Category Archives: Biology

The tech world has embraced Machine Learning (ML) for its powerful intuitive capabilitiesto increase click-through rates on ads, sell more books, and help you keep in touch with mom. Despite being increasingly common as a classification tool in applications ranging from transcriptomics, metabolomics, and neuronal synaptic activities, ML is still almost absent in the area of bioengineering. Why is that and what can we do to increase ML use in bioengineering? Machine Learning algorithms that date back half a century are now commonly used for pattern-based analysis, including Decision Trees, Nearest Neighbors, Neural Nets, and more recently with significant success Deep Learninga version of Neural Net with more layers and more nodesreceived significant attention when it won against the best human in the ancient Chinese game of Go. Deep Learning has been enabled by access to new powerful computational hardware, in particular the graphical processing units (GPUs) originally developed for the gaming industry. These gaming GPUs allow for massively parallel computations, which is perfect for ML applications. Its comforting to know that Call of Duty brought something of value to this world. In recent years we have seen ML flourishing in a broad range of applications where there is sufficient … Continue reading →

Investors are increasingly convinced that the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries are close to capitalizing on recent breakthroughs in biology. But their enthusiasm could be tempered by hesitancy on the part of the public and regulators to support what's known as "synthetic biology." Experts at a conference in London told Reuters that synthesizing DNA is now significantly faster and cheaper than in years past, which enables scientists to essentially build new life from scratch. Reuters noted that that the event was held just weeks after the announcement of a synthetic baker's yeast -- an example of how science could assemble relatively complex cells or organisms by manipulating a genetic code "like a programming language." The parallels between the tech world and synthetic biology attracted prominent investors that previously struck it rich with Google, Facebook, PayPal and other tech giants. "Synthetic biology companies are now becoming more like the disruptive, industrial-scale value propositions that define any technology business," tech investor Matt Ocko told Reuters. Scientists' first attempt to deploy synthetic biology on a wide scale aimed to engineer algae to produce oil-free biofuels. Those efforts ran into technical and economic problems, but new start-ups are instead focused on highly specialized markets. … Continue reading →

CONWAY, Ark. (April 11, 2017) Hendrix College students Brandon Cathey 18 and Olivia Sims 17 traveled to Belize last month with biology professor Dr. Jenn Dearolf to troubleshoot a research project for students in Dr. Dearolfs marine biology course. Their trip was funded by the Hendrix Odyssey Program. The project is an investigation of the environmental parameters that encourage growth of elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) coral on the reef. According to Dr. Dearolf, the students determined how to deploy and collect data from a flow meter to measure current at depth. Light levels were also measured at the top and bottom of elkhorn coral stands at snorkel sites where this type of coral was abundant and scarce. Finally, GPS coordinates of coral stands were identified in order for them to be found in subsequent years. This identification will allow for multiple years of data to be collected from the same coral stands. In addition, the students and Dr. Dearolf were also able to brainstorm with other investigators staying at Belize Marine Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) and identify other variables that could be measured at the coral stands. They learned about a colorimeter that will allow … Continue reading →

Lucy Gildea Dr. Lucy (Wiley) Gildea, Class of 1994, has been appointed Chief Scientific Officer for Mary Kay, Inc., the beauty brand and direct seller around the world. She will work at the companys global headquarters in Addison, Texas. According to a company press release announcing her appointment, Dr. Gildea will lead the Global Research and Development function, developing innovative products and increasing the number of patents to secure Mary Kays status as one of the top innovators in the direct selling and cosmetics industries. It will be her responsibility to develop and execute Mary Kays Global Product Strategy and Innovation Pipeline,according to the release. Rick Kopp, Professor of Biology at Georgetown College since 1991, remembers Dr. Gildea, then Lucy Wiley, as an undergraduate. It was early in my career, so I remember some of those first students very well, said Kopp. She was an excellent student who was very enthusiastic and involved. It doesnt surprise me that she has been so successful. He also said that he even remembers her joining the Biology Club on a highway cleanup along Route 25. Prior to joining Mary Kay, Dr. Gildea spent 15 years at Procter and Gamble, working in health care, … Continue reading →

The Los Angeles March for Science will be hosting their first march on Saturday, April 22, in honor of Earth Day. The march comes after President Trumps administration began airing proposals declaring that global warming is made up and that producing birth control is not affordable. Guest speakers include Allison Schroeder, screenwriter of Hidden Figures, Nitin Apte, CEO of Materia Inc., and Brad Sherman, U.S. Representative from Californias 30th Congressional District, among other professionals who specialize in different sciences. In addition, the march will include a science expo. Maria Elena Zavala, a CSUN biology professor, was also invited to speak at the event. Zavala hopes to draw attention to new policies that are being proposed by the current Trump administration, that may affect the underrepresented, poor and less educated. If it threatens one, it threatens all, Zavala said. Science is all around us, we all benefit from the products of science. Zavala said that scientists have never felt so threatened. In the past science was supported by both parties, Zavala said. The new administration seems to be different from past ones. The L.A. March for Science is supposed to be the second largest gathering, making the Washington D.C. March for … Continue reading →

