Category Archives: Biology

CONCORD- Lori Treiber said she doesnt teach for the awards, but she racked them up this year. Also voted the Teacher of the Year for Central Cabarrus High School, Treiber was recently notified that she won North Carolinas 2017 Outstanding Biology Teacher Award. Each year the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) selects a teacher from each state to win this award. Its been a whirlwind, Treiber said. I was surprised. A colleague of mine had nominated me back in 2004 when I was teaching in Charlotte- Meck, but I didnt win then so I was surprised this time and very happy. But I dont teach for awards, I teach for my students. This time around, Treiber was nominated by another colleague. She was required to submit four testimony letters from the principal, a parent, a student and a colleague. Then she had to video herself doing a lesson and provide the awards committee her philosophy on teaching. When all of that was said and done, Treiber came out as the winner this year. She will be honored during the upcoming North Carolina Teachers Association (NCSTA) conference in Greensboro in October and the NABT conference held in St. Louis, Missouri … Continue reading →

UPDATED: Thu., June 22, 2017, 5:37 p.m. Rogers High School. Members of the class of 2017 who failed the biology assessment test but had all other requirements to graduate will get their diplomas, after lawmakers agreed to de-link that test from graduation requirements through 2021. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review) OLYMPIA High school seniors who failed to pass a biology assessment test this year are likely holding their breath and crossing their fingers, wondering if their diplomas will materialize. The verdict is in, and they can breathe out and uncross. Odds are pretty good theyll be full-fledged high school graduates in a couple weeks, thanks to a deal legislators announced Thursday that makes changes to the testing system. If you havent passed your math or English language assessment test, however, youll still need to do more to get that diploma. Members of the class of 2017 who failed the biology assessment test but had all other requirements to graduate will get their diplomas. Lawmakers agreed to de-link that test from graduation requirements through 2021. Those who didnt pass the math or English assessment test will have more chances to demonstrate they are proficient in those subjects. Starting in 2019, those … Continue reading →

On Sunday night's episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver targeted the coal industry. Now they are striking back. In the episode, he pleaded with President Trump to "stop lying to coal miners" about his ability to revive the shrinking industry. Oliver also targetedBob Murray, the notoriously litigious CEO of Murray Energy, even though he knew he was likely to be sued for doing so, as the company sent the show a cease-and-desist order before the episode even aired. Murray runs the country's largest privately owned coal company, Murray Energy Corporation, and has sued media companies in the past, including recently filing a libel suit againstthe New York Times.Despite that cautionary tale, on the June 18 episode of Last Week Tonight,Oliver said Murray doesn't do enough to protect his miners' safety. He illustrated that point witha government report that concluded thatthe collapse of one of Murray's mines in Utah, which killed nine people, was due tounauthorized mining practices, while Murray claims the collapse actually happened because of an earthquake. A legal complaint filed on June 21 in the circuit court of Marshall County, West Virginia, states thatOliver and his team "executed a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character of … Continue reading →

Look, fans of the ALIEN franchisewe need to have a chest-to-chest for a minute. Its getting harder and harder to love the movies if youre a giant science nerd, like me. For the last 40 years,the movies have been getting more and more hung up on the biology of the original xenomorph (yes, small x), as have we nerds, and now its all a mess. What is the black goo? Where did the first facehugger come from? Alien: Covenant is the latest film to try and sort it all out, but audiences are still confused. So lets fix that. Lets look at every ALIEN film ever madelook to the quotes from the people who actually made the moviesand produce the longest-ever Because Science to create the definitive, conclusive xenomorph life cycle. Maybe. I hope. In my latest Because Science, Ive gone a bit crazy trying to link every chestburster with every hybrid with every egg. If you look at the original conception of the monsters from ALIEN and ALIENS, the life cycle was very straightforward. ALIEN writer Dan OBannon and director Ridley Scott were fascinated by the biology of parasitoid waspsparalyzing prey, laying eggs on/in them, and cocooning bothand so … Continue reading →

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. West Liberty University has announced two new programs for students. Leaders say it's part of the plan to improve and expand the college. These two degrees -- Master of Arts in Biology and Master of Science in Biology will start in the fall. Applications for the new degrees are being accepted for the fall 2017 launch of the programs. Leaders say they are now the only small college in West Virginia to offer these masters degrees. "We also have a 3 plus 2, meaning a BACC and masters, so an undergraduate can enroll and leave with a BACC and masters in Biology, said Joseph Horzempa, Biology professor at WLU. There have been fantastic changes and improvements here, particularly in academics, and we aren't going to stop, WLU President Stephen Greiner said. We want to add programs that make sense for our region and employment in this region. West liberty says the MS in Biology often leads to jobs such as research technicians for the pharmaceutical industry or academic labs, environmental consulting work, or entry into doctoral programs. The MA prepares students for professional schools such as dental or medical school. Undergrads in biology or related fields can … Continue reading →

