Category Archives: Biology

I had such a good time writing mystory for the most recent Stanford Medicine magazine, which tackles critical questions about the role of sex and gender in biology and health care. I got to explore the topic to my hearts desire with world leaders in the field, such as Marcia Stefanick, PhD, who directs the Stanford Women and Sex Differences in Medicine Center, or WSDM (pronounced wisdom), and science historianLonda Schiebinger, PhD, the former director of Stanfords Clayman Institute for Gender Research. I also got to meet graduate student Amy Braun, shown above. She is as delightful as she is passionate about the need to not just include more women, and more female lab animals, in both clinical and basic research projects. One critically important starting point, she told me, is to get the language right. Even whip-smart researchers fall prey to the (false) idea that that second X chromosome confers some ineffable degree of biological variability that would render even the most carefully constructed experiments impossible to interpret. They also often resort to sloppy terminology. As Braun explained to me: We need to debunk the myth that females are mysteriously complex and we need to increase the literacy around … Continue reading →

Around campus, Department of Biology Professor Gregory Florant might be best known for his work with marmots and other hibernating mammals in the College of Natural Sciences. But outside of Colorado State University, he is a founding and active member of the National Institutes of Healths Network of Minority Health Research Investigators. His leadership role in the group was recognized this spring with the NMRI Medallion at that groups annual meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Florant was among the original handful of underrepresented researchers in the field who, 15 years ago, looked around and saw a need for networking and mentoring among their peers. And they got to work, creating the NMRI with funding from the NIH and that groups National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. What started as a group of 15 or 20 M.D.s and Ph.D.s has grown into an organization of hundreds of researchers at all stages in their careers. We have members who are National Academy of Sciences members, and we have members who are postdocs who are just starting out. Nevertheless, Florant said, we feel like were all on a level playing field. He said, there are no hidden agendas, you dont have … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY Chris Gibson is a really big thinker. The kind of thinker who strives to become an M.D. and a Ph.D at the same time. That was his plan a few years ago when he was in the University of Utah's dual degree program studying to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and a researcher. It was in the process of pursuing those degrees when he found himself in a laboratory working with Dr. Dean Li, one of the pre-eminent researchers at the school. "I had a background in bioengineering, and was working on bringing the engineering mentality to his more traditional biology and genetics lab," Gibson said. It was during that time when they were working on one disease when he made a discovery. "I noticed that when you modeled that disease in human cells, the disease cells looked really different," he explained. The difference was how the cells morphed into something that was totally unlike their original composition. That relatively minor recognition eventually became the impetus for launching a new kind of biotechnology company that combines information technology and biological research. "That's where we came up with this idea to use computer vision and machine learning to automate … Continue reading →

Synthetic biology Engineering complex and robust genetic circuits Nature.com Reprogramming cells to perform desired tasks or computations is a long-standing goal in synthetic biology. Although tools are being developed at a fast pace, engineering biocomputation circuits with multiple inputs and outputs in mammalian cells ... The rest is here: Synthetic biology Engineering complex and robust genetic circuits - Nature.com … Continue reading →

To demonstrate feasibility, researchers digitally transmitted a file with DNA sequence information to the DBC. The DBC converted that digital sequence into oligonucleotides, and utilized synthetic biology tools developed by Synthetic Genomics such as gene synthesis, error correction, and Gibson Assembly methods to create large and complex DNA constructs with high fidelity. Utilizing this DNA as a template, the DBC further produced a series of biological materials without any human intervention, such as RNA, proteins, and viral particles. "The concept of a DBC presents a new paradigm for the manufacturing of biological materials all starting from transmitted DNA sequences," said Daniel Gibson, Ph.D., vice president of DNA technology at Synthetic Genomics and senior author of the study. "It is easy to imagine numerous high value applications for rapid on-demand production of biological materials in healthcare, such as creating truly personalized therapeutics at a patient's bedside and rapidly generating custom vaccines to counter an infectious disease outbreak." Biological products created on the DBC included DNA templates for an influenza vaccine, an RNA-based vaccine, antibody polypeptides, and a bacteriophage. The antibody polypeptides synthesized by the DBC included abatacept, ranibizumab, and trastuzumab. Biologics were created in under 2 days, which is several weeks … Continue reading →

