng, photojournalist, disease ecologist, National Geographic Explorer, and founder of the Himalayan Mutt Project. Debby talked about how her search for the elusive red panda became the nation’s first community wildlife disease monitoring program. Founded in 2014, the … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 7: Dogs, Demograp…

One significant part of science communication is bringing the story to the masses through the form of news reports and articles. But what goes into a good science story that is easily accessible and understandable? On this session of #SGSTEM, we follow Audrey and Mark from The Straits Times as they share their journey across … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 6: Reporting Science with Mr Mark Cheong & M…

While we have touched on this topic in previous sessions via a question or two, it was about we dedicated a full session to it with an expert. With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in global lockdown, there has been a huge reduction in travel and traffic emissions. How has this affected the pandemic, and are … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 5: COVID-19 & Climate Change with Dr Winston Chow"

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is one of the island’s oldest forest reserves, hosting some of the largest plots of primary rainforest. Although the forest is species-rich, researchers have noticed a decline in biodiversity. Can these decline patterns and baseline be used to better understand forest systems and aid reforestation processes? Dr Shawn Lum, Senior Lecturer at NTU and … Continue reading "#…

Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore and the amount of food waste generated has grown by around 30% over the last 10 years. 763 million kg of food waste was generated in 2018 – that’s the weight of more than 54,000 double decker buses. In the average Singaporean household, food … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 3: Flies VS Food Wastage with Dr Nalini Puniamoorthy"

In the last few years, whenever Singapore is featured in a nature documentary, you can be sure that our adorable otters would be one of the major highlights; running across paths, coming into proximity to humans, lazing around in urban heartlands, and tugging at the heartstrings. But how much do we know about these otters … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 2: The Singapore Otters with Sivasothi the Otte…

With Singapore’s pandemic Circuit Breaker in place and extended, I took inspiration from the many webinars and online lectures that were put forth by the #SciComm community and decided to make a webinar of my own. With Marcus‘s aid and ideas, #SGSTEM went from a raw idea to its first session in under two weeks. … Continue reading "#SGSTEM 1: Climate Change Solutions with Prof Koh Lian Pin"

2020 has been off to a rocky start with a global lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infections. This lockdown has seen many countries grind to a standstill as people have been advised to stay home and avoid interactions with people who do not belong to the same household. This … Continue reading "#SGSTEM"

As with my last few blog posts, this too is based on a recent animal-related day. In this case, crows and ravens. It was International Crow & Raven Day on Monday, and I thought I would write a short post on crows and ravens and their famed intelligence. Crows and ravens, or corvids as they … Continue reading "Three’s a Murder"