People can vote for the fattest marmots this week to promote alpine research — and more UCLA media

During a segment about Fat Marmot Week — a fun challenge that invites everyone to learn more about marmots — CNN spoke to Dan Blumstein, UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, about why long-term research, such as the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Marmot Project, is important. “This is the second-longest study of individually marked mammals in the world, second only to the Jane Goodall study of chimpanzees,” Blumstein said. “Long-term studies give us the ability to understand how organisms, whether they’re plants or animals, respond to environmental change.” (Also: LAist an