Newest Posts
A Case Report of Tourette Syndrome
By Lo Tuan, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and Managerial Economics, ’17 Author’s Note: “I chose to write about Tourette Syndrome because someone who is dear to me was diagnosed with it. Watching him struggle at a young age, I could only imagine how difficult it must have been dealing with strange and disapproving looks from […]
Exploring the Known Unknowns Using the Power of Metagenomics: Discovery of the crAssphage
By Connie Chen, Microbiology, ’15-’16 Author’s Note: “Metagenomics is the study of genetic material directly from environmental samples such as the soil or the human gut. With whole metagenomic sequencing, it is possible to obtain and analyze every piece of genetic material in the sample. As we being to learn more about the world, it […]
The Infant Airway Microbiome Linked to Childhood Asthma
By Shivani Kamal, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ’17 Author’s Note: “I am pursing a career in pediatrics and wanted to familiarize myself with new research regarding health and development of children. I was amazed at the advancements of medical technology which allow us to understand diseases and create potential cures, previously never thought possible. My purpose […]
Abundance Estimates And Vegetation Preferences Of The Suisun Song Sparrow In The Interior And Along Edges Of Impounded Wetlands
By Debi Fanucchi, Oscar Garzon, Julia F. Herring, and Kevin M. Ringelman ABSTRACT The Suisun Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia maxillaris) is a subspecies of Song Sparrow that is endemic to the Suisun Marsh of California. It is listed as a state species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife due to […]
Vector and Disease Management Research to Reduce the Effects of Pierce’s Disease in California’s Vineyards
By Natalie Swinhoe, Anthropology and Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity, 2015 Pierce’s Disease in grapevines is a major threat to California’s viticultural economy. Caused by the bacterial strain Xylella fastidiosa, the disease blocks water transfer in the xylem of stems, leading to water stress and eventual death. Until the 1990s, the only carriers for the disease […]
Learning from Drought in California: Past and Present
By Marisa Sanchez, Molecular and Cellular Biology, ’15 The most current drought in California is considered to be one of the worst droughts in the past century, and many wonder if this severity is due to climate change. However, California has had a long history of unpredictable weather fluctuations, and is familiar with severe droughts. […]
When the Last Frog Croaks
By Renata Vidovic, Evolution and Ecology ’15 To some, the phrase climate change evokes images of dry lakes, melting icebergs, and rising oceans. However, the effects of global warming are not simply cataclysmic geological changes. There are links between all biotic and abiotic features of an ecosystem. Unsurprisingly, climate change has an immense impact on […]
“No Ecosystem is an Island”
By Daniel Friedman, Genetics ’14 For years, ecologists have modeled the biodiversity of natural forests as if they were oceanic islands, adrift in an unlivable sea of humanity. However, research published in April in Nature by C. Mendenhall et al. suggest that this is not the most accurate or predictive way to think about these pockets […]
Grass-fed or grain-fed?
By Jenny Cade, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ’15 Eating grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken is the eco-friendly thing to do–right? Maybe not, according to a recent paper published in the Proceedings in the National Academy of Science. The study proposes that intensifying livestock production by transitioning from pure grazing to mixed systems–where animals are fed […]
Climate Engineering: Worth the Risk?
By Ashley Chang, Genetics ’15 Researchers at the GEOMAR Helmhotltz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel are studying the long-term effects of “climate engineering” methods that could help to preserve the climate and protect from rising temperatures. This winter every part of the world except the eastern United States reported record breaking high temperatures. Although political […]