Life Sciences & Biology
Outcomes of Gender Summit 11, Co-hosted by NSERC
From November 6 to 8, 2017, more than 675 advocates of gender equity from across many different fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) took part in Gender Summit 11, in Montreal, Quebec. Co-hosted by the Natural Sciences and Engineering...
Dr Mark D. Ohman – New Perspectives on Marine Ecology: Technology Informs Oceanic Carbon Models
The world’s oceans are responsible for absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate its warming effect on the planet. However, the way in which marine ecosystems respond to temperature changes can impact the ocean’s ability to...
Dr Merari Feliciano-Rivera – Towards Sustainable Yam Production in Puerto Rico
Yams provide a staple food source in Puerto Rico, supplying an essential source of nutrients and fibre. However, pests and disease have been severely diminishing local yields. To tackle this problem, Dr Merari Feliciano-Rivera and her team at the University of...
Dr Lalit Pukhrambam – Targeting Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein: The Future for Treating Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the main causes of blindness in developed countries. Currently, there is no known cure. Dr Lalit Pukhrambam is working to change that. Along with his group at Wayne State University, he is investigating the influence that a molecule,...
Dr Anju Vasudevan – Linking Blood Vessel Development to Psychiatric Disorders
The research of Dr Anju Vasudevan, from the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, focusses on the early development of blood vessels in the brain and how defects in this process may be associated with a diagnosis of neuropsychiatric...
Dr William Lovallo | Dr Ashley Acheson – The Interaction Between Genetics and Environment in Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
The longstanding collaboration between Dr William Lovallo, of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre, and Dr Ashley Acheson of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is shedding important light on how individuals differentially react to stress and...
Dr Paul Montagna – Nature’s Vital Signs: Using Bioindicators to Understand Ecosystem Health
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that may take decades to recover. In the immediate wake of the crisis, scientists began to study the developing effects of the spill. Dr Paul Montagna at Texas A&M, Corpus...
Professor Phillip Hylemon | Professor Huiping Zhou – Bile Acids Are Not Just for Digestion
Over the last two decades, bile acids have gone from being thought of as mere helpers during digestion of fats and fat-soluble vitamins, to crucial players in the signalling pathways operating in the liver. Professor Phillip Hylemon and Professor Huiping Zhou, from...
Professor Andrea Duina – The Many Complexities of DNA Packing and Gene Expression
Although fundamental to life itself, many processes involving DNA and its packing inside cells still remain to be elucidated. Here, we follow the work of Professor Andrea Duina and his team at Hendrix College, Arkansas, USA, in their efforts to understand the...
Dr Claudio Fiocchi – An Integrated Approach to Fighting Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) causes significant pain and discomfort to sufferers and severely affects quality of life. Research on IBD focusing on the individual contributing factors has failed to provide truly effective treatment options, and the broader picture...
Professor Charles Bangham – The Forgotten Cousin of HIV
The catastrophic impact of HIV – human immunodeficiency virus – is well-known worldwide. Not so well known is its distant cousin HTLV-1, human T cell leukaemia virus type 1, which also has the potential to destroy lives. The study of HTLV-1 can shed light on HIV...
Dr Mark Hixon – Combatting the Lionfish Invasion
Lionfish are predators that typically inhabit Pacific and Indian Ocean coral reefs. In areas where they have been introduced, they have become troublesome invaders. Populations have spread and grown in some regions to the extent that they are wreaking havoc on local...
Professor Thomas Wilke – A Novel Tool to Better Understand the Diversity of Life
Completing the inventory of the Earth’s biodiversity is a huge challenge. Supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Professor Thomas Wilke and his research group at Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany are addressing this challenge head on. The team is...
NIGMS – Leading the Way in STEM Education & Training
Established in 1962, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is one of the 27 Centers, Institutes and Offices within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – the primary medical research agency of the US Government. In addition to supporting basic...
Dr Johanne Brunet – Buzzing & Blooming: Bee-Flower Interactions in Crop Production
Pollination by flying insects is often the forgotten key to high agricultural productivity. Dr Johanne Brunet, research ecologist at the USDA-Agricultural Service, is investigating insect-flower interactions, and their implications for crop production. Bees as...
Greener Pastures: Transforming Land Management Practices in the Cattle Industry
In the face of global climate change and challenges to sustainable use of renewable resources, farmers and ranchers are continually seeking best management practices that are economically viable and environmentally friendly. To meet this need, researchers at Auburn...
