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Category Archives: Biology

URBP hosts 24th annual Biology Research Program Conference

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By MAXWELL J. MANGOLD Published January 18, 2013 at 4:43pm Updated January 18, 2013 at 4:43pm

Months of diligent research ranging from gila monsters to MDMA will reach a peak at a local biology conference Saturday.

The 24th Annual Biology Research Program Conference will host more than a hundred UA undergraduate and high school student research projects, in addition to keynote speaker and NPR senior correspondent, Shankar Vedantam.

One of the most important parts of the scientific process is sharing what you learn both with scientists, but with the public, said Carol Bender, director of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program.

Students will present their research using posters, with attendees walking around, providing feedback and asking questions. For many of the presenters, research began early in the summer and will continue past Saturday.

Students have to be able to explain it in terms that make scientists part of them, Bender said. So they have to demonstrate scientific sophistication in the area that theyve done research, but they also have to be able to describe it in terms that anyone off the street could understand. Including a sixth grader.

UBRP is a paid research program for undergraduates where, following entrance, they choose a mentor to work with. They then conduct research throughout the summer and academic year, while receiving feedback from small discussions, workshops, lectures and other activities with UBRP students.

Its not a research experience, Bender said. Its a community of scholars I think its the most powerful way to teach.

Since 1988, UBRP has grown from six departments with 19 students to 43 departments and 143 students. To compensate this growth, faculty mentorship has risen from 13 members to 240, during UBRPs lifetime.

From these efforts, 977 presentations have been delivered at scientific conferences and 822 published in scientific journals from UBRP members, with an average of six National Science Foundation doctoral fellowships per year, according to UBRP.

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URBP hosts 24th annual Biology Research Program Conference

Synthetic Biology – Jameson Dungan – Video

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Synthetic Biology - Jameson Dungan
Ignite Hampton Roads talk by Jameson Dungan on Synthetic Biology. October 19th, 2012. Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research and technology that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions. The common goal is the design and construction of new biological functions and systems not found in nature. Biology is Technology. Synthetic Biology includes the broad redefinition and expansion of biotechnology, with the ultimate goals of being able to design and build engineered biological systems that process information, manipulate chemicals, fabricate materials and structures, produce energy, provide food, and maintain and enhance human health and our environment. Join me on this epic adventure and quest into the world of gene splicing, biohacking, and a DIY approach to starting a wet lab where we can tweak the source code of life and turn microbes into hackteria. If you thought The Home Brew Computer Club of electronic tinkerers gave rise to big things (Apple and the personal computer revolution.) then come be a part of the future that will bring about the second industrial revolution. http://www.terasemjournals.com

By: Decomas

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Synthetic Biology - Jameson Dungan - Video

NASA Request for Information on Omics-type Data Collected in the Course of Space Biology Research

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NASA Request for Information (RFI) on Development of Strategies for the Collection, Management, and Distribution, or access to, "Omics-type" Data Collected in the Course of Space Biology Research

RFI Number: NNH12ZTT001L Response Date: February 11, 2013

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will take procurement action in this matter. The information gathered will be used by NASA to make decisions regarding the development of strategies and programs for the collection, management, and distribution, or access to, Omics-type data collected in the course of space biology research. The full RFI and submission instructions can be found at http://tinyurl.com/genelabrfi.

To respond to this RFI, a series of specific questions must be submitted electronically using the NASA NSPIRES web site by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com then clicking the link through the menu listings "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations" and selection this RFI.

Background

Over the last 10-15 years the development of advanced throughput molecular and biochemical analysis technologies has revolutionized biology, medicine, agriculture, drug discovery, and environmental research. The human genome project was advanced based on the emergence and development of some of these new biotechnology approaches that now include high speed gene sequencing, DNA biochips, and the use of mass spectrometry for protein detection. Together these technologies have enabled the advancement of new subfields collectively referred to as "Omics" approaches. These include genomics, expressomics, (transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics) and metabolomics. The massive amount of information spurred by these fields has also driven the merging of information science and computer engineering with biology and has spun off the field of bioinformatics. Until now NASA has not engaged these approaches at a programmatic platform level.

