Category Archives: Biology

Biology

The intersection of art and biology occurs in a new exhibit at a Valley … – KJZZ

Tyler Murdock

Illustration of a mole cricket.

A new scientific art exhibit titled, The Things We Did Not Measure: Art Inspired By Biological Research opens Friday in the Valley.

Its the brainchild of Arizona State University graduate students Tyler Murdock and Meredith Johnson who are part of the same insect research group on campus.

Murdock studies chemical communication in ants and said the intersection of art and science is natural because curiosity inspires science and beauty inspires curiosity. The aesthetic appeal of nature emulates both the urge to do it justice in the form of art or to try and convey that emotional appeal, but it also stimulates scientific research. So, I think science and art are really closely connected," Murdock said.

He said the interactive show is perfect for families and features paintings, illustrations, photography and sculpture.

It also appeals to those interested in the bizarre and the demeanor of insects, or people who might enjoy the Alien movie franchise and modern TV shows, for instance.

We even have a photo of a carpenter ant, which is a group of ants I study, thats been parasitized by the cordyceps fungus which was the inspiration for the show The Last of Us [starring Pedro Pascal, aka 'The Mandalorian'] and has become popular in the last few months, said Murdock.

The free exhibit is housed at Modified Arts gallery in Phoenix.

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The intersection of art and biology occurs in a new exhibit at a Valley ... - KJZZ

Biology

Trans definitions make the best case for protecting biological women – Leader & Times

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Twenty-one states have voted to protect biological women in sports so far including Kansas. However, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the issue became partisan when a similar vote passed with all 219 Republicans voting for it while all 203 Democrats voted against it.

The bill wont likely pass the Senate unless Kirsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are willing to switch, and even if they do, Joe Biden has committed to vetoing the measure.

Much like the pandemic, it seems that partisan participation overrides common sense.

Why is it that only Republicans question the origin of COVID? Why is it that only Republicans are looking to protect biological women in sports?

According to an NPR/Ipsos poll, which is not a conservative poll, 63 percent of Americans do not want trans athletes competing against women.

Sounds reasonable. The work done for Title IX in the late 1960s and 70s was to make sure girls had equal opportunity in sports.

Women have not always been given a fair shot, and society has tried to make sure that women are receiving equal pay for equal work, equal opportunity in academic achievement and the ability to compete to be the best in sports.

It seems that biological women, those who are born female, who experience female puberty, who experience that monthly visitor, who get pregnant, who develop as a unique human being with female traits are somehow worth even less because a biological man can choose to occupy their space on the ecological niche.

Before the common opposers believe this is transphobic, that is simply not true. In a free society, men have the option to be men or displace women as choosing to be a woman as their gender choice. Knock yourself out.

But the difference here is how hard women worked to be recognized as a born female who achieved in business or in community service only to see a biological male take home the Female of the Year award.

Or win a swim meet. Or a track race. The list goes on.

This was an option biological women did not have in being a woman, and beyond that, it is a fact of nature that females are born female and males are born male.

In order to make you forget about the biological facts, you have to be stripped of your handle on the language.

Biology no longer matters, or so we are told. You are also told that gender identity begins in the womb, regardless of what biology says.

You are also informed that children in kindergarten need to be told to explore their sexuality so they can decide whether or not they are a boy or a girl.

Biology has already answered that question in virtually every case. There is the occasional moment when a child is born with genitalia of both male and female, but this according to Intersex HumanRights Australia, is only in 0.016 percent of the population.

What was once called gender dysphoria, where a person feels as if they do not identify with their biological sex, is now being rewritten.

Why?

Because of feelings rather than science.

We dont want anyone to feel bad, so we redefine the language.

Different trends are used for a person to stick out in a crowd, to be an individual. Hippies grew their hair long, goths chose to wear all black and black make-up, people enjoy a tattoo, and some even choose piercings in a variety of places. Weve also seen hair colors of all varieties.

Weve gone so far in people standing out, that there really is nothing that a person can really do to be unique.

But what about transitioning? The numbers are starting to increase in this trend.

