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…

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

Bacterial DNA in Human Genomes | The Scientist Magazine®

Bacterial DNA in Human Genomes | The Scientist Magazine®.   Image credit: Pseudomonas, one of the bacteria groups that have transferred genes to humans. CDC, JANICE HANEY CARR   One of the concepts we talk about late in the term is horizontal gene transfer.  Basically, this is the acquisition of DNA or genes from organisms…

Epigenetics on NOVA

I was looking for a few good animations or ways to explain epigenetics today at work and came across this video from NOVA. Watch Epigenetics on PBS. See more from NOVA scienceNOW.

Epigenetics of Lifespan

For years, I’ve been telling my students that epigenetics may represent a “Lamarckian” inheritance mechanism. Small chemical modifications to DNA that do not affect the actual sequence (of A, T, G, C) can control gene expression. These markers are acquired during our lifetimes as we experience and interact with the world. Some evidence has suggested…