Category Archives: Biology

The Trail Blazer 2 Kentucky students send biology experiment into space | News ... News & Observer An experiment developed by two Kentucky students has been sent into space. Craft Academy experiment on its way to space stationThe Independent Kentucky high school experiment sent to space | Lexington Herald ...Lexington Herald Leader all 5 news articles » More here: 2 Kentucky students send biology experiment into space | News ... - News & Observer … Continue reading →

Robert Barker/University Photography A Biology Service Leaders team delivers its presentation on community service. Students shared their experiences performing community service in the Ithaca area as part of the Office of Undergraduate Biologys Biology Service Leaders (BSL) Showcase Feb. 9 in Corson Mudd Hall. The students were organized into project teams, each of which focused on either giving back to the Ithaca community or strengthening the on-campus community at Cornell. Students used the showcase to highlight their projects achievements and goals for the future. All of the services provided by the students are tied to the study of biology. Several teams, such as STEAM, STEP UP and the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom, work with elementary and middle school children. STEAM uses creative, hands-on activities such as painting and archeological digs, to enrich students understanding of science. STEP UP trains students at local schools in Science Olympiad events. The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom touches on issues involving the watershed and waterways and has worked with the American Fisheries Society to provide dissection activities for the children. One team, composed of undergrads Heejin Lim 17 and Pooja Shah 17, works with the Tompkins County Advocacy Center to improve high school students' understanding … Continue reading →

As gender identity ordinances and bathroom battles sweep the nation, ordinary Americans have had to confront the question of whether their long-standing beliefs about the sexes are based on biology or bigotry. While the debate has polarized many, it has also served to unite exceptionally unlikely allies. In something of an historical first, self-professed radical feminists and conservative women are tabling their ideological differences and standing in solidarity against gender identity legislation, which they have come to recognize as threatening the civil rights of women. The Hands Across the Aisle Coalition is a bi-partisan group of women who have committed to working together and leveraging their collective resources and platforms to oppose aspects of the transgender movement. The following is the transcript of my introduction at an event I hosted at the Heritage in which five of the coalitions leaders offer a perspective the mainstream media too often ignores on this very important issue. I also encourage you watch the entirety of the event posted in the video below. Thank you, John, and thank you everyone for joining us today for what promises to be an informative and enlightening conversation from voices the mainstream media has ignored. Id also like … Continue reading →

The original telling of Beauty and the Beast is a story about Stockholm syndrome: Beauty is held captive by a creepy monster, but in time she leans to feel deep empathy for her captor and falls in love with him. But Emma Watson, who plays Belle in the upcoming Disney remake, insists that the problematic phenomenon is no longer an issue. The new Belle, it seems, hasnt just figured out how to beat a scary sociological condition she might be fighting the dictates of human evolution as well. In 2014, University of Oregon evolutionary psychologist Michelle Scalise Sugiyama, Ph.D., proposed the theory that humans give in to Stockholm Syndrome because our early ancestors used it as a coping mechanism. Early humans, she wrote in the journal Human Nature, were often taken as prisoners by other groups during wars, and they were more likely to live in the long run if they learned to adapt to their new group rather than resist the entire time they were captive. This trait was especially important for women because they were especially vulnerable, she says. Her theory suggests that the original Belle learned to comply with the Beasts demands because, like her human ancestors, … Continue reading →

An RU-N Biology professor recently discovered a way to extract and sequence DNA from rare and extinct animals preserved in historic museum collections. Assistant Professor Sara Ruane, along with Louisiana State University Professor Chris Austin, developed a protocol and tested a method for DNA sequencing several thousand genes from preserved snake specimens dating back to the early 1900s. The breakthrough brings these once dormant specimens into the modern age of genomics, allowing scientists to start mapping the evolutionary relationships of various snake and other rare and extinct species, and furthering the study of the earths ever-changing biodiversity. I had always thought it would be great if we could extract DNA from preserved specimens, especially those preserved in formalin, says Ruane. Now that we have the computational power to handle short fragments of DNA for sequencing, it was just a matter of optimizing the extraction protocol. Formalin, a variant of formaldehyde, preserves animal specimens and tissue samples for up to 500 years. But according to Ruane, it also locks up the DNA in these specimens, making it hard to extract. And DNA naturally degrades into tiny pieces over time, rendering it difficult to sequence using a conventional approach called the Sanger … Continue reading →

