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Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez

PhD candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto
I am a graduate from University of Barcelona (UB) in Spain, where I specialized in Natural history topics (botany, zoology, ecology). My Bachelor thesis was focused on science communication, and involved being part of the University journal B-On, where I wrote two monographs highlighting a scientific topic and the work done by different departments of the University in the topic, including interviews, directed to the other members of the university (students and faculty). I obtained later a Masters degree in Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, in Germany, where I specialized in ecology, evolution and systematics, mostly on morphological evolution of arthropods. My masters thesis focused on the evolution of praying mantises, using fossils and extant taxa. I am currently part of the Royal Ontario Museum and UofT in Toronto, Canada, where I study the evolution of the first arthropods, using fossils from the famous locality of the Burgess Shale, which has some of the first fossil animals on Earth. I have also collaborated on different sci-com projects, including my own blog (onelephantsandbacteria.net), as well as collaborations in other blogs and podcasts (sharpmindsweb.net- extinct, elpulgarldelpanda.com, La Linterna de Diógenes in iVoox), institutions (European Southern Observatories in Garching, Royal Ontario Museum), and clubs (Astronomical Society of Barcelona (ASTER), Friends of Paleontology at the ROM), as well as being editor in the wildlife app WildMentor (wildmentor.org). I am also fluent in four languages, including Spanish, Catalan, German and English.

A new fossil discovery reveals a little more about arthropod evolution

Jul 23, 2022 16:26 pm UTC| Nature

Paleontology is undergoing a new renaissance. Since the mid-20th century, genomics has become the main focus of evolutionary biology. But the last few decades have shown how the study of fossils can complement genomic data...

Economy

Gold Prices Slip Slightly but Stay Near Record Highs Amid U.S.-China Tariff Tensions

Gold prices edged lower in Asian trading on Tuesday, but continued to hover near record highs as demand for safe-haven assets remained strong amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. Spot gold dipped 0.4% to $3,224.60 an...

Asian Stocks Gain on Tariff Exemption Hopes, Tech and Auto Lead Rally

Asian stocks mostly rose on Tuesday, buoyed by growing hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump will expand tariff exemptions, especially for the tech and auto sectors. However, gains were tempered by ongoing trade...

Dollar Near Multi-Year Lows Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Investor Caution

The U.S. dollar held steady on Tuesday but remained close to a three-year low against the euro and a six-month low against the yen as investors navigated ongoing volatility in U.S. trade policy. The greenback was last up...

Bank of Korea to Hold Interest Rate at 2.75%, Cuts Expected by May

The Bank of Korea (BOK) is expected to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 2.75% on April 17, according to a Reuters poll of 37 economists. This marks the second pause in the central banks rate-cutting cycle, which...

Oil Prices Rise on Tariff Exemptions and China’s Crude Import Surge

Oil prices edged higher in early Tuesday trading, supported by President Donald Trumps proposed tariff exemptions and an uptick in Chinas crude oil imports amid concerns over tightening Iranian supply. Brent crude futures...

Politics

ACLU Sues Pentagon Over Trump-Backed Book Bans in Military Schools

Twelve students from U.S. Department of Defense-run schools have filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated by recent book bans and...

Peru’s Ex-President Humala Jailed for 15 Years in Odebrecht Corruption Scandal

Perus former President Ollanta Humala has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for receiving illegal campaign funds from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, now known as Novonor. The verdict, delivered on April 15,...

U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Freeze on Climate and Infrastructure Funds

A federal judge has halted the Trump administrations attempt to freeze billions in climate and infrastructure grants initially approved under President Joe Bidens administration. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode...

Trump Administration Eyes UK Trade Deal Amid AI Talks and Tariff Concerns

There is growing optimism for a significant U.S.-UK trade agreement, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who highlighted President Donald Trumps deep admiration for the United Kingdom and its royal family. Speaking...

Singapore Sets May 3 for Crucial General Election

Singapore will hold its next general election on May 3, according to an official statement released by the countrys election commission on Tuesday. The announcement sets the stage for a closely watched vote that could...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

TSMC Nears Breakthrough in Advanced Chip Packaging to Power AI Growth

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the worlds leading contract chipmaker, is nearing completion of a cutting-edge chip packaging technology to meet surging demand for high-performance AI chips, according to...

Blue Origin Boosts Space Tourism with Katy Perry on Historic All-Female Flight

Pop star Katy Perry and five other trailblazing women successfully completed a historic suborbital spaceflight aboard Blue Origins New Shepard rocket on April 14, marking the first all-female space mission in over 60...

AMD Ready to Begin Chip Production in Arizona Amid AI Server Expansion

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) CEO Lisa Su confirmed on Tuesday that the company is prepared to begin chip production at its Arizona facility. Speaking at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Su emphasized AMDs...

Nvidia to Manufacture AI Supercomputers in the U.S. with TSMC and Foxconn

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) announced plans to manufacture AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time, marking a major shift in its production strategy. The company has secured over one million square feet of...

Trump to Reveal Semiconductor Tariff Strategy on Monday

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will unveil his administrations stance on semiconductor tariffs this coming Monday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said, Ill give you that answer on...