Category Archives: Biology

Biology

Penn State Altoona biology student to offer research presentation – Pennsylvania State University

ALTOONA, Pa. Nicole Flanders, a third-year biology student at Penn State Altoona, will offer a research presentation at the February general meeting of the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The organization works to conserve, protect, and restore Spring Creeks coldwater fishery and watershed. Flanders will share the results of her undergraduate research projects on the New Zealand Mud Snail in local waterways.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Comfort Suites in State College.

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Penn State Altoona biology student to offer research presentation - Pennsylvania State University

Biology

It’s alive! Soil biology and its pivotal role in crop production – Frederick News Post

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It's alive! Soil biology and its pivotal role in crop production - Frederick News Post

Biology

ASBMB names Mona V. Miller as next executive officer – EurekAlert

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Mona V. Miller will take the helm at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology on April 1, 2024.

Credit: Courtesy of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology today named Mona V. Miller its next chief executive officer, effective April 1.

Miller is an experienced association leader with significant experience in strategic planning, advocacy and fundraising. Most recently, she was CEO of the American Society of Human Genetics. Before that she held multiple high-level positions at the Society for Neuroscience.

Miller said she was drawn to the ASBMB because scientifically, biochemistry and molecular biology is at the forefront of knowledge that is transforming health and society.

She said she looks forward to focusing on the pivotal role of fundamental science and highlighting its inherent wonder and importance, its irreplaceable role as a foundation for downstream discovery and applications, and its centrality to economic growth and human advancement.

Millers appointment follows an exhaustive, nationwide search process, conducted by a search committee.

Ann Stock, president of the ASBMB and chair of the search committee, said Miller rose to the top of a deep pool of highly qualified candidates. The committee sought out someone who would be both a strategic thinker and an inspirational team manager, Stock, a distinguished professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University, said. With an impressive record of achievements in previous leadership roles, Mona checks these boxes and more.

Miller is steeped in nonprofit strategy and fundraising. At ASHG, she launched the strategic planning process and led a multiyear implementation. At SfN, she obtained more than $2.4 million in grants to support Latin American scientists, women in STEM, scientific workforce diversity and scientific rigor.

Joan Conaway is the ASBMBs president-elect, a member of the search committee and the vice provost and dean of basic research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She said the committee found Miller to be an innovative and thoughtful leader with the financial-management experience needed to lead the ASBMB into its next phase.

Mona has a strong background in organizational leadership and financial management, said Conaway, the societys former treasurer. As CEO of ASHG, she grew revenue by 25% by diversifying and securing new revenue streams. At SfN, she had direct responsibility for SfNs financial management, including development and approval of its annual budget, reserve and membership revenue. She also led donor relations and oversaw annual meeting and journal finances.

Miller has a bachelors degree in sociology from Tulane University, a masters degree in public policy (concentrating in nonprofit management) from Harvard University and an executive education certificate in change management from New York Universitys School of Business.

She started her career in communications, holding roles over six years at the American Womens Economic Development Corporation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. She then entered public affairs consulting, working for multiple firms and for herself for five years before joining the Pew Charitable Trusts in 2004.

Miller entered the scientific society sphere in 2007. She did communications and public affairs for SfN and was promoted to deputy executive director in 2012. She became CEO of ASHG in 2017 and remained there until November 2023.

Stock said ASBMB engages in a broad scope of activities that reflect the diverse interests of society members. Monas previous experience in many different areas coupled with her passion for science will make her an effective partner with Council, staff and volunteers to advance initiatives to support our members, she said.

Miller succeeds Stephen Miller (no relation), who is retiring March 31 after serving the society in several roles since 2004 and as its executive director since 2021.

About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Founded in 1906, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a professional scientific organization located in Rockville, Maryland, with a storied history of advancing the mechanistic understanding of nature through promoting the highest-quality research in biochemistry and molecular biology. As an international nonprofit scientific society with over 11,000 members, it is one of the most important learned scientific societies.