Is it an effort to really identify, or could it be a way to stand out.

Also, since more biological males make the partial transition, is it a way for that biological male to feel they would stand out more if they were female?

Lets also explore the truth that these are not full-on transitions, or sex changes. Trans-women, for all intents and purposes, are full male from the waist down, even if they have taken hormone therapy to produce breasts and other emotions typically experienced by women.

The ultimate question is if a trans woman met a trans man, would either be satisfied with that pairing?

The answer is possibly, because according to pro-trans web site stonewall.org.uk, the gender you identify with has nothing to do with who you are attracted to.

Caitlyn Jenner, who was once Bruce Jenner, claims to be heterosexual, which means (s)he prefers to be with women even though (s)he chooses to live as a woman.

Jenner has also been a strong proponent of protecting biological women in sports.

This is why supporting biological women in sports is neither transphobic nor limiting the rights of others. It is highly likely that a trans woman (born male) is still attracted to women. If that is the case, why are they being allowed in locker rooms with other women?

If trans has nothing to do with attraction, as defined by the trans community, it is further evidence that biological women need their private spaces protected. Its not because I believe it to be so, but because their own definition demands it.

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Trans definitions make the best case for protecting biological women - Leader & Times

Biology

Chili peppers more deeply rooted in Colorado than previously thought – University of Colorado Boulder

Banner image: Abel Campos, majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, examines a fossil in the Invertebrate Paleontology department at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. (Photo:Casey A. Cass / CU Boulder)

Botanists and paleontologists, led by researchers fromCU Boulder, have identified a fossil chili pepper that may rewrite the geography and evolutionary timeline of the tomato plant family.

The teams findings, published last month in the journal New Phytologist, show that the chili pepper tribe (Capsiceae) within the tomato, or nightshade (Solanaceae), family is much older and was much more widespread than previously thought. Scientists previously believed that chili peppers evolved in South America at most 15 million years ago, but new research pushes that date to at least 50 million years agoand suggests that chili peppers were in fact present in North America at that time.

Roco Deanna, a postdoctoral researcher in ecology and evolutionary biology, examines a chili pepper fossil that is at least 40 million years old. (Credit: R. Deanna)

Roco Deanna, a postdoctoral researcher in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Abel Campos, an undergraduate double majoring in evolutionary biology and molecular, cellular and developmental biology, weren't planning to rewrite history when they met up one afternoon at the CU Boulder Museum of Natural History in 2021. Yet among a group of specimens in its collections gathered from the Green River Formationgeological treasure trove in northwestern Colorado and southwestern WyomingDeanna spotted a specific, solanaceous trait embedded in one fossil: little spikes on the end of a fruiting stem.

At first, I thought No way! This cant be true, said Deanna, lead author of the study. But it was so characteristic of the chili pepper.

After they discovered two of these fossils in the CU Boulder collections, Deanna and Campos, a co-author of the study, found one more from the chili pepper tribe in collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS). All three fossils are from the Green River Formation in Colorado: the CU specimens from Garfield County and the DMNS fossil from Rio Blanco County.

These chili pepper fossils from the Eocene geological epoch (34 to 56 million years ago) match the timeline of another nightshade fossil found in the Esmeraldas Formation in Colombia, revealing that the family was already distributed across all of the Americas by as early as 50 million years ago.

The family is way older than we thought, said Deanna, also a faculty member at the National University of Cordoba.

Talia Karim, Collection Manager for Invertebrate Paleontology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, works with Abel Campos, majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology with the museums fossil collection. (Credit: Casey A. Cass / CU Boulder)

The nightshade family comprises 3,000 species and almost 100 different genera, including chili peppers. The ancient chili pepper was technically a fruitand a berry, at that. While tomatoes and peppers are commonly associated with vegetables, they have seeds on the inside, which officially categorizes them as fruits.

The researchers cannot be sure of the chilis exact shape or color, but it was probably on the smaller end compared to modern day chili peppers. And like its relatives, it could have been quite spicy, according to Deanna.

