edX | MITx: Quantitative Biology Workshop: 7QBWx About Video Quantitative Biology Workshop A workshop-style introduction to tools used in biological research. Discover how to analyze data using computational methods. R... By: edX … Continue reading →

Report Focussing On Biology Underlining By: MarianHarkinIrishMEP … Continue reading →

Biology Project: Predation Predation. By: Noah Rorabaugh … Continue reading →

Feminist biology which attempts to uncover and reverse gender bias in biology will be the focus of a new, endowed fellowship in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Janet Hyde "The program is the first in the nation and probably the world," says Janet Hyde, director of the campus Center for Research on Gender & Women. The first post-doctoral fellow, Caroline VanSickle, is now completing her Ph.D. in biological anthropology at the University of Michigan. When her two-year fellowship begins in September, she plans to continue her research on female human ancestors by investigating changes in pelvis shape and therefore childbirth anatomy during the course of human evolution. Her focus will be South African australopithecine species dating from 1.5 million to 3 million years ago. VanSickle will also teach gender and biology and develop a new course in the area. Feminist biology aims to develop new theory and methods in biology that reflect feminist approaches, and "is raising new questions and suggesting novel solutions," says Hyde. "Feminist analysis in science has already revealed and challenged scientific errors resulting from gender bias on the part of scientists, including ways in which observer bias distorted our … Continue reading →

Katharine (Kat) Leigh 15, a biology major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with interests in environmental resource economics and international development, has received a 2014 Morris K. Udall Scholarship. The scholarship provides $5,000 toward tuition for undergraduates intending to pursue careers related to the environment, and to Native American and Alaskan native undergraduates pursuing careers in health care or tribal public policy. This year, 50 students were selected from among 489 candidates nominated by 228 colleges and universities on the basis of their leadership, service, academic achievement and commitment. Leighs efforts revolve around ocean conservation. She advises the purchasing units of Cornell Dining and the Statler Hotel on sustainable seafood. Consequently, Cornell Dining has increased its percentage of sustainable seafood offerings, and the Statler has nearly eliminated all red-listed items. Leigh also has organized various initiatives educating the campus on sustainable seafood, including Make Your Own Sustainable Sushi Night at Robert Purcell Community Center and a weeklong lecture series during student orientation on seafood and ocean conservation, which culminated in a sushi and cocktail event at Ithacas Museum of the Earth. After completing a Ph.D. in marine biology, I plan to work for [a nongovernmental organization] most … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Apr-2014 Contact: David McIver david.mciver@childrens.harvard.edu 857-234-3432 PLOS Can monitoring Wikipedia hits show how many people have the flu? Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, USA, have developed a method of estimating levels of influenza-like illness in the American population by analysing Internet traffic on specific flu-related Wikipedia articles. David McIver and John Brownstein's model, publishing in PLOS Computational Biology on April 17th, estimates flu levels in the American population up to two weeks sooner than data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention becomes available, and accurately estimates the week of peak influenza activity 17% more often than Google Flu Trends data. McIver and Brownstein calculated the number of times certain Wikipedia articles were accessed every day from December 2007 to August 2013. The model they developed performed well both through influenza seasons that are more severe than normal and through events such as the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 that received high levels of media attention. The authors comment: "Each influenza season provides new challenges and uncertainties to both the public as well as the public health community. We're hoping that with this new method of influenza monitoring, we can harness publicly available data to help people … Continue reading →