The ASBMB is devoted to its mission of advancing science and scientific research, education, and the understanding of the molecular nature of life processes. It serves the scientific community through publications, meetings and events, education and professional development programs, advocacy, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

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ASBMB names Mona V. Miller as next executive officer - EurekAlert

Biology

Ask the Author | UI alum Ted Anton discusses new book ‘Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution’ – UI The Daily Iowan

An alum of the University of Iowa, Ted Anton has written for The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Chicago, The Chicago Tribune, and more. His novel, The Longevity Seekers, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2013, has gotten endorsements from Dr. Oz and Oprah.

Anton is a professor emeritus of English at DePaul University. He will read from his new book, Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution, at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City on Friday.

He is also currently a nominee for a National Magazine Award in Reporting and a Carl Sandburg Award-winner in nonfiction.

The Daily Iowan: In your book, your focus is geared toward one aspect of science synthetic biology. How would you describe synthetic biology and its impact on our world?

Ted Anton: Synthetic biology is changing life by changing DNA. This goes back to the beginning of agriculture and all the crops. Of course, then, it was done the old-fashioned way by breeding. But in the 1970s came this thing called gene editing. Scientists had this breakthrough to create insulin by modifying microbes whereas, before, youd have to kill tens of thousands of calves to get your insulin. Nowadays, the techniques have improved so much that you can change many genes at once; you can direct evolution, you can create whole circuits in a cell, new kinds of cells, and even new forms of DNA. Synthetic biology did for life what Apple did for the computer: It made it easier to program.

Do you think synthetic biology is a positive advancement, or could it be seen as something harmful?

Personally, I think it has a lot more positive effect. Its a great breakthrough that can help us live more sustainably with the planet, biofuels, meatless meat, all the cheese we eat is made through synthetic biology using the enzyme rennet, which is used in jet fuel, and other really important sustainable products. But its a big question. The COVID-19 vaccine that you and I took, which saved the world, was created from this research. Some people still wonder if the virus originated in the lab that was modifying viruses in Wuhan, China.

What was your favorite part about writing Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution, and why?

I loved talking to the scientists; its a field particularly dominated by women. I also loved visiting labs and talking to cool people who are generally younger than me, funny, excited, and trying to make the world a better place.

Coming from being a UI Writers Workshop graduate to receiving endorsements from figures like Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, what is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

I think people coming out of the humanities field are a little afraid of science. Science writing is this really cool field where you can continue to do your photography and your poems, and yet you can be writing about research and cutting-edge things that make the planet better and getting paid well. Most of literature is about things going wrong and most of journalism is the same old story over and over again.

Science is whats new, its whats hopeful. So that would be what I would tell myself; you can do it, have a little confidence, and everybodys going to help you because researchers love it when young people want to write about them. Its also very helpful for them; they have to publicize their work because its our taxpayer money that pays for it.

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Ask the Author | UI alum Ted Anton discusses new book 'Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution' - UI The Daily Iowan

Biology

Scientists are using AI to study bee behavior, zebra movement, and insects on treadmills – GeekWire

A bumblebee labelled for tracking by computer vision. (James Crall Photo)

The halls at a recent meeting of biologists in Seattle were buzzing with more than just the usual excitement about spiders, bats, bees, elephants and other creatures.

Researchers were also talking about the increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, at the the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.

Such methods have life science applications beyond biomedical fields such as protein design, a more well-known use case. Researchers are leveraging AI to study how animals move their bodies, migrate, sense their environment, behave, and more.

AI and machine learning methods are being used in diverse sub-disciplines in biology from neuroscience, molecular biology, to animal behavior, Jeff Riffell, a professor in the Biology Department at the University of Washington, told GeekWire.

RELATED: AI could make us conversant with critters, unlocking conservation tools and serious risks

Riffell and his colleagues presented an AI-powered system to study how insects detect odors in their environment. Their machine learning model predicts how moth neurons respond to different mixtures of smelly chemicals.

Shir Bar, who studies the intersection of biology and computer vision at Tel Aviv University, told GeekWire that shes seeing more studies using AI for animal detection, tracking and behavioral classification, as well as in biomechanics for pose estimation (detecting position using computer vision methods).

Bar spoke at the meeting about how scientists can leverage AI, noting that entering the arena and finding the right tools for the task can be daunting. We asked Bar to identify some of the more outstanding AI/ML studies at the meeting, held earlier this month.