Deanna and Campos identified the fossil by the unique shape of its calyx teeth: spikes on the end of the fruiting stem that hold on to the pepper, like those which hold a gemstone in a ring.

The world has maybe 300,000 plant species. The only plants with that kind of calyx is this group of 80 or 90 species, said Stacey Smith, senior author of the paper and associate professor of evolutionary biology at CU Boulder.

Paleontologists collected the CU Boulder fossil from the Green River Formation in the 1990s. But its exact identity remained a mystery for years, in part because there are only a handful of solanologists, botanists who study the nightshade family, in the world. When Deanna found these Colorado-based fossils, she had just returned from a global search for tomato family fossil specimens, only to find some just ripe for the picking right on campus.

A lot of discoveries happen decades after the specimens have been collected, said Smith. Who knows how many other new fossil species are sitting in any of these museums? They're just waiting for the right eyes to look at them.

Deanna and Campos identified this chili pepperfossil in theCU Boulder Museum of Natural History collectionsby the unique shape of its calyx teeth: spikes on the end of the fruiting stem that hold on to the pepper. (Credit:R. Deanna)

These chili pepper fossils were around during the Eocene, a geologic epoch that lasted from about 34 to 56 million years ago as the continents drifted toward their present positions. During this balmy time in Earths history, carbon dioxide levels ranged between 700 and 900 parts per million (twice as high as they are today), and palm trees grew as far north as Alaska. Because little to no ice was present on Earth, sea level was as much as 500 feet higher than it is today.

Top: The first chili pepper fossil identified by the researchers atthe CU Boulder Natural HistoryMuseum, shown next to aportion of measuring tape.(Credit:R. Deanna) Bottom: Another chili pepper fossil from the CU Bouldercollections.(Credit:S. Manchester)

Scientists had assumed that the origins of chili peppers began in South America roughly 10 to 15 million years ago, where they then dispersed over land and water to the other continents. While Colorado today is home to very few native nightshades and no chili peppers, this new discovery hints that a plethora of plants from the tomato plant family may have existed in North America 40 to 50 million years ago, which have since largely disappeared.

But how did these peppers first get to North America? Its now a case of the chicken or the chili pepper?

Experts have theorized that fruit-eating birds, which existed as early as 60 million years ago, may have carried seeds and plants around the world with them in their guts, stuck to their feathers or in the mud on their feet. But these birds also had to be eating something to fuel their journeysand fleshy berries, or peppers, make the perfect fuel. Birds may have distributed peppers from continent to continent, but peppers may also have been crucial to the success of those same birds.

So the nightshade family could have easily started in North America instead of South America, then dispersed in the other directionand with this discovery, scientists can no longer say for sure, said Smith.

These chili peppers, a species that we thought arose in an evolutionary blink of an eye, have been around for a super long time, said Smith. We're still coming to grips with this new timeline.

Additional authors on this publication include: Camila Martnez, Universidad EAFIT and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Steven Manchester, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida; Peter Wilf, Pennsylvania State University; Sandra Knapp, Natural History Museum, London; Franco E. Chiarini, Gloria E. Barboza, and Gabriel Bernardello of the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal, IMBIV (CONICET-UNC); Herve Sauquet, National Herbarium of New South Wales and Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales; Ellen Dean, Center for Plant Diversity, University of California; Andres Orejuela, Grupo de Investigacion en Recursos Naturales Amazonicos GRAM, Facultad de Ingenieras y Ciencias Basicas, Instituto Tecnol ogico del Putumayo, and Subdireccion cientfica, Jardn Botanico de Bogota Jose Celestino Mutis.

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Chili peppers more deeply rooted in Colorado than previously thought - University of Colorado Boulder

Biology

Bryan Manzano selected as Eberly College of Science spring 2023 … – Pennsylvania State University

Bryan Manzano of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, will be honored as the student marshal for the Penn State Eberly College of Science during the Universitys spring commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 7, on the University Park campus. His escort for the commencement exercises is Cornelia Osbourne, graduate student in biology.