The recent Decadal Survey Report, "Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era," by the National Research Council

(http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13048), specifically mentions the need for NASA to utilize new Omics research technologies, and to promote multi-investigator research approaches. Most universities now own and operate central research facilities based on the latest available Omics technologies that are outside of the scope of operation for single Principal Investigator (PI) labs. NASA may benefit from a similar approach, developing an organized multi-investigator approach for omics research. This multi-investigator approach has worked for NASA in other arenas. For example, the astrophysics community has proven that large science initiatives, like Hubble Space Telescope, based on massive programmatic investments are successful in advancing the missions of the agency. Now NASA maintains centralized computational and research capabilities in the life sciences that may be applied to create a multi-user Omics research capability to support NASA-funded investigations in areas of space life sciences.

Information Sought

NASA is seeking information from all interested parties in two areas through a series of questions by accessing the NSPIRES web site listed above. First, NASA is requesting information from the space life sciences research community regarding the collection, management and distribution or access to, Omics type data collected in the course of space biology research. Second, NASA is requesting capability information from potential interested parties to develop a space life sciences Omics database.

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NASA Request for Information on Omics-type Data Collected in the Course of Space Biology Research

Biology, chemistry exams put off

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As a great relief to thousands of students from the science stream, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Examination (MSBSHSE) has postponed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) papers of chemistry and biology by nearly a month.

This has been done so students and teachers get sufficient time for revision under the new revised syllabus.

The chemistry paper has been rescheduled to March 26 from February 27 and the Biology paper to March 17 from March 4. All other papers will be held as per schedule.

The first batch of students to be appearing for their class XII exams under the revised syllabus from February 21 onwards had complained to the board that they were struggling to cope with the new syllabus for these subjects.

Also, the Maharashtra Federation of Junior College Teachers had threatened to boycott the HSC exams claiming that the upgraded syllabi for biology and chemistry, which are on par with the CBSE counterparts was too heavy and students did not have ample time to complete them. Despite the state having announced the timetables for both the class X and XII board exams well before July in 2012 itself, school education minister Rajendra Darda said the changes were made on humanitarian grounds.

I received a lot of SMSs and other messages from students across the state that they felt they would not have enough time to revise between the two papers. We are taking them into consideration as this is the first time the class XII students and teachers had to study the upgraded syllabus. Such changes will not be made every year, Darda said.

Darda and the state board chairperson Sarjerao Jadhav had met on Thursday to discuss and decide on this issue.

The timetable has been up on the boards website for a year now. The teachers should have come forth with this complaint earlier, Jadhav said.

Although some students are happy with the change, some are not.

The students are worried that postponing the chemistry paper to March 26 will not give them enough time to prepare for the MHT-CET 2013, to be held in second week of May.

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Biology, chemistry exams put off

Buildings Have Biology Too

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Applications are being accepted for a working group called the Evolutionary Biology of the Built Environment, according to Your Wild Life, an ecological website hosted by North Carolina State University.

The project leaders say they will select about 30 scholars from the applicant pool to meet in Durham, North Carolina this year from June 10th through the 14th, and develop a series of general audience and peer-reviewed publications about the evolutionary biology of the built environment, which includes houses, backyards, and cities.

Specifically, they'll work on developing a "framework for a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the species we most intimately interact with, particularly in the context of considering how to build and design our environments so as to favor beneficial (rather than dangerous) evolutionary trajectories."

They'll also try to understand "how to prevent the extinction of beneficial species and to favor the evolution of lineages and species with beneficial attributes, whether those be ecological functions, health benefits or simply aesthetic value," the website says.

Applications are welcome from folks representing an array of disciplines including the 'organismal-ologies', engineering, architecture, anthropology, evolution, genetics, bioinformatics, art, and design.

