Category Archives: Biology

"Smells Like Development" - A Nirvana Biology Parody A parody by Morris Maduro of the Nirvana classic song, celebrating model systems and Seattle, for the 2014 Society for Developmental Biology meeting held in Seattle, WA in July of 2014. The... By: wormguy119 … Continue reading →

Talking about beer is a no-brainer for EricScherzer, the quality control manager at Two Brothers Brewing Co. Recently staff working on programs for Northern Illinois Universitys Science Technology Engineering and Math outreach contacted him about presenting a program on Beer Biology. He quickly agreed. Scherzer, an NIU graduate, says he would never pass up an opportunity to geek out on beer science. So July 15, Scherzer fired up his PowerPoint filled with equations and presented a program on the science behind the popular beverage. Scherzer explains that todays beer drinkers want more flavor out of their beverage. He says the sophistication of beer production in America began when European beers started being offered in American bars. One of the first pioneers of craft beers was probably Sierra Nevada, he says. Then others like Anchor and Sam Adams followed. Since beer is relatively simple to make, Scherzer says that home brewing has exploded. Scherzer, 32, began brewing at home when he was 23. My mom bought me a beer kit, but I lost the hops packet somehow, so I went to the local brew store to get hops, he says. When I saw all the options, I lost control and started … Continue reading →

A Fairfax County teenager finished fifth in the world and was the top American in an international biology competition for high school students held earlier this month in Bali, Indonesia. William Long, a rising senior at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, bested 233 other competitors at the 25th annual International Biology Olympiad held July 5 to July 13 in Bali. Long, 17, said he became interested in biology as a freshman at TJHSST, as the elite magnet school is known. I immediately loved it, said Long, who also plays on the varsity soccer team. Last year, Long was among 10,000 other U.S. contestants who took part in a preliminary round of the national biology olympiad competition. He finished in the top 20 and was invited to attend the nationals. There, he completed intense testing that included dissecting cockroaches, determining the starch content of plant extracts, and comparing the anatomy of a star fish and a sea urchin. Long placed first in the contest and joined three other Americans to qualify for the international competition in Bali. There, he faced students from 60 countries around the world. After overcoming jet lag Bali is 12 hours ahead of … Continue reading →

Talking about beer is a no-brainer for Eric Scherzer, the quality control manager at Two Brothers Brewing Co. Recently staff working on programs for Northern Illinois Universitys Science Technology Engineering and Math outreach contacted him about presenting a program on Beer Biology. He quickly agreed. Scherzer, an NIU graduate, says he would never pass up an opportunity to geek out on beer science. So July 15, Scherzer fired up his PowerPoint filled with equations and presented a program on the science behind the popular beverage. Scherzer explains that todays beer drinkers want more flavor out of their beverage. He says the sophistication of beer production in America began when European beers started being offered in American bars. One of the first pioneers of craft beers was probably Sierra Nevada, he says. Then others like Anchor and Sam Adams followed. Since beer is relatively simple to make, Scherzer says that home brewing has exploded. Scherzer, 32, began brewing at home when he was 23. My mom bought me a beer kit, but I lost the hops packet somehow, so I went to the local brew store to get hops, he says. When I saw all the options, I lost control and … Continue reading →

College Biology Tutor Tips College Biology Tutor TipsDiscover A Quick, Painless and Easy Way to Make Good Grades and to be a reliable biology tutor http://www.biologyonlinetutor.com . By: Jazz Lee … Continue reading →

2014 Wood frog extreme temperature survival UAF Institute of Arctic Biology Freezing feats of wood frogs. University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student Don Larson and UAF Institute of Arctic Biology Director Brian Barnes search for Alaska wood frogs near the UAF... By: UAF Institute of Arctic Biology … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Jul-2014 Contact: Amanda Szabo aszabo@hematology.org 202-552-4914 American Society of Hematology (WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014)The American Society of Hematology will present the 2014 William Dameshek Prize to Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for his exceptional work in leukemia research and cancer stem cell biology. This prize, named after the late William Dameshek, MD, a renowned hematologist, past president of ASH, and the first editor of the Society's journal Blood, recognizes an individual who has made a recent, outstanding contribution to the field of hematology. Dr. Armstrong will accept his award at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 9, during the 56th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco. Dr. Armstrong is the Director of the Leukemia Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where he also serves as Vice Chair for Basic and Translational Research in Pediatrics and as a full member of the MSK Cancer Biology and Genetics Program. His research focuses on the biology and epigenetics of a class of leukemias initiated by mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene translocations. Throughout his career, Dr. Armstrong has sought to uncover unique insights into the origin and properties of cancer stem cells, the … Continue reading →

Dr Nicky Nelson talks conservation biology Dr Nicky Nelson from the School of Biological Sciences, ranked top in New Zealand for research quality, talks about her research in the field of conservation biology. By: Victoria University of Wellington … Continue reading →

July 22, 2014 Glenna Picton, Baylor College of Medicine A team of scientists from around the world led by Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis has completed the genome sequence of the common marmoset the first sequence of a New World Monkey providing new information about the marmosets unique rapid reproductive system, physiology and growth, shedding new light on primate biology and evolution. The team published the work today in the journal Nature Genetics. We study primate genomes to get a better understanding of the biology of the species that are most closely related to humans, said Dr. Jeffrey Rogers, associate professor in the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor and a lead author on the report. The previous sequences of the great apes and macaques, which are very closely related to humans on the primate evolutionary tree, have provided remarkable new information about the evolutionary origins of the human genome and the processes involved. With the sequence of the marmoset, the team revealed for the first time the genome of a non-human primate in the New World monkeys, which represents a separate branch in the primate evolutionary tree that is more distant from humans than … Continue reading →

Using synthetic biology to make new antibiotics Research at Victoria University of Wellington could lead to a new generation of antibiotics, helping tackle the global issue of superbugs that are resistant to modern medicine. Led by Mark Calcott, who has just completed his PhD study, under the supervision of Dr David Ackerley, an associate professor in the School of Biological Science, the research is delivering new knowledge about how synthetic biology might be used to counter bacteria that have become resistant to existing antibiotics. The recently published study defines new ways that microbes, which are used to make some commonly used types of antibiotics, can be reengineered to produce modified forms of the original molecules. Part of the problem is that people have historically been careless when using antibiotics, which has, one-by-one, allowed bacteria to build resistance, thrive and multiply. Were smarter now, but at a time when were running out of options, says Dr Ackerley. There is a serious and immediate need for new antibioticseither we have to develop the next generation or find clever and affordable ways of modifying the ones we currently have, he says. The basis of our research is the idea that the microbial machinery … Continue reading →