Jim Dalling: Revealing the secrets
of a montane forest

The Fortuna Forest Reserve in western Panama hosts some of the most diverse montane forests in Central America. Jim Dalling, STRI Research Associate, will discuss the results of 25 years of research on Fortuna's climate, geology, soils and major plant groups, including more than 800 species of trees, 300 species of ferns and 200 species of orchids.

Story location

Chiriquí

Forest Ecology Botany Biodiversity Ecosystem Ecology Soil Science Long-term monitoring Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Fortuna orange

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Microscopic wood analyses
reveal source of cathedral altarpiece

Timber anatomy studies help inform conservation and restoration decisions for historical monuments, and may provide previously unknown information about the artistic techniques or materials used in the past

Story location

Panama City

Botany Taxonomy Plant Physiology Biodiversity Origins of Species and Societies Earl S. Tupper orange William Wcislo

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A young comic book heroine travels through Panama’s deep history

The new graphic novel tells the story of the Isthmus’ formation and evolution through the adventures of a young Panamanian girl.

Paleontology and Paleobiology Biodiversity Anthropology Archaeology Natural History Life in Deep Time Naos orange Aaron O'Dea

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Archaeologists search
for the origin of dental
modification in Panama

A new study asks when and how the Ngäbe indigenous group began to practice dental modification 

Story location

Cover: Cranium of an individual recovered from beneath the Cathedral of Panama Viejo.
Credit: Javier Rivera Sandoval, ArtEmpire

Anthropology Archaeology Sociology Life in Deep Time Naos orange

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A community of scientists put microbial ecosystems back together again using anvi’o

Post-doc Jarrod Scott is an active contributor to anvi’o, a set of computational tools to visualize microbial communities.

Bioinformatics Microbial Ecology Molecular Genetics and Genomics Biodiversity Ecosystem Ecology Marine Biology Taxonomy Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments Bocas del Toro orange Kristin Saltonstall

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Unequal migration across
the land-bridge millions of years ago

The disproportionate extinction of South American mammals when the Americas collided is still evident today

Paleontology and Paleobiology Evolutionary Ecology Biodiversity Global Change Life in Deep Time CTPA orange Carlos Jaramillo

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Can social bees and ants teach us the pillars of sustainable societies?

STRI staff scientist and evolutionary biologist Bill Wcislo discusses the foibles of social bees and farming ants and the evolution of their behavior in changing environments. In a time of crisis, what can we learn from these insects about their highly efficient public health care systems?

Entomology Animal Behavior Origins of Species and Societies orange William Wcislo

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Corn in Panama:
500 Years and More

In commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of Panama City, a STRI exhibition celebrates the close relationship between Panamanians and corn, from its use by the first settlers of the isthmus to the present

Story location

Albrook Mall

Archaeology Anthropology Botany Historical Ecology Life in Deep Time orange Dolores Piperno

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Unearthing the prehistoric
plant species of Panama 

Little is known about the early flora of the isthmus. The first Panamanian paleobotanist aims to change this

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Text by Elisabeth King
STRI Cover photo by Christian Ziegler

Paleontology and Paleobiology Geology Forest Ecology Botany Biodiversity Life in Deep Time CTPA orange Carlos Jaramillo

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Galeta Teacher training, funds For Jaguar Conservation, Boná, Erased and more

Story location

Panamá

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