The early bird gets the worm. But what happens when the worm is even earlier than the bird? In that case, some familiar backyard bird species dont get enough worms to feed their chicks. That's the conclusion of a recent study of changes in spring green-up dates across North America and the arrival dates of spring migratory bird species in those areas. Biologist Stephen Mayor, at the Florida Museum of Natural History of the University of Florida, and nine colleagues from other institutions reported their findings online this month in the journal Scientific Advances. The research team used satellite images to detect the date that vegetation in sample areas began to green up at the start of the growing season. They also used first sightings of the year of common migratory birds at specific locations as reported by eBird, a citizen-science website. The dates allowed the biologists to calculate when each species arrived at its breeding grounds. The team compared plant green-up and bird arrival data from 2001 to 2012 across North America. Green-up date and arrival time of 48 bird species studied usually moved in the same direction. In areas where plants began to leaf out earlier, migratory birds … Continue reading →

CALDWELL When biology major Maggie Brown was a freshman at the College of Idaho, she was approached by Biology Professor Sara Heggland with a proposal the chance to become involved in cutting edge research as an undergraduate on the largely unexplored topic of electronic cigarettes. I was shocked I could have a research opportunity like that, Brown said. I knew when I was looking at colleges, having the opportunity to do research was a high priority for me. The College of Idaho gave me that opportunity. Brown became one of the first students to work with Heggland researching the effects of electronic cigarettes on bone health, spending more than three years performing experiments and gathering data. Now a senior with a completed honors thesis for her undergraduate research, Brown recently won Best Oral Presentation in Cell and Developmental Biology at the 42nd annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference. Its great to see Maggie recognized, Heggland said. She was my first student on this e-cig project, and shes done a lot of foundational work that new students will be able to build upon. She has a great project with a compelling story, and she presents it with such passion, … Continue reading →

Home Harvard Health Blog Premenstrual dysphoria disorder: Its biology, not a behavior choice - Harvard Health Blog Posted May 26, 2017, 10:30 am Almost all women have some mild premenstrual symptoms that signal the imminent arrival of their period every month. These symptoms are typically just an annoyance and dont cause any distress. But for some women, these symptoms are much more significant. About 20% of menstruating women suffer from premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. Women with PMS have mostly physical symptoms and some minor mood disturbances caused by the changing hormone levels in the second half (or luteal phase) of the menstrual cycle. These hormone-induced symptoms can cause significant physical distress in the days leading up to menstruation. Sometimes in about 5% to 8% of menstruating women debilitating mood changes accompany these premenstrual physical symptoms. Globally this is often referred to as severe PMS, but in the United States this combination of physical symptoms and mood disturbances is called premenstrual dysphoria disorder, or PMDD. Unfortunately, women with PMDD are often misdiagnosed. Sometimes they go undiagnosed, being told they are just hormonal and need to get over it. And sometimes they are overdiagnosed. Unfortunately, it is all too common for women … Continue reading →

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (press release) Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute ... Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (press release) The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers performed two artificial ... and more » Go here to read the rest: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute ... - Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (press release) … Continue reading →

A moose was at the Foothills Land Conservancy land in Wilton, four years ago. Photo by Tom Oliver WILTON - The Foothills Land Conservancy will hold its annual meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 at Academy Hill School Cafeteria in Wilton. The first portion of the event will cover the annual business meeting. Election of officers and board members will take place. The second part of the meeting will be a presentation titled Dragonflies, Butterflies, and Bumble Bees of Western Maine by University of Maine at Farmington Biology Professor Ron Butler. Dr. Butler has studied these important insect groups for many years and at many sites around the state, including the Foothills Preserve. The presentation will focus on background biology of each group, some results from three, statewide, citizen-science initiatives studying these insects, and specifically what we have learned about these important insect groups at the Foothills Land Conservation Area. The event is free and open to the public. Original post: UMF Biology professor to speak at Foothills Land Conservancy meeting - Daily Bulldog … Continue reading →