This article was originally published on The Conversation. The past few decades have seen enormous progress being made in synthetic biology the idea that simple biological parts can be tweaked to do our bidding. One of the main targets has been hacking the biological machinery that nature uses to produce chemicals. The hope is once we understand enough we might be able to design processes that convert cheap feedstock, such as sugar and amino acids, into drugs or fuels. These production lines can then be installed into microbes, effectively turning living cells into factories. Taking a leap in that direction, researchers from Stanford University have created a version of bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that contains genetic material of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), bringing the morphine microbial factory one step closer to reality. These results published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology represent a significant scientific success, but eliminating the need to grow poppies may still be years away. If dog has been mans best friend for thousands of years or more, the humble yeast has long been mans second-best friend. The single-cell organism has been exploited by human societies to produce alcoholic beverages or bread for more than 4,000 … Continue reading →

YPSILANTI -- In the nearly six years professor Anne Casper has been teaching biology at Eastern Michigan University, she has mentored 17 undergraduate students and five masters students, encouraging them as they learned to conduct scientific research. Caspers commitment to her students was recognized recently when she won an honorable mention for superior mentorship of undergraduate students in research. The Council on Undergraduate Research presented the award in the outstanding biology mentor division for young researchers. The council, founded in 1978, supports and promotes high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. Membership includes nearly 10,000 individuals and more than 650 colleges and universities. Only one award and two honorable mentions were awarded nationally this year in Caspers category of six or less years of experience. Caspers award was a book on mentoring undergraduate researchers. This was quite a surprise, said Casper, of Ann Arbor. Its a national award so when I applied, I put together the most competitive application I could and hoped for the best. Nomination requirements included submitting a CV (resume), a letter of support from a colleague and two letters of support from undergraduate students. Leading biologists from around the country judged the competition. Professor Casper is … Continue reading →