For The Birds

UT Arlington profs help draw new bird family tree that has scientists chirping

A global association of more than 200 scientists recently released findings from an unprecedented study regarding the genomic of birds, and two University of Texas at Arlington associate professors were part of it.

Biologists Todd Castoe and Matthew Fujita and the rest of the Avian Phylogenomics Consortium released 28 papers earlier this month detailing the genetic codes of nearly 50 birds and three crocodilian species, in the most comprehensive avian family tree to date. The research offers a big-picture understanding of how birds evolved in what is described as the avian “big bang” after the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago.

Castoe says that, in an explosion of evolution, a handful of species created tens of thousands of unique species in a very short amount of time. There were also some discoveries that surprised.

“Birds that looked very similar had actually evolved multiple times,” he says. “Things like vultures from the New World and Old World aren’t related at all. They evolved from two major lineages, showing that evolution has the power, essentially, to create very similar things from very different starting points.”

Scientists believe studying how theses species evolved could eventually lead to a better understanding of the human body, in addition to the natural world.

Castoe and Fujita typically study reptilian genomes at UT Arlington, so for their part in the study, they examined three crocodilian species, the closest living relatives to birds, to see why different vertebrate groups — including humans, birds and reptiles — have such similar genetic makeups. One of their papers, “The genomes of three crocodilians provide insight into Archosaur evolution,” was published in Science journal.

Castoe says that tackling so many genomes at once helped them to understand how an organism’s phenotype, or collection of observable traits, might have previously caused scientists to place it in the wrong branch of the bird family tree.

“[These studies] will help us really understand what the vertebrate’s ancestor maybe started off with and how different lineages have taken that and changed it,” he says. “We can understand how those genetics changes relate to phenotype, which we really want to understand, and all these comparative genomes really helped us make those connections.”

As the cost of genome sequencing continues to drop, Castoe estimates that the number of species studied will continue to rise into the hundreds — up to 500 in the next five years. Invariably, he sees it as being beneficial to how scientists can work with the human body.

“We use all different kinds of species,” he says. “Mice or fruit flies are great for studies, and unless you’re doing cell cultures, you can’t do humans. Because of their exchanged physiology, maybe to find what’s good for the eye or heart, now we can use genome sequences and choose different species — not based on convenience, but on a real sound decision for the species that works.”

unspecified

Eco Warrior News

Dallas restaurants doing amazing little things for the environment

Southwest Airlines

Cute bamboo cup from Southwest Airlines

One unfortunate legacy left by the pandemic has been a huge increase in the use of plastics — setting back progress that was being made pre-pandemic.

Plastics are bad. They harm everything they touch: the environment, health, food security, and economies. But they're convenient, subsidized, and in some cases necessary.

Before the pandemic, a growing awareness had started to snowball regarding the negative impact of plastics, particularly plastic straws and single-use plastic containers — and it was significant enough to make the plastics industry very nervous.

"In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the public backlash against plastic was a major concern for industry leaders," says a story about plastics and the pandemic in The Guardian. "As a corporate executive remarked during an industry event early in 2019: 'We need to get the image of plastic in oceans out of the public’s mind. Otherwise, we could lose our social license to operate.'"

But then the pandemic came along, igniting mass hysteria about contagion, and suddenly, bans on single-use plastics that had been in the works were reversed in countries around the world: North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use," said one gleeful analyst for Shell Oil, who are a major plastics player.

The urgency of the plastics situation remains invisible to most people, lined up at the drive-thru for their coffee or Chick-Fil-A, piling up nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste every year. (That's what the average American amasses — more than any other country.)

But there are brave, pro-environment efforts being made by Dallas companies and organizations, big and small.

La Casita Bakeshop cup Revolutionary compostable cup at La Casita Bakeshop.Facebook

Dallas efforts
The Dallas restaurants and organizations listed below have taken steps to fight waste, even though it costs them money.

Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 22
Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services will participate in Plastic Free Lunch Day on November 22, to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school cafeterias.

Plastic Free Lunch Day was started by middle school students in Brooklyn. The initiative was such a success that it was adopted by all New York City public schools in 2022. The concept has since spread to public schools across the country — including Dallas ISD, which was the first in Texas to participate, when it joined up in 2022.

It creates an opportunity to educate students and the community on ways to positively impact the environment, including skipping plastic. Dallas school cafeterias will replace the plastic items they regularly use during lunch with biodegradable alternatives. (Plastic cutlery, cups, and straws will be available upon request for the crybabies.)

Southwest Airlines bamboo cup
Southwest Airlines Co., the Dallas-based airline, has introduced a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages, and a wood stir stick in place of a plastic stick. The airline expects the new items to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.

In July 2024, Southwest transitioned to a paper overwrap for its napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials — fully eliminating plastic from this service item. The airline is making an effort to eliminate single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030.

La Casita Bakeshop compostable cups
La Casita Bakeshop, the award-winning bakery and cafe operation, recently debuted fabulous new cups that are 100 percent compostable, soil- and marine-biodegradable, breaking down naturally after 90 days, and made from natural materials.

"We are always trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly and this is a big way we can," they said in their post announcing the new cups. "We just want to be proud of our paper trail and being a restaurant it's hard to do that."

Smoothie King biodegradable cups
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, previously used styrofoam cups, but began testing a biodegradable cup in 2019. They now offer it as the default choice. They're using Vio Foam, specially made cups that biodegrade 92 percent in four years. They'll still accommodate whiny selfish customers who insist on getting a plastic cup instead, but their Vio foam cup not only helps the environment, it also keeps their smoothies cold a little longer.

Kate Weiser Recycle Box Program
Kate Weiser, the Dallas chocolatier, sells its gorgeous eye-catching bon-bons in a variety of boxes, from 4 pieces all the way up to 35 pieces. (OK, they'll sell them individually, too, but who goes to a chocolate shop and buys a single chocolate?) They have a program where you can bring your empty box to the store and get a refill and get 5 percent off. (Weiser amusingly calls it a "secret hack.")

Dude Sweet Chocolate freezer packaging
Dude Sweet Chocolate, the Oak Cliff chocolatier, has a next-level campaign in which they will accept cold-ship packaging you've received in the mail and re-use it. Say, for example, that you ordered an 8-pack of ice cream pints from Double Rainbow in San Francisco, and it arrived in a box with freezer packs and a foil liner. You can drop that packaging off at Dude Sweet's factory location at 1340 Inwood Rd., and they'll re-use it in one way or another when they're doing shipments of their chocolate. They'll take not only the freezer packs but the boxes, too.

Note: Whether you're putting it in the blue bin or the gray bin, your plastic is not being recycled. The best course when it comes to plastic, especially single-use plastic, is to not use it at all.

sustainability