Guest 1: Dr Kate Buchanan, Senior Lecturer in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University.
Kate studies the evolution of animal signals and physiological stress and acoustic signalling. She discussed the environment and genetics of the avian song system, in particular the exposure of birds to endocrine disrupters released by plastic products. These endocrine disrupters act as toxins and change the brains of the birds such that they change the way they sing their songs. She studies native Zebra Finches and introduced European Starlings and Canaries.
She is also busy as the Editor of Emu Austral Ornithology, member of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, Secretary of the Ethics Committee of the Association, and Consulting Editor for Animal Behaviour.
http://www.deakin.edu.au/scitech/les/about/staff-profiles/display/index.php?username=klb
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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20090510.mp3
Tags: bird song, endocrine disrupters
