Publishing their papers in journals, such as these lining a library's shelves, is still the goal of most biologists, but more and more are depositing early versions, or preprints, in online repositories. Sergei25/shutterstock By John TravisFeb. 13, 2017 , 4:45 PM A plan to create a new repository for biomedical and biology preprints has earned the endorsement of nearly a dozen major science funders, including government agencies, major foundations, and research charities. But it also has sparked a debate about whether an existing preprint repository, bioRxiv.org, should be the natural home for such material. Although it has no confirmed funding for the effort, the nonprofit group ASAPbio today announced a request for applications to build what it calls a Central Service for preprints (papers that have not yet been accepted by a journal or undergone peer review). Together with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the European Research Council, the United Kingdoms Medical Research Council, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Wellcome Trust research charities, and other science funders, ASAPbio released a consensus set of principles and requirements for the proposed repository. For example, the repository must have a scientist-led independent governing board, the groups say, and be free for … Continue reading →

The NDSU department they were studying under is giving their classmates a way to deal with their grief. Danie Thomssen, 18, was from Bismarck, and Carson Roney, 19, was from Oakes. They met through Roney's high school friend Haley Visto, who was Thomssen's roommate at NDSU. For the next few days in Room 218 of Stevens Hall, the NDSU's biological sciences department will provide journals so students can write their condolences or share memories of Thomssen and Roney. The journals will go to the families of the teenagers. "Our hope was to provide a way for the campus community to grieve together," the head of the department said in a statement. Thomssen was driving Saturday when she lost control of her car on an icy patch of Interstate 94 just east of Moorhead and slid into a guardrail, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Visto was also injured in the crash and was still hospitalized Monday, but she is expected to survive, troopers said Sunday. More here: NDSU provides memorial journals for classmates of two biology students killed in crash - INFORUM … Continue reading →

Subscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device. Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Port Clinton High School biology students performed a DNA extracting experiment in class on Feb. 6. Try Another Audio CAPTCHA Image CAPTCHA Help CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Submitted Published 9:47 a.m. ET Feb. 13, 2017 | Updated 17 hours ago From left, Andrew Fillmore, teacher Eileen Meisler, Ryon Nelson, and Jackson Kennedy discuss how to extract a strand of DNA during a biology class.(Photo: Submitted) Port Clinton High School biology students are learning about DNA and performed a DNA extracting experiment in class on Monday, February 6 using strawberries and dish soap to open the cell and nuclei membranes. Since DNA is contained inside the nucleus of a cell, students needed to break down the plant matter, then break open the cell and finally break the nucleus of the cell. Following the various steps of the experiment, students were able to extract the white string strands of DNA that appeared.For more pictures visit http://www.pccsd.net. Read or Share this story: http://ohne.ws/2kCtG5k … Continue reading →

CONWAY, Ark. (February 13, 2017) Hendrix College biology professor Dr. Matthew D. Moran recently published The Stars of Eridani , his first science fiction novel. It is my first attempt at a fictional book, said Moran. My goal was to write a story of humans expanding into the galaxy but without impossible technologies (like warp drive).So I tried to write a hard science fiction story that would be plausible in the future. I also have a focus on the biology of the world they are trying colonize and how it would conflict with our biology, which I believe will actually be the biggest challenge to this endeavor, Moran added.And of course, like any good science fiction, the story is symbolic of the current human condition, in particular, what we are doing to our planet. Morans favorite science fiction author is Isaac Asimov, and he is a fan of the authors The Foundation series. Asimov argued that humans will be human regardless of our technological advances and will continue to have the same social issues and conflicts, Moran said.I am also a fan of Joe Haldeman, especially the book Forever War, which I think is just beautifully written, and I am … Continue reading →