Year: 2013

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Past human-like species were even more diverse than previously thought

A DNA sequence from a hominin in Northern Spain 400,000 years ago reveals the diversity of human-like species living in Eurasia just prior to the evolution of modern humans. Excitingly, the specimen is more similar to the Denisovans, previously thought to live only in central Asia, than the Neanderthals known to live in Europe and Western Asia. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute reveal a … Continue reading Past human-like species were even more diverse than previously thought

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Mimicking Fossil Fuels through Metabolic Engineering

Facing the devastating impacts of global warming and energy insecurity, the US has mandated blending biofuels into its transportation fuel supply through the Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS) program. At current projected gasoline and diesel consumption rates, these standards mandate that 20% of US transportation fuels must be “renewable” by 2022 [1]. Although ethanol, the US’ most produced biofuel, is not suited to fulfill this mandate, … Continue reading Mimicking Fossil Fuels through Metabolic Engineering

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Seminars

Extreme Weather: Causes, Effects, and Connections With Climate

Presented by Ethan Butler, Karen McKinnon, Andy Rhines Extreme weather events, from hurricanes to heat waves, seem to be in the news with increasing regularity.But are extreme events actually increasing in frequency? And do they have a connection to our changing climate? Ethan will begin the lecture with an overview of some recent extreme weather events, and their impact on humans, whether due to flooding, … Continue reading Extreme Weather: Causes, Effects, and Connections With Climate

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Yeast: Beer, bread and neurodegeneration

Just a few weeks ago, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists: Dr. Randy Schekman, Dr. Thomas Südhof, and Dr. James Rothman. These three men were rewarded for their work on a curious organism we encounter in our everyday lives. This Nobel Prize-worthy creature is yeast. It might be surprising that studies on an organism we use to ferment beer … Continue reading Yeast: Beer, bread and neurodegeneration

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Genetically Modified Organisms: The good, the bad, and the future

The Nobel Prize is named after a scientist, Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes in his will in 1885. Alfred Nobel is famous for inventing dynamite. However, he mistakenly believed that his invention would bring about a more peaceful world. He is quoted as saying, “My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand world conventions. As soon as men will find that in … Continue reading Genetically Modified Organisms: The good, the bad, and the future

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Seminars

Math in Nature: Finding order in chaos

Presented by Jessica Kunke, Lei Zhu, Stephen Portillo The natural world is so complex and unpredictable that it might seem math could never be a sufficient tool to understand it.  Our lecture aims to widen this view of math and explore how mathematical models and chaos theory give us insights into nature.  The first part of our lecture introduces the concepts of math models and … Continue reading Math in Nature: Finding order in chaos

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Big data in the post-genome era: What can the human genome sequence do for you?

Presented by David Kelley, Joseph Vitti, Casey Gifford This year marks the 10th anniversary of the completion of The Human Genome Project. This human DNA sequence brought with it much hope for advances in disease identification and treatment, however progress has been slow. Part of the reason for this lag is the huge amount of data that this and other genomic projects have produced. Tonight, … Continue reading Big data in the post-genome era: What can the human genome sequence do for you?

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The Life of a Genetically Modified Organism: From the laboratory to your dinner table

Presented by Natalie Moroz, Steph Guerra, and Sharon Hung GMOs have been making headlines recently, but what exactly is a genetically modified organism? This lecture will start by covering GMOs in the laboratory – how they’re made and how that compares to traditional methods of genetic alteration like selective breeding. We’ll then talk about GMOs on your dinner table – what foods are currently available … Continue reading The Life of a Genetically Modified Organism: From the laboratory to your dinner table

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Teasing out a Tangled Question: How did mammals become monogamous?

Our culture generally assumes that human beings are a monogamous species, with two people committed to one another for a long-term relationship. Scientifically, the existence of monogamy seems counter-intuitive. One of the principles of evolution is that all animals want to maximize their reproductive success. Parents want their genes to be passed on to the next generation, and having more offspring increases the likelihood that … Continue reading Teasing out a Tangled Question: How did mammals become monogamous?

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Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: How and why scientists mimic nature to design new proteins

If superior design is what you seek, look no further than your own front yard. Plants and photosynthetic microbes can convert sunlight and air into energy, with an energy efficiency that would make a Prius owner blush. In a less dramatic, but no less impressive sense, evolution has aligned the countless cellular machines that sustain a cell’s life into great harmony. Thus the appeal of … Continue reading Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: How and why scientists mimic nature to design new proteins

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