When the weather gets hot, bees keep the colony cool by fanning their wings. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin study this behavior by labeling individual bumblebees and tracking them with an automated imaging system while exposing them to high temperatures that simulate a three-day heatwave. The scientists integrate the tracking of individual bees with deep learning-based identification of fanning behavior. They are now using the system to test how bees respond to heat under different nutrient conditions. The research may help scientists understand how bees respond to climate change.

Researchers at Imperial College London place insects on small treadmills to measure how they move. At the meeting they also presented a synthetic dataset on such movement using three-dimensional models of insects, generated by a gaming engine, said Bar. According to the presenters, insects inspire researchers developing six-legged walking robots. After all, many insects can walk on ceilings and walls keep on going even if they lose limbs.

This is a really innovative way to tackle the lack of training data thats so prevalent in our field, especially since they are building a general system that is meant to work on diverse species of insects, said Bar of the presentation.

An open-source tool to help capture animal behavior in the wild was showcased at the meeting by researchers at the University of Stuttgart and Princeton University. Smarter-labelme labels data used to train machine learning models, reducing the need to manually annotate datasets on animal movement. The researchers used the tool to quantify the activity of zebras from drone footage over large swaths of the savannah.

Scientists routinely label cellular molecules using green fluorescent protein (GFP), a laboratory tool originally derived from a jellyfish. Different color variants can arise from mutations in GFP, but exactly how has been unclear. Researchers have now developed a neural network model to predict the intensity of fluorescence from the underlying mutations in GFP, using protein folding parameters and other inputs. The approach could lead to the development of improved ways to visualize cellular molecules. This study was undertaken at the University of Maryland and the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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Scientists are using AI to study bee behavior, zebra movement, and insects on treadmills - GeekWire

Biology

APSU biology major balances cheerleading, STEM studies and service – Main Street Media of Tennessee

When Gracey Suggs came to Austin Peay State University, she brought along an impressive set of credentials. The Clarksville native and Montgomery Central graduate graduated a year early and came in with most of her general education requirements already completed through high school dual-enrollment courses. Now a junior - despite just being in her second year on campus - majoring []

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APSU biology major balances cheerleading, STEM studies and service - Main Street Media of Tennessee

Biology

UTSW Professor to Receive O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences – dallasinnovates.com

Vincent Tagliabracci, PhD [Photo: UTSWMC]

A professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center has been named the recipient of a prestigious biological sciences award.

Vincent Tagliabracci, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology, will receive the 2024 Edith and Peter ODonnell Award in Biological Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) for broadening the understanding of pseudokinases, a family of enzymes that play key roles in many physiological and pathological processes. UTSW announced.

TAMEST presents annual awards to recognize the achievements of early-career Texas investigators in the fields of science, medicine, engineering, and technology innovation.

UTSW said the ODonnell Award comes with a $25,000 honorarium and an invitation to make a presentation before hundreds of TAMEST members. Tagliabracci is the 17th scientist at UT Southwestern to receive an ODonnell Award since TAMEST initiated the program in 2006.

Im honored to be recognized by TAMEST and humbled to join the group of recipients from past years who are all elite scientists, said Tagliabracci, who also is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Its an unbelievable feeling.

UTSW said that pseudokinases are different from canonical kinases molecules that catalyze the transfer of phosphate onto proteins, altering their function such that they were originally thought to be inactive enzymes.

They are nicknamed zombie enzymes because they were first believed to be dead, UTSW said.

Tagliabraccis work has shown, however, that these enzymes are alive and perform completely different kinds of chemical reactions than classical kinases. These include adenylylation (AMPylation), a process in which some pseudokinases transfer adenosine monophosphate, one of the nucleotides that makes up RNA, to proteins and glutamylation, in which pseudokinases transfer the amino acid glutamate to proteins.

Recently, Tagliabracci led a study that identified a pseudokinase necessary for capping viral RNAs, a process thats key for the function of coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. UTSW said that inhibiting this process could offer a new way to treat COVID-19, which has killed nearly 7 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Dr. Tagliabraccis discoveries of unexpected activities of atypical kinases in diverse clades of life have expanded the boundaries of the kinome and unveiled new biology with a broad range of therapeutic applications, said Eric Olson, Ph.D., chair and professor of molecular biology at UTSW, who nominated Tagliabracci for the ODonnell Award.

