COVID-19: Get Connected

FREE OR LOW-COST INTERNET SERVICE AND OTHER RELATED RESOURCES (DEVICES AND CONTENT) THAT CAN ASSIST HUD-ASSISTED RESIDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS* National Locator Tool for Low-Cost Internet Service Offers:  www.everyoneon.org/find-offers. Provided by HUD’s nonprofit partner, EveryoneOn, the locator is easy to use.  Users simply type in their zip codes and answer a few questions to…

Swarms of Bees

Bees are kind of a big topic for some of us here at ODU.  Over the weekend, I had a swarm of bees in the oak tree in my front yard!  The other people in my household were… less thrilled than was.  Actually, I was thrilled. To me, when a bunch of honeybees swarm, it’s a…

Spring 2017… off to a late start

The Spring 2017 term is slightly delayed due to Winter Storm Helena.  Great news for my students, though; the first snow day where we miss classes, they get extra credit for playing in the snow! What does this have to do with Biology?  Not a darned thing.  It’s about that elusive work-life balance.  

High Resolution Structure of Zika solved!

This semester, the Zika virus has been making news, with fears of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre autoimmune disorders.  My students and I were curious about what is known about the biology of this virus, and it was the focus of our scientific literacy assignment this term for both my Cell Biology and Evolution classes. It’s therefore…

Dissecting a flower on Periscope

Let’s dissect a flower with @arieloquent! 🌺🌻 Yesterday in Evolution (April 7, 2016) we were talking about MADS-box genes and flower development.  Immediately after class, this popped up on my Periscope feed from @SciFri! In this video, @arieloquent takes you through the various structures of a flower (petals, stamens, pistils).  My students should be able…

How Your Immune System Fights Cancer

 Spotted the most amazing video this morning and thought I would share! Killer T Cells Attacking Cancer CellsThis is how your immune system fights cancer. Posted by Hashem Al-Ghaili on Friday, January 8, 2016

Are we in the middle of a 6th Mass Extinction?

At the very end of the semester, we are talking about extinctions and mass extinctions.  This video from Business Insider and Dr. Lisa Randall talks briefly about the potential for a human-caused 6th mass extinction. http://www.businessinsider.com/earth-sixth-mass-extinction-dinosaur-meteor-volcano-lisa-randall-2015-11#ooid=5jdWFteDrJ5J0ZQaZr9tUiHsMSmERa-O