Manzano will graduate with a 4.0 grade-point average and bachelors degrees in biology and music performance. He is a Schreyer Scholar in the Schreyer Honors College and has been a member of the deans list every semester. Manzano was honored with an Evan Pugh Scholar Award in 2022 and a School of Music Scholarship in 2019. He also will be recognized as the student marshal for the Penn State College of Art of Architecture.

I am extremely humbled to be selected for this honor and am happy that my hard work as a double major has paid off, he said.

While at Penn State, Manzano conducted research with Illiana Baums, then a professor of biology, as well as Osbourne. He used the hybrid coral species Acropora prolifera to study the mismatch that can occur between the genome in the nucleus of a cell and the separate genome within mitochondria in the cell, called mitonuclear conflict. He wrote a literature review about the effects of this conflict on the second-generation offspring of these coral hybrids. He later developed computer code using a gene coexpression network analysis approach to compare the genome of the coral hybrid to that of its two parental species to look for evidence of mitonuclear conflict, which could impact future offspring viability. Manzano also worked with the lab to carry out a protocol to extract genetic material called RNA from the tissues of various species of corals.

In addition to his research activities, Manzano served as a teaching assistant for the course BIOL 220W: Ecology and Evolution. He was also the president of the School of Musics Encore Benefiting THON organization as well as a member of the Penn State Horn Society, the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra. Manzano also performed as a part of the Nittany Valley Symphony and the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra.

I think my most important experience was going to Carnegie Hall as part of the presidents concert for the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in March 2020, he said. It taught me that when one studies at university, it is important to be able to take advantage of any travel experience you can in order to make memories that you will never forget.

After graduation, Manzano plans to work as a research technician in the lab of Song Tan, Verne M. Willaman Professor of Molecular Biology. He is excited to join this lab and help them work towards gaining further understanding of gene regulation, which could have implications for the development of future cancer treatments.

A graduate of Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Manzano will be accompanied at commencement by his father, Patrick; sister, Alyssa; and partner, Carson Bechdel.

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Bryan Manzano selected as Eberly College of Science spring 2023 ... - Pennsylvania State University

Biology

Biological Age Is A New Sign Of Health What It Means – Refinery29 Australia

To know your biological age, a test like the ones from the brands mentioned prior is necessary. Its really hard to change what you can't measure, says Trinna Cuellar, PhD, vice president of biology and head of research and development at Tally Health. What we're giving people is a tool to be able to begin to assess how they are ageing. Its important to note that your biological age isnt final, either its a snapshot of how youre ageing at the specific time you took the test. And unlike your chronological age, your biological age can ebb and flow. For example, if I decided to adopt healthier habits such as prioritising better sleep, exercising more often, eating better, drinking less alcohol, etc and I re-took that same biological age test weeks or months later, its likely that my number would be lower.

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Biological Age Is A New Sign Of Health What It Means - Refinery29 Australia

Biology

Post-doc Research Fellow L1, School of Biology job with … – Times Higher Education

Applications are invited temporary post of a UCD Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 within UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science / Earth Institute.

RecoBar is an European consortium funded by the EU through the SusCrop- ERA-NET programme. The project builds on a rich catalogue of barley germplasm, and uses a variety of approaches addressing the use of barley diversity in novel ways, building upon a solid foundation of genotypic, phenotypic and functional knowledge. RecoBar will expand our knowledge on barley Agrobiodiversity, improving barley adaptation to changing climates and promoting sustainable crop production.

This post-doctoral research position will be based at University College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland, and the appointed person will have to focus on the molecular characterization of the microbes associated with the rhizosphere of different genotypes of barley under a range of different environmental conditions. The post holder will also contribute to data management for generating knowledge in a form accessible to the land user. This researcher will play a major role in the consortium, connecting the various datasets collected by the research groups. There will be resources to travel and network with partners across Europe, including Spain, Italy, and Finland.

