Category Archives: Biology

Mashable 'Breatharian' couple magically defies biology, subsists only on clicks and BS Mashable Are you sitting down? Good. We have some astonishing news: Food and water are no longer essential to staying alive. So claims a "Breatharian" couple in the spotlight this week, who say humans can be sustained by "the universe's energy." For the past ... Original post: 'Breatharian' couple magically defies biology, subsists only on clicks and BS - Mashable … Continue reading →

Alexandra Torres-Perez June 20, 2017 Filed under Features, Professor Profile Share on Facebook Share via Email Michael Lentz researches how yeast can change the flavor in both beer and wine. Photo by Alexandra Torres-Perez Many people say beer is an acquired taste, but one UNF professor is using science to craft his own flavor. Michael Lentz, an associate professor of biology, heads a research lab on the science of beer and brewing. Small-scale experimental brews in progress. Photo courtesy of Michael Lentz. Lentz first started brewing at what he called the very start of the craft beer revolution in the mid 1980s while he was a postdoctoral student at the University of California at Berkeley. Lentz collaborated with students from his university and the University of California at San Francisco to see what they could brew up at the lab. Nobody had really brewed their own beer before, Lentz said. We kind of had a challengeIt was a collaborative project with the labs, and then we would get together to see whose [beer] was the best. Since then, Lentz has continued brewing from his home as a hobby. Its a fun hobbyI enjoy the process, Lentz said. I enjoy the … Continue reading →

June 19, 2017 A schematic of the P3HT film, showing regions that are able to subtly swell to let in ion molecules. Credit: Rajiv Giridharagopal The problem is a fundamental incompatibility in communication styles. That conclusion might crop up during divorce proceedings, or describe a diplomatic row. But scientists designing polymers that can bridge the biological and electronic divide must also deal with incompatible messaging styles. Electronics rely on racing streams of electrons, but the same is not true for our brains. "Most of our technology relies on electronic currents, but biology transduces signals with ions, which are charged atoms or molecules," said David Ginger, professor of chemistry at the University of Washington and chief scientist at the UW's Clean Energy Institute. "If you want to interface electronics and biology, you need a material that effectively communicates across those two realms." Ginger is lead author of a paper published online June 19 in Nature Materials in which UW researchers directly measured a thin film made of a single type of conjugated polymera conducting plasticas it interacted with ions and electrons. They show how variations in the polymer layout yielded rigid and non-rigid regions of the film, and that these regions … Continue reading →

Rance Shreibvogel cares a lot about animals and the ecosystem. The high school biology teacher from Holcomb has a side job as an animal relocation specialist that is evidence of that. He is the one to call when critters or pests come around. Schreibvogel specializes in reptiles mostly snakes and small mammals. His motto is relocate, dont decapitate. He doesnt get a lot of calls, mainly because people tend to take matters into their own hands. But he said that more times than not, the snake is harmless. A lot of people freak out when they see a snake because their first thought is rattlesnake or venomous. But thats usually not the case, he said. We only have one venomous snake here, and thats the rattlesnake. Bullsnakes can be mistaken, but their heads are a lot different. Bullsnakes will try to imitate the rattlesnake. Theyll make a hissing sound and shake their tail like a rattlesnake to scare off predators, and thats usually what gets them killed. People think theyre a rattlesnake and chop their head off. Schreibvogel has been bitten several times by non-venomous snakes. He said that when they bite, it just feels like someone pinching you. Hes … Continue reading →

Wesleyan Connection (blog) Biology Team Samples Drought-Tolerant Bacteria in Death Valley Wesleyan Connection (blog) National parks are ideal for research, in general, because the land is protected indefinitely from commercial development, said team leader Fred Cohan, professor of biology, professor of environmental studies. Death Valley is a nice model system for ... See the article here: Biology Team Samples Drought-Tolerant Bacteria in Death Valley - Wesleyan Connection (blog) … Continue reading →