UTSW said that the Edith and Peter ODonnell Awards recognize rising star Texas researchers addressing science and technologys essential role in society and whose work meets the highest standards of professional performance, creativity, and resourcefulness.

The Edith and Peter ODonnell Awards are made possible by the ODonnell Awards Endowment Fund, established in 2005 with support from several individuals and organizations.

This years recipients will be honored at the 2024 Edith and Peter ODonnell Awards Ceremony on Feb. 6. They will present their research preceding the awards ceremony at the TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center in Austin.

The Edith and Peter ODonnell Awards bring together a broad group of disciplines and expertise and create the space to talk about cross-disciplinary approaches to future solutions and we couldnt be prouder of this years group of innovative recipients, said Edith and Peter ODonnell Awards Committee Chair Oliver Mullins, Ph.D., SLB Fellow for global technology company SLB, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. These researchers are transforming the future of science and innovation in our state, and these awards are an important mechanism for maintaining a link between academia and industry and moving the research needle forward for our society.

Tagliabracci is a Michael L. Rosenberg Scholar in Medical Research. Olson holds The Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Science, the Pogue Distinguished Chair in Research on Cardiac Birth Defects, and the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research.

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Elevating SMUs standing as a premier global research institution, the gift will create 10 endowed academic positions in engineering and data science and support research in those fields as well. SMU President R. Gerald Turner said the gift will be evenly split between SMU's newly named ODonnell Data Science and Research Computing Institute and an initiative for digital innovation in engineering and computer science in the Lyle School of Engineering.

From Johns Hopkins academic to biotech powerhouse, Robinson's career is a mix of innovation and influence.It is just a wonderful ride, she said.

Expanding a collaboration they announced in January, the two companies aim to drive "the future of cancer care" with the new platform, enabling novel insights for precision medicine, therapeutic development, and clinical trials management for academic and biopharma researchers.

Supported by 35 issued patents, Dallas-based MeshTek builds next-gen lighting systems that turn buildings into show-stoppers. "Their patented, long-range Bluetooth mesh is the brilliance behind the solution and the future of outdoor device connectivity," says investor Mark Cuban.

The $110 million, 135,000 square-foot expansion at Pegasus Parka regional hub for life sciences and biotechnology in North Texaswill offer prebuilt lab suites with the tools and flexible space needed for growth-stage life sciences entrepreneurs and companies. Demolition is underway and construction on Bridge Labs is set to begin soon, developers said.

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UTSW Professor to Receive O'Donnell Award in Biological Sciences - dallasinnovates.com

Biology

Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds – University of Florida

Climate change is reshaping forests differently across the United States, according to a new analysis of U.S. Forest Service data. With rising temperatures, escalating droughts, wildfires, and disease outbreaks taking a toll on trees, researchers warn that forests across the American West are bearing the brunt of the consequences.

The study, led by UF Biology researchersJ. Aaron Hoganand Jeremy W. Lichsteinwas published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study reveals a pronounced regional imbalance in forest productivity, a key barometer of forest health that gauges tree growth and biomass accumulation. Over the past two decades, the Western U.S., grappling with more severe climate change impacts, has exhibited a notable slowdown in productivity, while the Eastern U.S., experiencing milder climate effects, has seen slightly accelerated growth.

Forests play a critical role in regulating the Earths climate, acting as carbon sinks that sequester approximately 25% of human carbon emissions annually. However, their ability to store carbon hinges on the delicate balance between the positive and negative effects of climate change. The study, using national-scale forest inventory data, models trends from 1999 to 2020, analyzing 113,806 measurements in non-plantation forests.

We are witnessing changes in forest functioning as forest ecosystems respond to global change drivers, such as carbon-dioxide-fertilization and climate change, said Hogan. It is the future balance of these drivers which will determine the functioning of forests in the coming years to decades.

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Lauren Barnett January 17, 2024

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Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds - University of Florida