The post-doctoral fellow will have excellent skills in molecular methods to profile microbial communities in soil and root using high throughput sequencing, especially amplicon sequencing of fungi and bacteria. They will have the bioinformatic skills to assemble sequencing data into ecological datasets and will have access to environmental and barley genotypic data to associate to the microbial data. Ideally, they will also have some background in plant phenotyping, either above or belowground (e.g. roots). The post-doctoral research fellow will be part of a team that will conduct field and glasshouse studies, and will have an opportunity to learn advanced modelling techniques in the field of network science. The fellow will also have the opportunity to collaborate with a number of project members across Europe, and independence.

Salary range: 42,033 - 48,427 per annum

Appointment on the above range will be dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Closing date: 17:00hrs (local Irish time) on 18th April 2023 .

Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system.

UCD are unable to accept late applications.

UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CV's submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned.

The PD1 position is intended for early stage researchers, either just after completion of a PhD or for someone entering a new area for the first time. If you have already completed your PD1 stage in UCD or will soon complete a PD1, or you are an external applicant whose total Postdoctoral experience, inclusive of the duration of the advertised post, would exceed 4 years, you should not apply and should refer to PD2 posts instead.

Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the Work at UCD website: https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/

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Post-doc Research Fellow L1, School of Biology job with ... - Times Higher Education

Biology

‘Genome Sequencing’ & How Biology Is Connected To AI; Explains Tarun Khanna – Business Today

Catch Rahul Kanwal, News Director, India Today & AajTak in conversation with Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School at The Business Todays Most Powerful Women In Business. Khanna talks about how new AI technology like ChatGPT will impact the corporate world. He also explains 'Genome Sequencing' and how biology is connected to data and AI.

Watch the full session here: https://youtu.be/kwWQAM5WsGg

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'Genome Sequencing' & How Biology Is Connected To AI; Explains Tarun Khanna - Business Today

Biology

Science Labs and Their Impact at Ivy Tech Muncie Journal – Muncie Journal

By Lesley DeVoss, Ivy Tech Community College

MUNCIE, IN The science labs at Ivy Tech Community College Muncie-Henry County impact the college across the Schools and Campuses statewide. The space, located in the lower level of the John and Janice Fisher Building at 345 South High Street, Muncie, IN 47305, is set up to run high-level chemistry and biology classes.

Organic chemistry, a class that holds interest for students wanting to go into pre-med has been one of the highlights of the 2023 spring semester. Students travel from across the state to take the course. Kylar Kavanaugh is one such student. She is currently a student in the Chemistry program at the Ivy Tech Lafayette campus. She travels to Muncie, a four hour round trip, for the organic chemistry class weekly.

I have been so impressed with the quality of education at Ivy Tech. When I first found out I had to make the two-hour drive to Muncie every week, I was dreading it, but at this point I look forward to coming to lab. I was blown away by the quality of the space, especially compared to the chemistry labs at other locations. I feel like my passion for chemistry is encouraged and it has reignited my excitement for learning, Kavanaugh said.

Campus administration made it a priority to provide safe and well-equipped laboratory spaces for students when the renovation to the Fisher Building was completed. Dr. Aaron Goodpaster, Department Chair for Life and Physical Sciences and Associate Professor in Chemistry was dedicated to upgrading the downtown labs to incorporate as many classes as possible. Through careful planning and expenditures, the science labs were outfitted with high tech and high-end chemistry equipment such as seven fume hoods, a gas chromatography instrument, refractometer, and rotary evaporator.

I am humbled that I was able to have a small part in bringing such great learning spaces and equipment to the Muncie-Henry County campus. I know this investment in the community will help foster student learning and engagement in the sciences for the next several decades, Goodpaster said.

Photo provided

Improvements were also made for the biology labs with high-end microscopes and an outdoor lab space that will aid biology students in completing their degree. Carly Lehman is a biology major with Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County. She is graduating this May from Ivy Tech and plans to complete a bachelors degree in biology by 2025. She has been on the Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County campus since it was located primarily on Cowan Road.

Lehman said, These new labs have completely changed my experience as a student. The old labs on Cowan Road got the job done but that was about it. They also didnt have nearly as much space or equipment and essentially no natural light. These new labs in the Fisher Building are amazing! There is so much more equipment and space. There were some labs we were unable to fulfill in person at the Cowan Road labs due to lack of equipment so we would have to find a different way to perform them. As a hands-on learner, I need as much of a tangible experience as possible. These new labs provide me with the experience I need to move through my degree at my best.