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Buildings Have Biology Too

The New AP Biology Exam – A User's Guide – Video

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The New AP Biology Exam - A User #39;s Guide
In this video Paul Andersen describes the new AP Biology Exam. This exam will be given for the first time in May of 2013 and will be different from all previous exams. In this video Paul Andersen describes the scoring and the two parts of the exam. Half of the score will come from the multiple choice portion and half will come from the essays. He ends the video by discussing what material you should study.

By: bozemanbiology

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The New AP Biology Exam - A User's Guide - Video

Officials failing at biology

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Sad, sad, sad that our public officials are so unaware of basic biology, health and environmental issues.

The 2012 Bioinitiative Report was just released (bioinitiative.org). Twenty-five international scientists and doctors reported on the most recent science on electromagnetic radiation, in particular, radio frequency microwaves emitted by wireless devices (Wifi, cell/cordless phones, i-anythings, baby monitors, microwave ovens, wireless smart meters) and their summary says were in deep do-do (my words, not theirs) already, and will be in deeper if we continue adding layers of radiation to our already over-saturated environment.

North America has the absolute worst (most lax) regulations worldwide, and our elected officials, who are supposed to protect public health, dont.

They fall back on Big Telecomms experts, then proclaim and maintain their ignorance by refusing to learn the safety-conscious science of unbiased (unbought) scientists.

If they want to destroy themselves, individually, go ahead; I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with their performing mass biological experiments, the kind banned at Nuremberg, on other people without informed consent.

I am informed. I do not consent.

Christel Martin

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Officials failing at biology

Flunking biology class led Rebecca Skloot to moment that inspired “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI Rebecca Skloot, the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, can trace her passion to tell this story of science, race and medicine to a single moment.

She was 16, taking a biology class at a community college after flunking the class in high school. The teacher talked about HeLa cells, a line of powerful cells used for years in research, and said they came from a black woman. He wrote the womans name on the board: Henrietta Lacks.

It grabbed me for some reason, Skloot said, addressing an audience at a Calvin College January Series lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Skloot went up to the front of the auditorium after class and asked the professor what happened to Lacks, whether she had children and what they thought about the research. The teacher said no one knew much about her, but he told Skloot she could do some research and write a paper on it for extra credit.

Twenty-five years later, after earning a bachelors degree in science and a masters in creative writing and after spending a decade researching the story of Lacks and her family, Skloot sent the teacher a copy of her book manuscript.

He had no memory of me whatsoever, Skloot said with a laugh.

When : Jan. 3 to Jan. 23, 2013 Where: Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin College, 3201 Burton Ave. SE Free Admission More info: Call (616) 526-7018

Here's the lineup for the remain talks:

Wednesday, January 16 -- Cokie Roberts "An Insider's View of Washington D.C."

Thursday, January 17 -- W. Dwight Armstrong "Feeding the World and the Future of Farming"

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Flunking biology class led Rebecca Skloot to moment that inspired “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

Are You An Obnoxious Jerk? Biology May Know The Answer! – Video

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Are You An Obnoxious Jerk? Biology May Know The Answer!
Researchers from the University of Buffalo have possibly found a biological indicator of being a rude loud mouth, and it goes all the way back to the womb. University scientists believe there #39;s a link between how a person #39;s hand looks and the likeliness he or she will be verbally aggressive. What is it, and should you take a good look at your gaming buddies #39; hands before you go on voice chat with them? Or do you not buy into the study? Let us know in the comments below! Like what you see? Please support us for free by subscribing to Nerd Alert, a part of the TYT Network: http://www.youtube.com Twitter: twitter.com Kim Horcher: twitter.com John Iadarola: twitter.com Read more from medicalxpress.com Tags: 2d:4d ratio, testosterone study, verbal aggressiveness, verbal aggression, Fingers, University of Buffalo, finger shapes, hand shapes, finger ratio, finger difference, big hands, small hands, big fingers, small fingers

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Are You An Obnoxious Jerk? Biology May Know The Answer! - Video

Abattis signs Andrew Riseman, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Applied Biology and Plant Breeding

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VANCOUVER , Jan. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. (the "Company" or "Abattis") (OTC PINK: ATTBF) (CNSX:FLU), announces the engagement of Andrew Riseman Ph.D. effective January 11, 2013 . Dr. Riseman will be assisting the Company in Applied Biology and Plant Sciences.

