Jessica | DANTAisms

Category Archives: Jessica

Epigenetics – What does it tell us?

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Jess Ritsche Leave a comment

As an organism grows and develops, chemical reactions activate and deactivate parts of the genome at specific locations at critical times. Epigenetics is the study of these chemical reactions and the factors that influence them. Here is a great video that outlines the basic principles of Epigenetics: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/intro/ Why is epigenetics important? It goes against the idea conventional thought that inheritance

How I Fell In Love With A Wild Monkey

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jess Ritsche One comment

Okay, well maybe love is too strong of a word. BUT I will say I was fond of this particular monkey. It all started when I began my internship at a sanctuary in Panama. We were rehabilitating juvenile howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) that had been rescued from the pet trade. The goal was for these juveniles to eventually disperse and

Field Experience – Where Do I Start?

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Jess Ritsche Leave a comment

Entering into primatology as young student with minimal experience and education can be confusing. You need field experience to get into graduate school. The lists of volunteer work and internships can be overwhelming. I am providing some information that I felt would have been helpful to me when looking for experience. Where exactly do you start? Through my personal experience

Introduction!

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Jess Ritsche One comment

Hey everyone! So now is the time I go a little more in depth on how exactly I became interested in non-human primates. It is very difficult for me to pinpoint exactly where my interest began. I first became fascinated by anthropology through the studies and findings of Margaret Mead and the Leakey family. I began my studies as an

Jessica