June 21, 2017 Credit: European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI A picture may be worth a thousand words, but only if you understand what you are looking at. The life sciences rely increasingly on 2-D, 3-D and 4-D image data, but its staggering heterogeneity and size make it extremely difficult to collate into a central resource, link to other data types and share with the research community. To address this challenge, scientists at the University of Dundee, the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the University of Bristol and the University of Cambridge have launched a prototype repository for imaging data: the Image Data Resource (IDR). This free resource, described in Nature Methods, is the first general biological image repository that stores and integrates data from multiple modalities and laboratories. The IDR also reveals the potential impact of sharing and reusing imaging data for the life sciences. Pooling resources "Imaging will only be truly transformative for science if we make the data publicly available," explains Alvis Brazma, a lead author and Senior Scientist at EMBL-EBI. "Scientists should be able to query existing data to identify commonalities and patterns. But to make this possible we need a robust platform where researchers can upload their imaging … Continue reading →

06/18/2017 Professor Steve Broyles has taught thousands of biology majors at SUNY Cortland students who have gone on to be medical doctors, award-winning researchers and college professors themselves. Brandon Williams 17 was the first to call him dad. People who dont know them might be confused, mostly because theres no resemblance or family connection. Williams, the son of a single mother, never met his biological father. And Broyles, chair of the Colleges Biological Sciences Department, has a wife and two adult sons of his own. He changed my life, said Williams, a conservation biology major who was born in Lakeland, Fla., spent his childhood in Elmira, N.Y. and graduated from high school in Atlanta. Hell deny it and say its my own ability, but hes done more for me than Ill ever be able to repay. Their relationship traces back to the field biology and ornithology courses that introduced them during Williams sophomore year. Since then, Williams has traveled to leadership conferences in Wyoming and a research-focused internship with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. And now this summer, hes conducting plant research at Cornell Universitys Boyce Thompson Institute. Collectively, those moments have forged a meaningful bond that … Continue reading →

By Jon Atherton The Krios cryo-electron microscope, a technology that will enable scientists to visualize the molecules of biological life in atomic detail, was unveiled June 8 at Yales West Campus. Welcoming guests from across the University, Scott Strobel, Vice President of West Campus Planning and Program Development said that the Krios represents a major investment by the University that will drive new discoveries in structural biology research. The field of electron microscopy has recently undergone a resolution revolution and this instrument brings the power of that revolution to scientists at Yale. I want to recognize Provost Ben Polak and the Universitys leadership for making this transformational investment in research technology. The Krios may be housed at West Campus, but it is a resource that is available to scholars across the University, he said. Scientists throughout Yale will soon begin exploring the full capabilities of the worlds most powerful cryo-electron microscope for three-dimensional characterization of biological molecules. Having the microscope at Yale will increase accessibility to this cutting-edge technology and ease the entry barrier for employing this exciting approach to bio-molecular research. Using ultra-sensitive techniques at unprecedented resolutions, the Krios allows physical measurements to be combined with computational modeling resulting … Continue reading →

One way to learn about human history is to conduct DNA analysis of modern isolated populations. Genome Biology recently published two articles examining the genetic histories of Parsi, Sherpa, and Tibetan populations. Here, Gyaneshwer Chaubey from the Estonian Biocentre discusses these latest pieces of research. Gyaneshwer Chaubey 21 Jun 2017 Two Sherpa children Pixabay Population isolates refer to ethnic groups, which are separated from their surrounding populations by barrier(s) and have minimal gene flow from them. These barriers can be geographical, cultural or linguistic. Moreover, isolated populations also act as a catalyst for studies aimed at understanding the basis of common diseases. Therefore, studying population isolates have always been of great interest for the anthropologists. Two new papers published in Genome Biology focus on two such isolates and explore their demographic history and genomic selection and while I pen down my thoughts about them, I recall two individuals from these populations who shared their thoughts during a journey. Little did I know then, that the information shared by them would be a connecting thread to write on these population isolates. Vada Dasturji Firoze Kotwal (Parsi priest) performs the sacred Thread Ceremony at a Navjote. Pic. courtesy Pazor foundation. Parsi is … Continue reading →

UPDATED: Mon., June 19, 2017, 10:23 p.m. OLYMPIA A compromise that could allow some 3,000 high school seniors to graduate even though they couldnt pass a controversial biology test moved through a key House committee Monday, creating a possibility it could become law in the coming weeks. Several members of the House Education Committee grumbled that they preferred their original bill, which would also remove the requirements to pass math and English assessment tests for graduation, and criticized the Senate for refusing to vote on it even though the House passed it three times with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate has passed its bill, focusing on the biology assessment test, three times, also with overwhelming bipartisan support. The compromise, which the House committee passed 15-0, delays any requirement to pass a science assessment until the senior class of 2021. By then the state expects to have a test that reflects the current science curriculum, not the old biology curriculum that has been replaced. Requirements to pass math and English language arts tests are retained but students who fail the assessment tests in 10th grade could pass tests that are designed and administered locally, get academic support in 11th grade and … Continue reading →