Mr. Mike Withrow , Chief Executive Officer on behalf of the Company, stated, "We are pleased to have Dr. Riseman join our Abattis team. His expertise in tissue and plant breeding sciences will be a tremendous asset to Abattis; we will apply his knowledge to produce proprietary intellectual property for the company. "

Andrew Riseman Ph.D., Associate Professor, Plant Biology and Plant Breeding at UBC stated, I am very excited about this opportunity to work with such a great company to advance botanical sciences in the Medical Marijuana and other medicinal plant breeding sciences, I see Abattis a company with the ability to engineer, grow and extract advanced Pharmaceutical Grade Compounds "PGC's" that ensure traceability, consistency in dosing and safety with a target to produce the purest compounds from chosen cultivars."

About Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. is a specialty biotechnology company with capabilities through its wholly owned subsidiaries of producing, licensing and marketing proprietary ingredients and bio-similar compounds for use in Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceutical, Cosmetic and Animal Nutrition markets. The company also has a deep pipeline of proprietary products ready for sale in high growth areas of Functional Foods and Supplements business. For more information, visit the Company's website at http://www.abattis.com.

About Dr. Riseman http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/directory/faculty/professors-and-instructors/andrew-riseman

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Neither the CNSX Exchange nor its regulations services accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Abattis Bioceuticals Corp.

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Abattis signs Andrew Riseman, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Applied Biology and Plant Breeding

BioRestorative Therapies Announces Participation in Adipose Tissue Biology Keystone Conference Series

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JUPITER, Fla., Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT" or the "Company") (BRTX), a life sciences company focused on adult stem cell (non-embryonic) based cellular therapies for various personal medical applications, announced todaythat it has been invited to present at the Adipose Tissue Biology conference of the Keystone Symposia conference series on January 30, 2013. The Conference will be held at the Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colorado from January 27, 2013 to February 1, 2013.

BRT Chief Scientist, Francisco Silva, will be presenting the Company's research on Human Metabolically Active Brown Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells, which will be readily available to all organizers, speakers, and attendees of the conference. This research is a result of the scientific work BRT has been performing pursuant to its ThermoStem Program which focuses on treatments for metabolic disorders (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and obesity and uses brown fat stem cells.

The Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is a non-profit organization based in Silverthorne, Colorado that was founded in 1972. Keystone has shown unrelenting and uninhibited support for the advancement of biomedical and life sciences worldwide having convened 50-60 conferences per year across five continents. The goal of this conference is to engage researchers from diverse fields to take basic discoveries in adipocyte biology to the next level, including a deeper understanding of the etiology of type 2 diabetes and correlated diseases such as cancer, dementia and asthma through the conferences joint meeting sessions.

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT") develops medical procedures using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells (non-embryonic), and allowing patients to undergo minimally invasive cellular-based treatments. BRT is developing the following scientific initiatives: Our brtxDISC Program (Disc Implanted Stem Cells) offers a non-surgical treatment for bulging and herniated discs and addresses the gap between non-invasive and invasive back procedures. Our ThermoStem Program focuses on treatments for metabolic disorders (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and obesity and uses brown fat stem cells. Initial research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in the body may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels in the body. The Company also offers plant stem cell-based facial creams and products under the Stem Pearls brand at http://www.stempearls.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including those set forth in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Investor Contacts: KCSA Strategic Communications Philip Carlson / Josh Dver +1 212.896.1233 / +1 212.896.1239 pcarlson@kcsa.com / jdver@kcsa.com

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BioRestorative Therapies Announces Participation in Adipose Tissue Biology Keystone Conference Series


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