Category Archives: Biology

Programmed cell death is an integral part of embryonic development. Exploring the regulation of the process, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have shown that so-called microRNAs protect the precursors of neurons from 'precocious' elimination. Programmed cell death -- apoptosis -- is a fundamental and tightly regulated process that occurs in all higher organisms. It is, for example, essential for normal embryonic development, during which superfluous cells must be disposed of in an orderly fashion. Barbara Conradt (Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at LMU) and her team have been studying the role of apoptosis during embryogenesis in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a well-established experimental model. They have now shown that small fragments of RNA, so-called microRNAs, have a crucial function in the regulation of apoptosis in this system -- they are responsible for the preservation of the progenitors of the nervous system. The new study appears in the journal Genes and Development. During C. elegans embryogenesis, a stereotypic series of cell divisions give rise to the progenitor cells whose descendants go on to differentiate and form specific tissues and organs, such as the nervous system. In all, 1090 cells are produced, of which 118 are eliminated before the worm … Continue reading →

Emery Betts isnt satisfied with simply going to school. The 22-year-old biology junior is running for Mansfield City Council place 7. So many things can be changed, Betts said. I want to serve the community. He said he wants people to know there are many things that can be done at the local level to enact change. He will be the youngest city councilor, if elected, to serve in Mansfield. Betts said he would like to focus on the gas well provisions, possible term limits for council members and the districting process. I want to show that your voice does matter, Betts said. He said his family and friends have encouraged his campaign and have been a great support system. Mark Scheldberg, Bettss best friend and roommate, is one of Bettss campaign advisers. Scheldberg said he offers advice and his opinions on campaign strategy. He isnt just helping his friend, he said, but hes supporting a candidate he believes will succeed. He is committed to fulfilling the position representing the people, Scheldberg said. He isnt in it for the power. Indivisible DFW, a volunteer-based organization for local candidates, has shown support for Bettss campaign, said Jay Malone, Indivisible DFW steering … Continue reading →

Teachers is rural elementary schools in Montana often dont have the time and resources to provide their students with specific, in-depth, scientific lessons on subjects like ecology and wildlife biology. But thanks to the work of a technology company and a Missoula nonprofit, 42 fourth-graders at Pine Butte Elementary in Colstrip were immersed in an hour-long intellectual adventure on Thursday, discovering how animals adapt to a winter climate, even though the teacher was 465 miles away in Missoula. The Montana Natural History Center in Missoula employs a naturalist, Amy Howie, as an Interactive Distance Education Coordinator to conduct virtual science classes for kids in Rapelje, Lincoln, Colstrip and Helmville. Howie, who worked as a science teacher for many years, said the kids are exposed to a curriculum that they wouldnt otherwise get. This is totally new to them, she said. They love it because its something new and even though this is new to them, they still know the tech part. So they interact very well. The MNHC partnered with Vision Net, a technology company with offices in Great Falls, Missoula and Billings, to set up the video conferencing platform. Essentially, Howie stands in a green room complete with light … Continue reading →

When we were high school sophomores, we took biology. The class was long and boring, right before psychology. Mr. Garrett was our teacher and had taught for many years. Hed taught some of our dads and was respected by his peers. One day in Mr. Garretts class, we cut up big dead bugs. Grasshoppers, I think they were, preserved in gallon jugs. They smelled of strong formaldehyde that made our noses run. And cuz some of us were knuckleheads, we had to have some fun. I looked at Jackson sitting there. I turned to him and said, Ill give you five whole dollars if youll eat that insects head. He said, Ill do one better, and I promise it for sure. Ill eat the whole darn grasshopper for fifteen dollars more. That made it twenty dollars, and to us that was a bunch. But I had to see a person eat an arthropod for lunch. So we gathered up the twenty from the six of us, in all. We handed it to Jackson, and now it was his call. He took the twenty dollar bills and wound them in a roll. Then he chomped down on the hoppers head. I … Continue reading →

Science Daily Behavioral biology: The firefly among fish -- ScienceDaily Science Daily The flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron, which inhabits the coral reefs of the Pacific, uses flashing signals to forage for food at night. The moment it finds food, ... and more » Read the rest here: Behavioral biology: The firefly among fish -- ScienceDaily - Science Daily … Continue reading →