The science labs are not only used for biology and chemistry majors. Nursing, health sciences, and general studies students also use the lab space. Future educators who are enrolled in the Ivy Tech Transfer as a Junior Pathway use the labs as well. Individuals interested in teaching in the chemistry or biology fields are afforded a high-tech education in the labs before completing their degree and transferring to a four-year partner as a junior.

Secondary Education students take their first two years toward a teaching degree with Ivy Tech, then transfer to a four-year university to complete their bachelors degree and any other requirements to become a licensed teacher, Dr. Sarah Haisley, Department Chair for Elementary and Special Education, said.

Students planning upon transferring to a 4-year university to study pre-med, education majors specializing in biology or chemistry, health science majors requiring a safe lab space to perform dissections, or general studies students planning on transferring to a 4-year university all use these labs to conduct experiments in a well-lit, ventilated space where they can safely learn. Many of these students remain locally, taking positions in quality control, education, and other careers where science provides a firm foundation for the future.

To learn more about the science labs at the Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County campus send an email to askmuncie@ivytech.edu. Apply to Ivy Tech by visiting ivytech.edu/apply-now.

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College is Indianas largest public postsecondary institution and the nations largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the states engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns to the needs of the community. The College provides seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelors degree. Follow Ivy Tech on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the most up-to-date information.

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Science Labs and Their Impact at Ivy Tech Muncie Journal - Muncie Journal

Biology

Real AI Will Need Biology: Computers Powered by Human Brain Cells – Neuroscience News

Summary: The human brain continues to massively outperform AI technology in a range of tasks, a new study reports. Researchers outline their plans for biocomputers and organoid intelligence systems as future improvements for artificial intelligence technology.

Source: Cortical Labs

The time has come to create a new kind of computer, say researchers from John Hopkins University together with Dr Brett Kagan, chief scientist at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, who recently led development of theDishBrainproject, in which human cells in a petri dish learnt to play Pong.

In an article published today inFrontiers in Science, the team outlines how biological computers could surpass todays electronic computers for certain applications while using a small fraction of the electricity required by todays computers and server farms.

Theyre starting by making small clusters of 50,000 brain cells grown from stem cells and known as organoids. Thats about a third the size of a fruit fly brain. Theyre aiming for 10 million neurons which would be about the number of neurons in a tortoise brain. By comparison, the average human brain has more than 80 billion neurons.

The article highlights how the human brain continues to massively outperform machines for particular tasks. Humans, for example, can learn to distinguish two types of objects (such as a dog and a cat) using just a few samples, while AI algorithms need many thousands. And while AI beat the world champion in Go in 2016, it was trained on data from 160,000 games the equivalent of playing for five hours each day, for more than 175 years.

Brains are also more energy efficient. Our brains are thought to be able to store the equivalent of more than a million times the capacity of an average home computer (2.5 petabytes), using the equivalent of just a few watts of power. US data farms, by contrast, use more than 15,000 megawatts a year, much of it generated by dozens of coal-fired power stations.

In the paper, the authors outline their plan for organoid intelligence, or OI, with the brain organoids grown in cell-culture. Although brain organoids arent mini brains, they share key aspects of brain function and structure. Organoids would need to be dramatically expanded from around 50,000 cells currently.

For OI, we would need to increase this number to 10 million, says senior author Prof Thomas Hartung of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Brett and his colleagues at Cortical Labs have already demonstrated that biocomputers based on human brain cells are possible. A recent paper inNeuronshowed that a flat culture of brain cells could learn to play the video game Pong.

We have shown we can interact with living biological neurons in such a way that compels them to modify their activity, leading to something that resembles intelligence, says Kagan of the relatively simple Pong-playing DishBrain.

Working with the team of amazing people assembled by Professor Hartung and colleagues for this Organoid Intelligence collaboration, Cortical Labs is now trying to replicate that work with brain organoids.

