To request a media interview, please reach out to School of Biological Sciences experts using our faculty directory, or contact Jess Hunt-Ralston, College of Sciences communications director. A list of faculty experts and research areas across the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech is also available to journalists upon request.
If you’ve walked the aisles of a grocery store, scrolled through social media, watched television, or set foot in a fast-casual restaurant chain in recent months, you know that protein is having its moment.So, why are brands pushing protein? An International Food Information Council study found that 70% of adults are looking to increase their protein intake. But as it makes its way into more products than ever before, is it too much of a good thing?Lesley Baradel is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and lecturer in the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech. In this episode of "Generating Buzz", she digs into the protein-packed trend, with implications ranging from health and wellness to marketing and how the rise of GLP-1s factors into the increased focus on the macronutrient.
Futurity | 2026-03-05T00:00:00-05:00
Research done in recent years after Florida's last historic cold snap reveals that the temperature at which iguanas become cold-stunned may be lower than what was commonly believed before."As a scientist, I was fascinated why these lizards can now tolerate a colder temperature than they had recently, prior to this cold snap," reptile researcher James Stroud of Georgia Tech’s School of Biological Sciences told Gulf Coast News via Zoom.Stroud has been studying invasive lizards of all sizes with a particular focus on understanding their tolerance for cold temperatures. His work has revolved around studying lizards that survive significant cold snaps and then testing to see how their tolerance changes afterward."Prior to the cold snap event, all lizards could tolerate temps around 46 to 50 degrees," Stroud said. "After they experienced colder temps than they had experienced in the previous few winters, they could suddenly tolerate colder temps, down to around 42 Fahrenheit."
Gulf Coast News | 2026-02-05T00:00:00-05:00
Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) are not native to the U.S. but were brought to Florida in the 1960s, where they have, for the most part, flourished—except, that is, when temperatures have dropped below 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). These chilly conditions can cause a cold shock in the lizards. And because the iguanas tend to sleep in trees, getting cold shocked can sometimes cause the animals to fall from the skies in an infamous Florida phenomenon. “These tropical lizards were experiencing conditions that they’ve never experienced in their entire evolutionary history before, tens of millions of years,” says James Stroud, an evolutionary biologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology.But in Florida, colder conditions occur every few years—albeit less often as temperatures rise because of climate change. The experience of the iguanas that have been forced to confront the cold in the state can teach scientists more about how animals respond to new climates more generally, Stroud says.
Scientific American | 2026-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
In an article published by The Conversation, Benjamin Freeman, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, discusses his research, including a recent study on how mountain birds in the Pacific Northwest are responding to climate change.
The Conversation | 2025-11-27T00:00:00-05:00
A team of researchers from the School of Biological Sciences published a paper on interlimb training and how it may provide tangible benefits during early-stage rehabilitation following upper limb amputation, especially in cases of partial-hand loss.
Nature Scientific Reports | 2025-11-05T00:00:00-05:00
Scientists have long thought that a lizard losing a leg should be a death sentence. New evidence seems to overturn this assumption, showing that some lizards can not only survive, but even thrive after losing one or more limbs.James Stroud, an evolutionary biologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has spent years catching lizards in the wild to study how they evolve. He and his colleagues long thought that even the smallest difference in the length of a lizard’s leg could affect its ability to run from predators and chase their prey. Losing an entire limb seemed much more severe.However, every now and then he and his colleagues would observe something odd. “We’ll find a lizard completely missing its leg, and it seems fine,” Dr. Stroud said. He casually calls them “three-legged pirate lizards.”
The New York Times | 2025-10-21T00:00:00-04:00
James T. Stroud, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, coauthored an article published in The Conversation detailing research which documents exceptional cases of lizards — survivors of limb damage or loss — that defy expectations about how natural selection works.
The Conversation | 2025-10-13T00:00:00-04:00
Last Friday, the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab (SEPL), led by School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Jenny McGuire, hosted its weekly Fossil Friday event. This hands-on outreach program invites participants to uncover ancient history, explore real fossils, and learn about the discoveries made by scientists beneath the approximately 80-foot drop of Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming.The goal of Fossil Friday is straightforward: to build a community centered on science outreach and enable people to interact directly with fossils. The event is open to students, faculty, and Atlanta locals alike, offering a relaxed space to learn, discover, and have fun.
Technique | 2025-10-03T00:00:00-04:00
As autumn begins, Georgia skies become a busy highway for millions of migrating birds, heading south. Benjamin Freeman, a biologist at the Georgia Tech School of Biological Sciences, says the timeline for this fall migration period is just beginning here in the Peach State. Watch the 11 Alive interview featuring Professor Freeman.
11 Alive | 2025-09-15T00:00:00-04:00
School of Biological Sciences Professor Marvin Whiteley has been named the 2026 recipient of the American Society for Microbiology's D.C. White Award for Interdisciplinary Research. This award recognizes Whiteley’s distinguished accomplishments in interdisciplinary research and mentoring in microbiology.
American Society for Microbiology | 2025-09-05T00:00:00-04:00