SANTA CRUZ >> In biology, the old axiom form follows function means that an organisms structure is formed in direct correlation to its purpose. Think Darwins finches. When it comes to art, utility is often sacrificed for form. Beyond their ability to intrigue or inspire, most works of art are not useful. The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural Historys The Art of Nature hits a sweet spot between art and science. Now in its 29th year, the annual show showcases 20 California artists whose illustrations of insects, plants, birds, mammals, landscapes and microorganisms are also gorgeous research tools. As a result, its not surprise that many of the artists are also scientists or scientists at heart. Ben Witzke is a professional herpetologist he studies amphibians and reptiles whose skill as an artist led him to CSU Monterey Bays scientific illustration program. Im more compelled to be out in the field flipping logs, but a professor of mine, Dugald Stermer, convinced me to combine zoology with illustration, said Witzke. Witzke found that his focus on illustration made him a stronger zoologist. His work exhibited in The Art of Nature depicts a little green heron intently eyeing a hatchling Western Pond Turtle … Continue reading →

Pet owners often wax lyrical about how their pets enrich their lives, but did you know pets can affect us at a more microscopic level? Research published today in Microbiome by Anita Kozyrskyj and colleagues show that exposure to household pets leads to changes in infant gut microbiota that in turn could reduce infant obesity. Srimathy Sriskantharajah 7 Apr 2017 We are all full of harmless microbes that form our microbiota, but we are not born with these. Our microbiota develops over time and with exposure to the world around us. The gut microbiota of a newborn is not diverse, but by the age of one the gut microbiota begins to resemble that of an adult. Despite gut colonization being relatively quick, the period just before and after birth is a critical time for gut microbiota development in infants. It is already known that the make up of our microbiota can impact our current and future health, and this make up depends on our lifestyles and environment. It then stands to reason that an infants environment can affect its microbiota and consequently its health possibly even impacting on later childhood and adult health. Furthermore, dysbiosis or an imbalance in the … Continue reading →

Genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter testifies about synthetic genomics and their implications for health and energy at a hearing on Capitol Hill on May 27, 2010. Mark Wilson/Getty Images As with many new fields, synthetic biologywhich incorporates disparate disciplines like engineering, computer science, biotechnology, and molecular biologyis hard to pin down. But a rough working definition says that it is the application of the principles of engineering to biological systems. Instead of using engineerings discrete modules of code, transistors, resistors, and capacitors, synthetic biology builds things from sequences of genetic material. The field has remarkable potential and has already been used to aid the production of antimalarial drugs and synthetic flavorings. One researcher used mail-order DNA and a genetic map available online for free to create a live polio virus. The implications could be enormous. But the same characteristics that make it promising also create profound questions, particularly in terms of who will profit. Can you own or patent synthetic organisms? How will researchers access the genetic materials needed to do research? Will big companies be able to dictate who can participate in research? How we answer these questions and others will shape the future of the fieldand determine whether … Continue reading →

Dr. Dave Westenberg (right) speaks during the first Research on Tap social hour at Public House Brewing Company in Rolla. Greg Katski/Missouri S&T Dr. Dave Westenbergs passion for educating school-aged children was recognized with the Academy of Science of St. Louis Science Educator Award during the 23rd Annual Outstanding St. Louis Scientists Awards on April 6. The award is given annually to a distinguished individual on the basis of outstanding contributions to science education or to the public understanding of science, engineering, or technology. An associate professor and interim chair of biological sciences at Missouri S&T, Westenberg often does school outreach in the Rolla area and around the state, and organizes and volunteers to do hands-on science activities at conferences and events across the country. During a speech at the ceremony, Westenberg said his inspiration for science education always has been, and always will be, his daughter, Erica, who is now grown up and attending graduate school in Germany. He says he began doing outreach as a way to bond with her and be a part of her life. From helping with her science events in kindergarten to being the germ guy in first grade to dressing up as the … Continue reading →

April 7, 2017 by Bob Yirka report Honeybee (Apis mellifera) landing on a milk thistle flower (Silybum marianum). Credit: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos/ Wikipedia/GFDL v1.2 (Phys.org)A pair of biology professors, one with the University of Illinois, the other with Macquarie University in Australia has proposed in a Perspective piece in the journal Science that the traits we see as instinctual in animals were likely learned by ancestors. In their paper, Gene Robinson and Andrew Barron suggest that those behaviors learned by ancestors wound up in their DNA somehow, making them instinctual behaviors in later generations. Scientists (and everyone else) know that certain behaviors in some animals are instinctualthey are hard-wired, which means that a given animal is able to do something without being taught. Birds can fly and migrate, for example, fish can swim, etc. But where did these innate abilities come from? That is the question posed by Robinson and Barronthey suggest many, if not all innate abilities arise due to an ancestor learning how to do something and then somehow passing that information along in their DNA. To bolster their argument, the research pair note that epigenetic changes (nongenetic influences on gene expression) have been observed in the laba mouse exposed … Continue reading →