Paige Colpo | Published 16 hours ago The Center for Biological Diversity sent the city of Durham 40,000 condoms for Valentine's Day in an effort to raise awareness for wildlife conservation. Durham was named one of the U.S.'s most "sex-crazed" cities. Photo courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity. The Center for Biological Diversity sent Durham and nine other cities 40,000 endangered species condoms in honor of Valentines Day. Wrapped in colorful cartoon packages featuring six different endangered species, the condoms were sent to the top ten most sex-happy cities in America, as named by Mens Health magazine. Durham volunteers distributed them to the general public. The projects organizers aimed to use the condoms to help raise awareness about the environmental dangers of unchecked population growth. Lots of couples will get lucky this Valentines Day, but wildlife and the environment will be far less fortunate in our increasingly crowded world, said Leigh Moyer, the centers population organizer, in a press release.The habitat loss, resource depletion and climate change that come with rapid human population growth make it next to impossible for biodiversity to thrive. Moyer said it is important to incorporate population growth into environmental conversations. Endangered Species Condoms make … Continue reading →

The Right Opinion As gender identity ordinances and bathroom battles sweep the nation, ordinary Americans have had to confront the question of whether their long-standing beliefs about the sexes are based on biology or bigotry. While the debate has polarized many, it has also served to unite exceptionally unlikely allies. In something of an historical first, self-professed radical feminists and conservative women are tabling their ideological differences and standing in solidarity against gender identity legislation, which they have come to recognize as threatening the civil rights of women. The Hands Across the Aisle Coalition is a bi-partisan group of women who have committed to working together and leveraging their collective resources and platforms to oppose aspects of the transgender movement. The following is the transcript of my introduction at an event I hosted at the Heritage in which five of the coalitions leaders offer a perspective the mainstream media too often ignores on this very important issue. I also encourage you watch the entirety of the event posted in the video below. Thank you, John, and thank you everyone for joining us today for what promises to be an informative and enlightening conversation from voices the mainstream media has ignored. … Continue reading →

Stanford Student Space Initiatives new Biology Team is creating a DNA synthesizer for outer space (Courtesy of Richard Fuisz). The science fiction-esque concept of making DNA in outer space may soon become a reality, thanks to Stanford Student Space Initiative (SSSI)s new Biology Team. The small, recently-founded subgroup within SSSI is pushing the frontiers of biological engineering by constructing a space-ready DNA synthesizer that may launch into orbit within a year. SSSI was founded in 2013 to foster student-driven innovation focused on outer space. It has since gained national and international recognition for its projects, which include a zero-gravity experiment run with NASA and record-breaking high-altitude balloon technology. SSSI is Stanfords largest project-based student group, according to the organizationswebsite. The Biology Team began last September as SSSIs sixth official team. At the groups first few meetings in fall quarter, new members most of whom were freshmen learned about DNA and basic lab skills. Less than six months later, the students have nearly finished building the individual components of the DNA synthesizer. According to Biology Team Co-Lead Alan Tomusiak 19, the group hopes to have finished the design, tested the product and integrated the separate pieces by the end of spring … Continue reading →

Biology professors Dr. Brian Eisenback and Dr. Michael Whitney are leading students on the annual Biology trip this year. The trip will be a 14-day tour of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado from May 6 through May 20. The trip is open to everyone, including all majors, alumni and faculty and is a good opportunity for students to travel to places that might not have been otherwise available to them. The annual Biology trip has been a longstanding Milligan tradition since 1972. On the trip, attendees will view both beautiful landscapes and wildlife. The trip was initially hosted by Dr. Lura and Dr. Wallace until a few years ago when they retired. Eisenback and Whitney have taken the reins and will continue the tradition this summer. When asked about the trip Lura said, It is not glamorous living conditions, but it is a heck of a lot of fun. On the trip, students will be visiting national parks, going camping and sleeping in tents and vans. Participants will need to pack for both really, really hot weather and really cold weather. On this journey, students, alumni and faculty will come together and enjoy the splendor of the great outdoors. … Continue reading →

Haley Potter, Rocket Contributor February 15, 2017 A professor of parks and recreation recently co-authored an environmental research paper that discusses struggles with the social sciences and the conservation outcomes. Rebecca Thomas, assistant professor of parks and recreation, co-authored the paper, which was published in Biological Conservation, an international leading journal in the discipline of conservation biology. Thomas has supervised several different faculty research projects, such as a preservation study at Goddard State Park in Pennsylvania. The feature, Conservation Social Science: Understanding and Integrating Human Dimensions to Improve Conservation, talks about 10 examples in which social sciences can be beneficial to the public in hopes to better the commitment to conservation. Conservation biology is a field of practice in which a broad diversity of disciplines are represented in order to achieve the aim of ensuring sustainability of Earths biological diversity, Thomas said. These disciplines include some of the hard science discipline such as physiology, epigenetic, ecology, population genetics and veterinary medicine. Thomas said that Biological Conservation is a leading international journal that reaches a broad audience of conservation scholars and practitioners, which is why she wanted to join it. Thomas said that the article was collaborative effort that came from … Continue reading →