Your Wild Life
We’re a team of scientists, science communicators, students, and citizens who are passionate about exploring the ecological frontiers that exist right under our noses, from the surface of our skin to our backyards and neighborhoods. Shockingly, these familiar places where we spend our every day lives have been so little studied. We aim to change that.
Project website: yourwildlife.org
People
Holly Menninger, Director of Public Science
Lea Shell, Curator of Digital Media
Neil McCoy, Designer
Your Wild Life Projects
Project Publications
Palopoli M, Fergus DJ, Minot S, Pei D, Simison B, Fernandez-Silva I, Thoemmes MS, Dunn RR, & Trautwein M (2015) Global divergence of the human follicle mite Demodex folliculorum: Persistent associations between host ancestry and mite lineages. PNAS 112(52): 15958–15963.
Epps MJ, Menninger HL, LaSala N, Dunn RR. (2014). Too big to be noticed: cryptic invasion of Asian camel crickets in North American houses. PeerJ 2:e523.
Thoemmes, MS*, Fergus DJ, Urban J, Trautwein M, Dunn RR (2014). Ubiquity and diversity of human-associated Demodex mites. PLoS ONE 9(8): e106265.
Lucky, A., Savage, A.M. (co-first author), Nichols, L.M., Castracani, C., Shell, L., Grasso, D.A., Mori, A. and Dunn R.R. (2014). Ecologists, educators and writers collaborate with the public to assess backyard diversity in The School of Ants Project. Ecosphere 5(7). View PDF.
Dunn RR, Fierer N, Henley JB, Leff JW, Menninger HL (2013). Home Life: Factors Structuring the Bacterial Diversity Found within and between Homes. PloS ONE 8: e64133.
Hulcr, J., Latimer, A. M., Henley, J. B., Rountree, N. R.**, Fierer, N., Lucky, A., Lowman, M. D., Dunn RR 2012. A jungle in there: bacteria in belly buttons are highly diverse, but predictable. PLoS ONE 7(11): e47712. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047712
In the Press
Mysterious Crickets Squat in American Homes
Discover October 30, 2014 – Features the research of Mary Jane Epps et al.
Invasive Spider-Like Cricket Spreads Across East Coast
Time September 3, 2014 – Features the research of Mary Jane Epps et al.
You’ve Got Face Mites
WIRED August 28, 2014 – Features the research of Megan Thoemmes and Dan Fergus
Bad News, Arachnophobes: All Adults Have Facial Mites
IFL Science August 28, 2014 – Features the research of Megan Thoemmes and Dan Fergus
You Almost Certainly Have Mites On Your Face
Phenomena: Not Exactly Rocket Science August 27, 2014 – Features the research of Megan Thoemmes and Dan Fergus
How Far Do Your Cats Roam?
National Geographic August 7, 2014 – Features the research of Roland Kays et al.
The Nine Simultaneous Lives of Cats: Cat Tracker
Discover July 25, 2014 – Features the research of Roland Kays et al.
Science Needs Your Dead Cicadas
The Atlantic CITYLAB June 3, 2014 – Features the research of Holly Menninger et al.