Immunitys Black Box Few systems approach the complexity of our own immune system, which promotes a swift and powerful host defense by coordinating a dynamic, multiscale set of hierarchically organized molecular, cellular, and organismal components. I believe the immune system represents the original problem to be addressed by systems biology, declared Naeha Subramanian, Ph.D., assistant professor, Institute for Systems Biology. Immune cells respond to infection and environmental cues through a variety of intracellular and extracellular receptors. Ligation of these receptors, Dr. Subramanian continued, leads to activation of many signaling cascades eliciting such processes as protein binding, phosphorylation, degradation, and nuclear localization that can subsequently alter gene expression. Dr. Subramanian then related this observation to her work, which focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms of innate immunity: The goal of my laboratory is to utilize a systems biology approach to examine these layers of information and derive hypotheses from emerging biological signatures. According to Dr. Subramanian, small alterations in gene expression resulting from infection or homeostatic dysregulation may lead to significant pathological effects associated with autoimmunity and other immune diseases. By examining how expression changes more globally, we can detect such alterations, she explained. We now know, for example, that regulatory … Continue reading →

Seventh grade students from Harrells Christian Academy took a trip to Salter Path. Harrells Christian Academys seventh grade class immersed themselves in the hands-on marine biology classroom called The Sound To Sea Program at the Trinity Center in Salter Path. Students from Harrells Christian Academy spent time learning about marine biology. For three days and two nights, Harrells Christian Academys seventh grade class immersed themselves in the hands-on marine biology classroom called The Sound To Sea Program at the Trinity Center in Salter Path. Guided by expert teachers, students took in a tremendous amount of knowledge about North Carolinas barrier island ecology, human interaction with local plants and animals, and how threats to this habitat are harmful to human health. Whether wading in the sound with collection nets, dissecting squid and using its ink, learning survival skills like making rope, or performing the classic team-building blind walk exercise, every element of these seventh graders week-long experience was used for learning. Instruction about the impact of food waste was applied in the dining room, where after every meal students collected and measured their ort (food waste), graphing the results and cheering as the amount got lower and lower. At night, the … Continue reading →

Last year, a group of Montanans, including wildlife biologists and hunters, launched a ballot initiative that would have banned trapping on public lands. They called trapping barbaric because peoples pets, as well as threatened and endangered wildlife, inadvertently get killed in traps. Trappers responded with outrageous claims, charging that the initiative was backed by out-of-state animal-rights ex-tremists,who were uninformed about wildlife. Foes of trapping, they claimed, were trying to destroy our way of life. And this was just the start: Once they stop trapping, they will come after hunting, and fishing, and ranching, and logging. Many of my fellow hunters also defended trapping with the same arguments. When it comes to predators like wolves or bears, its all black-and-white to some people. Youre either one of us or one of them, and there is little room for rational discussion; if you dont agree with them, they attack with fervor. During the trapping debate, hunting organizations dusted off the ballot-box biology defense, saying that such decisions should be made by wildlife professionals whose opinions are based on science, not by citizens acting out of emotion. We hunters love to claim that our approach to wildlife management is based on science. It … Continue reading →

Same-sex couples are suing the state of Indiana for not including both partners' names on their children'sbirth certificates. The case appeared before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, where possible Trump SCOTUS nomineeJudge Diane Sykesmade some no-nonsense, scientifically factual remarks. And naturally, people were offended. Lesbian couple Ashlee and Ruby Henderson of Lafayette, Ind.,launchedthe suit in 2015 and were later joined by eight other same-sex couples, including Lisa and Jackie Phillips-Stackman of Indianapolis. They are challenging the states Parenthood Status policy, which requires that a parent have either a biological relationship to a child or go through a formal adoption process in order for their name to appear on that childs birth certificate. Judge Diane Sykes A federal court in Indiana has already ruled in favor of the couples. Citing the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, the court held the Indiana statute created an unequal condition for same-sex couples who have children through sperm donation, like the Phillips-Stackmans. In oral arguments on Monday, Judge Sykes dared to state the obvious: that a child can only biologically have one mother and one father. You cant overcome biology," she said. "If the state defines parenthood by virtue of biology, no … Continue reading →