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Maths is the language of science. It crops up everywhere from physics to engineering and chemistry aiding us in understanding the origins of the universe and building bridges that wont collapse in the wind. Perhaps a little more surprisingly, maths is also increasingly integral to biology. For hundreds of years mathematics has been used, to great effect, to model relatively simple physical systems. Newtons universal law of gravitation is a fine example. Relatively simple observations led to a rule which, with great accuracy, describes the motion of celestial bodies billions of miles away. Traditionally, biology has been viewed as too complicated to submit to such mathematical treatment. Biological systems are often classified as complex. Complexity in this sense means that, due to the complicated interaction of many sub-components, biological systems can exhibit what we call emergent behaviour the system as a whole demonstrates properties which the individual components acting alone cannot. This biocomplexity has often been mistaken for vitalism, the misconception that biological processes are dependent on a force or principle distinct from the laws of physics and chemistry. Consequently, it has been … Continue reading →

Aloha! We have some exciting news to report about the upcoming Plant Biology 2017 conference in Hawaii, and are asking for your help in bringing top-notch training in science communication to the next generation of students and scientists. We face many challenges and our world desperately needs informed policy and improved technologies to meet those challenges, many of which will have plant science serving a crucial role such as in agriculture, food, fiber, fuel, and fun. Were going to Talk Story at our workshop, and need your help to keep everyone energized and to thank our speakers for helping make this happen. On Saturday, June 24th, we are hosting a workshop on using human-centered storytelling for science communication, using compelling examples that touch on plant biology from Hawaii and across the Pacific. This will be followed by group activities and a panel discussion, along with resources for our attendees to help them get started. The workshop will happen right at the beginning of the Plant Biology 2017 conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, so there will be four days of plant biology for our 165 registered attendees to think about through the lens of communicating science through human-centered stories. Talks will include … Continue reading →

ANN ARBOR, MI One of the oldest departments at the University of Michigan is about to get a new leader. The U-M Board of Regents today approved the appointment of Pierre A. Coulombe, Ph.D., to lead the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Medical School. Coulombe will become chair on August 1, and lead one of the nine basic science departments of Michigan Medicine, U-Ms academic medical center. The departments researchers study how structure governs function in cells and tissues throughout the body, and how complex arrays of signals are integrated to foster the proper development of tissues and organs. They also study stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, and train undergraduate, graduate and medical students in cell biology. The department traces its roots back to 1854, soon after the founding of the Medical School, when it was known as the Department of Anatomy. Coulombe comes to Michigan from Johns Hopkins University, where he chaired the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Bloomberg School of Public Health for nine years, and held the E.V. McCollum professorship as well as several joint appointments in the School of Medicine. At Hopkins, Coulombe was noted for recruiting and nurturing … Continue reading →

Conspicuously absent from the "pro-science" progressive movement is a pro-science perspective on gender. In fact, it's probably more accurate to characterize their perspective on gender as anti-science, enforcing dogma rooted more in the work of wayward Women's Studies departments than biological reality. Just this April, for instance, Bill Nye, anointed disciple of the pro-science Left, framed the idea that gender exists on a spectrum from which people can choose points that match their identities as settled science. But in an interview published Thursday with the Weekly Standard, dissident feminist Camille Paglia gave a compelling take on the contemporary progressive dogma on transgenderism. "Although I describe myself as transgender (I was donning flamboyant male costumes from early childhood on), I am highly skeptical about the current transgender wave, which I think has been produced by far more complicated psychological and sociological factors than current gender discourse allows," Paglia explained. "The cold biological truth is that sex changes are impossible. Every single cell of the human body remains coded with one's birth gender for life. Intersex ambiguities can occur, but they are developmental anomalies that represent a tiny proportion of all human births," pronounced Paglia. The bestselling author also condemned "the escalating … Continue reading →

POTSDAM A SUNY Potsdam biology professor is urging motorists to avoid turtles, which are currently braving roadways in search of dry land to lay their eggs. In order to protect the local populations of Blanding's turtles, a New York State threatened species, SUNY Potsdam Biology Professor Dr. Glenn Johnson has worked with the St. Lawrence County Highway Department to post turtle crossing signs at 14 locations across St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties. Johnson is working with several students and recent alumni of the college's biology program to post special turtle crossing signs on county and town roads at critical locations where there is evidence that turtles are especially at danger of being killed. "Blanding's turtles can live to be 80 years old and are listed as a threatened or endangered species in nearly every state where they are found, including New York State. At this time of year, turtles leave their wetlands to go to uplands to nest, and invariably they cross roads. Older females are critical to maintaining the population because they are more successful at breeding, so it is very important to try to protect them during nesting season in particular," Johnson said. He is being assisted by … Continue reading →