I would say that replicating [Cortical Labs] experiment with organoids already fulfils the basic definition of OI, says Thomas.

From here on, its just a matter of building the community, the tools, and the technologies to realise OIs full potential, he said.

This new field of biocomputing promises unprecedented advances in computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities all with lower energy needs, Brett says. The particularly exciting aspect of this collaboration is the open and collaborative spirit in which it was formed. Bringing these different experts together is not only vital to optimise for success but provides a critical touch point for industry collaboration.

And the technology could also enable scientists to better study personalised brain organoids developed from skin or small blood samples of patients suffering from neural disorders, such as Alzheimers disease, and run tests to investigate how genetic factors, medicines, and toxins influence these conditions.

Note: TH is named inventor on a patent by Johns Hopkins University on the production of brain organoids, which is licensed to AxoSim, New Orleans, LA, United States, and receives royalty shares.

TH and LS consult AxoSim. JS is named as inventor on a patent by the University of Luxembourg on the production of midbrain organoids, which is licensed to OrganoTherapeutics SARL, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. JS is also co-founder and shareholder of OrganoTherapeutics SARL.

AM is a co-founder and has equity interest in TISMOO, a company dedicated to genetic analysis and human brain organogenesis, focusing on therapeutic applications customized for autism spectrum disorders and other neurological disorders with genetic origins.

The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California, San Diego, in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. BK is an inventor on patents for technology related to this paper along with being employed at and holding shares in Cortical Labs Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia.

No specific funding or other incentives were provided for involvement in this publication.

The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Author: Press OfficeSource: Cortical LabsContact: Press Office Cortical LabsImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: The findings will appear in Frontiers in Science

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Real AI Will Need Biology: Computers Powered by Human Brain Cells - Neuroscience News

Biology

To save traditional Mohawk basketry, Akwesasne uses biology to outsmart the emerald ash borer – North Country Public Radio

Mar 06, 2023

When the emerald ash borer was first discovered in Akwesasne Mohawk territory in 2016, it was a painful blow. Not only are ash trees essential parts of the forest, but theyre also the raw material for the basket-making tradition thats at the heart of Mohawk culture.

Artists like Carrie Hill rely on ash trees as the primary material for their basketry. Hogansburg, NY. October 2019. Photo: Amy Feiereisel

So when scientists in Akwesasne took on how to stop the beetles from devouring all the ash trees, they started by observing how the insects kill a tree.

"They carve these very characteristic feeding galleries, which are like tunnels," said Jessica Raspitha,land resources program manager for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribes environment division. "Over time, that damage gets so excessive that it cuts off the vascular tissue, which prevents it from transporting the water nutrients through the tree, effectively killing it."

How Akwesasne Mohawks are using biology to stay ahead of the emerald ash borer

The Tribe recently got the third year of a nearly $650,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to find innovative ways to keep the emerald ash borer population in check, mostly without using toxic pesticides.

Raspitha told David Sommerstein about a series of measures rooted in biology and silviculture designed to outsmart the EAB and keep the insects from destroying all the ash trees in Akwesasne. She started by describing one way, setting up what she calls trap trees.Their conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

JESSICA RASPITHA: What that entailed was removing sections of the bark on the trunk, and that induces stress in the tree. The tree releases a certain type of pheromone that attracts the EAB, and at the end of the season, that tree would then be removed from the forest. We would strip the bark off of it to see how many EAB have come into that tree.

So this serves both as a population sink because the EAB was drawn to that particular tree rather than toward the healthy trees and it also allows us to evaluate the population.

DAVID SOMMERSTEIN:Wow. So you were actually attracting the emerald ash borer, like 'hey, come over to this tree. So we can kind of get a sense of what's going on, but also so that you won't go over to all those other trees.'

RASPITHA:Yes, that was the intent and how it works. What we did find was that the populations were growing, but we didn't find any old galleries. All the galleries that were there were new, which indicated that our detection methods were fairly early and that we were seeing an early infestation and not one that had been building for years.