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is funding a new professorship in the School of Medicine and Health Science, according to a University release Wednesday. Edward Seto, the associate director for basic sciences at the GW Cancer Center, was installed as King Fahd Professor of Cancer Biology Monday according to the release. It is unclear exactly how much Saudi Arabia contributed for the professorship. Seto, who is also a professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine, studies cancer epigenetics and histone deacetylase enzymes, or HDACs, in order to treat cancer. Seto is working to turn off genes and transform cancer cells to normal cells, according to the release. Im honored today to be given this opportunity to contribute, no matter how small, to the GW Cancer Center, the medical school, the university and to the educational ambitions and goals of the late King Fahd, Seto said in the release. The newly installed professorship is named in honor of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was the countrys minister of education from 1954 to 1960 and ruled Saudi Arabia from 1982 until his death in 2005. Abdullah Al-Saud, King Fahds grandson and Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States, said in the … Continue reading →

February 9, 2017 Credit: NIH A team of Universit Laval researchers has cast into doubt a tenet of evolutionary biology according to which organisms with more than one copy of the same gene in their genome are more resilient to genetic perturbations. In an article to be published tomorrow in Science, the researchers show that this genetic redundancy can also make the genome more fragile, leaving organisms more vulnerable to the effects of harmful mutations. To reach this finding, Professor Christian Landry and his team at the Faculty of Science and Engineering studied 56 pairs of paralogous genescopies of a same genefound in bread yeast. They began by characterizing the normal interactions between the proteins produced by these genes and the other protein complexes found in the yeast. They then repeated this exercise using variants whose genomes had been slightly modified. In the course of the approximately 5,700 tests conducted by the researchers, they found that for 22 of the 56 gene pairs studies, the paralogous gene took over in the absence of its counterpart. "Gene function is maintained by the paralogous gene still present in the cell, which supports the hypothesis that genetic duplication ensures genome resilience," said Christian … Continue reading →

Marine Biologist Amy Shields gives presentation on her experiences in the field The Marine Biology club hosted speaker Dr. Amy Shields on Wednesday, Feb. 8, who shared her experiences in working as a oceanographer in Antarctica and what she endured on her journey to get there. According to sophomore Allie Sagi, the purpose of Shields talk was to introduce marine biology and a future in studying it to students. The purpose of her coming in today was to inspire us to go into marine biology of oceanography, Sagi said. My favorite part was learning about how she survived in Antarctica and how she traveled to study oceanography. Sophomore Jacob Hoffman enjoyed the presentation and the information Shields had to offer. It was really cool. A lot of her facts were really fascinating, it kind of opened my eyes for what I could do with marine biology in the future, Hoffman said. My favorite part was her explaining all of the cool experiences she had and what she learned over in Antarctica. Having no prior knowledge about the field, Hoffman was surprised and curious about what it takes to be a marine biologist. One thing that I learned today is that … Continue reading →

Another Epsom representative, Republican John Klose, is sponsoring a bill that should end up in the reject pile. It calls for allowing the hunting of coyotes at night, now limited to the frigid months of January, February and March, until the middle or end of August. Klose called coyotes a 24-hour killer, seven days a week whose numbers must be reduced. The vicious animals are multiplying like its going out of style. There are plenty of problems with the bill. It was filed as a non-germane amendment to a bill about student hunting licenses and thus caught the states Fish and Game Department by surprise. It also ignores basic coyote biology. The more coyotes are hunted and killed, the more pups the females have in a litter. An average litter of four or five could become six or eight so you end up with more coyotes than you started with. Kill all the coyotes and more quickly move in. Kill some of the coyotes and theres more food for the remaining ones so more of the pups survive to adulthood. Kill the bigger, older coyotes and you end up with more in their prime reproductive years. Coyotes can, on rare … Continue reading →

Guns are one of the most deadly weapons known to man, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that about 33,736 people die from gun shotseach year. While most of us understand what happens to a person who has been shot,how firearms affect the biology of the shooter is more mysterious. Heres a short run-through of what happens to your body when you pull the trigger. Despite their clear danger, many people enjoy firing guns in their spare time as a form of entertainment, and there may be abiological reason. When you fire a gun, your body releases hormones called endorphins, Forbes reported. These hormones promote a calm, relaxed feeling, and although they are meant to help alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with firing such a powerful weapon, they can also induce a pleasurable high-like sensation. These are the same hormones that are released when we have sex or use certain drugs, so its easy to see how some can get hooked on the feeling of using a gun. Read: These 3 Gun-Violence Laws Have Significantly Cut Down On Firearm Deaths In addition to a flood of hormones, shooting a gun can also burn calories a surprising … Continue reading →