Professor Lan Xu – Turf Wars: The Impact of Invasive Grasses on Prairie Ecology
Grasslands are global biodiversity hotspots, but are severely threatened by agricultural expansion. In particular, invasive grass species can wreak havoc on wild grassland ecosystems. Professor Lan Xu of the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota...
Professor Gerald Reeck – The Molecular World of Aphid Feeding
Professor Gerald Reeck and his team at Kansas State University are investigating the molecular basis of aphid herbivory, including suppression of plant defences, using powerful methods of molecular genetics. This research is important for developing new aphid-pest...
Professor Bernd Schierwater – Mother of Animals: Introducing the Placozoa
Who are we? Why are we here? And where did we, as humans, come from? Each of these questions is fundamental to understanding our presence here on Earth, and have over time led to a split in opinion amongst scientists. One such example of this comes from theorising...
Professor Gert Bange | Dr Wieland Steinchen – Bridging the Gap Between Protein Structure and Dynamics
Proteins are present in all living organisms. The unique functions they perform in biochemical processes are dependent on their three-dimensional structure. Dr Wieland Steinchen and Professor Gert Bange, from the Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO) and...
Dr Te-Ming Paul Tseng – From Foes to Friends: Exploiting the Agricultural Potential of Weeds
Dr Te-Ming Paul Tseng and his research group at Mississippi State University are investigating the biology and ecology of agricultural weeds to limit their damage to crops. The team also hopes to improve crop productivity by incorporating competitive traits from weeds...
Dr David Livingston | Dr Michael Wisniewski – Sub-Zero Survival: Revealing How Plants Freeze
Watching plants return to life after a spell of cold winter weather can seem like a miracle. For over a century, biologists have understood that plant survival depends on a variety of co-dependent mechanisms, yet their methods for coping with temperatures far below...
SFB 1027 – Cell Physics: Understanding How Biological Matter Self-Organises
The Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1027 at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken and Homburg is an interdisciplinary research team that aims to achieve a quantitative understanding of the physical mechanisms at work when biological matter self-organises into...
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
Located in Irvine, California, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports researchers and non-profit research institutions in making the next generation of breakthroughs in chemistry and the life sciences. Founded in 1978 by philanthropists Arnold and...
Professor Michael Schrader – Peroxisomes on the Rise
Professor Michael Schrader and his team at the University of Exeter are working to decipher how specialised compartments within cells called peroxisomes are formed and function to perform vital roles in processing the lipids that coat nerve cells and in defending the...
Dr Chris Meier – Enhancing the Efficacy of Anti-Viral & Anti-Cancer Drugs
Cancer and viral infections are two of the leading causes of death worldwide. It goes without saying that there is a need for more effective treatment options. Dr Chris Meier from the University of Hamburg’s Department of Chemistry has been working on exactly that....
Dr C. B. Rajashekar – More Reasons to Eat Your Greens: Boosting Phytochemicals in Vegetables
Many plants contain phytochemicals – unique chemicals that can prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer and obesity. Dr C. B. Rajashekar and his colleagues at Kansas State University are investigating ways to increase the concentration of these constituents in...
Dr Albert Guskov – Metal Transport Unlocks Routes to New Antibiotics
Metals have been improving our lives since the bronze age, but they also play a key role in keeping us healthy. We rely on numerous metals, such as cobalt, zinc and magnesium (among others), to perform essential roles in our bodies. Many bacteria also require these...
Professor Paul Dyson | Dr Miranda Whitten – Controlling Insect Pests with RNA Interference
Professor Paul Dyson and Dr Miranda Whitten at Swansea University in the UK are developing insect pest control methods using endosymbiotic bacteria that target the insects ‘from within’ using RNA interference. The Insecta class of arthropods is the most diverse group...
Dr Eric Hallerman | Dr Jess Jones – Using Population Genetics to Inform Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation
Conservation can be difficult work on an ever-changing planet, where human activity often runs counter to the needs of endangered species. When budgets and resources are limited, it is critical that conservation plans are designed to be as effective as possible. Dr...
Dr Sangamesh (Sangu) Angadi – Circles of Hope: Circular Buffer Strip Schemes for Agriculture Dr Sangamesh
Agriculture in the semi-arid US Southern Great Plains depends on irrigation water from the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest in the country. With the aquifer in decline, new ideas will be needed to ensure the future of irrigated agriculture in the region. Dr Sangamesh...
Professor Rachel Mackelprang – Frozen in Time: The Permafrost Microbiome
Deep within the permafrost, viable microbial communities persist, buried for millennia. With the permafrost rapidly thawing due to global warming, these microbes are becoming more active, feeding on previously frozen organic matter and ‘breathing’ out greenhouse...