Damage done to an ash tree by the emerald ash borer in Akwesasne. Photo: St. Regis Mohawk Tribe

SOMMERSTEIN: How widespread is the emerald ash borer in Akwesasne in the territory? What percent of ash trees are infected? Do we know that?

RASPITHA:I don't know that we know a specific percentage. We do know that since its first finding in 2016 in one of our green funnel traps, we've continued the funnel trap method every year since and we've seen it slowly spread from one corner of the reservation all the way through the territory. So we do know that it is everywhere. But the exact percentage of infestation is unknown.

So to speak to some of the other approaches we've used, some of them are a little more long-term than the population sinks. The population sinks are good for trying to prevent further spread in certain areas. But we also do silviculture work. So that's part of a long-term strategy.

In some of the state forests around Akwesasne, we have traditional rights within certain state forests. So those are customary use areas that we also try to protect as well as the trees within the tribal territory. Silviculture is a form of forest management. It includes the removal of some trees in order to prompt desired growth.

We are also doing some pesticide application. So we have been for the last three years now doing trunk injections on certain high-value ash trees. We're using an insecticide made out of emamectin benzoate. It's injected into the trunk of a tree, and what happens is that when the eggs of the EAB hatch, the larvae are not able to eat the vascular tissue because it will kill...

SOMMERSTEIN:Yeah, I've heard about that, that you can protect certain trees and inoculate them. How do you decide what's a 'high-value' ash tree?

RASPITHA: That's done both under the guidance of our tribal forester and also we have the great fortune of working with a sixth-generation basketmaker on our team. Our land resources technician has a really good eye for spotting what is a high-value tree in terms of basketry. They have a good eye at evaluating what is the high-value tree in terms of forest health.

But the limiting factor with the pesticide injection is that, for one, the insecticide itself is expensive. And for two, there's a lot of time that's required to evaluate whether a tree is a good candidate for injection or nor. But to date, we've injected 118 trees, so we're able to do about 50 a year.

The other drawback to it is that the insecticide only works for about three years. So we do need to revisit the site every couple of years to make sure that they're still healthy.

SOMMERSTEIN:So what does this all mean for the future of ash trees in Akwesasne? I mean, this is a problem across the North Country, certainly in the Adirondacks where there are huge amounts of ash trees, but in Akwesasne, it's an especially difficult problem because not only are they beautiful trees that are a huge part of the ecosystem, but they're also a huge part of the culture and people's livelihoods in making black ash baskets and basketry.

RASPITHA:So right now the trees are still in a steady decline. But one of the other long-term methods that we are starting to work with is facilitating the release of bio-control parasitoid wasps. So we are working with three different species. Two of them attack the EAB during the larval stage. One attacks the egg stage.

SOMMERSTEIN:Wow, certain kinds of wasps that attack the emerald ash borer?

RASPITHA:Yeah, so we've been working really closely with USDA to try to evaluate the sites, because you need to first find a thriving EAB population, so the wasp has something to eat. And once we've established that there is a sufficient population of EAB, we release the wasps, and then we revisit those sites every year to make sure that both the EAB populations are declining and that the wasp populations are sustaining.

I think the long-term goal, at least from my perspective, is that we will eventually reach a point where if our biocontrols are sustaining their populations, they will be able to keep the EAB populations in check. And so not so much that we're reaching toward eradication of the EAB but that their populations won't reach the point where they are killing our trees.

SOMMERSTEIN:Do you feel pressure because you're in charge of this thing, you're trying to maintain this huge Mohawk tradition?

RASPITHA:Some pressure, yes, because the ash tree is so important to the culture, and the cultural practice itself relies upon the availability of the resource. It's something that's been available to continue to practice for thousands of years, so there's a lot of fear that if our control efforts don't work, that it might not be there in the future, to sustain the actual cultural practices that go with it. But I also think it's important to acknowledge that while our current efforts have only been going on for the last three years, the work to preserve ash trees has been going on for decades.

Read more here:

To save traditional Mohawk basketry, Akwesasne uses biology to outsmart the emerald ash borer - North Country Public Radio