biological sciences

MU Scientists Discover Some Fruit Flies Learn Better than Others

Wed, 08/07/2019 - 10:43am -- yountj
Patricka Williams-Simon

Patricka Williams-Simon, a doctoral fellow in biological sciences at MU who led the study, places fruit flies into a box to study how well they learn and remember. She and the team discovered some fruit flies learn better than others.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fruit flies could one day provide new avenues to discover additional genes that contribute to a person’s ability to learn and remember. Scientists at the University of Missouri are studying genes of fruit flies to explore why an individual fly can be a better learner than another. Many of those genes in fruit flies are similar to those found in people.

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biological sciences
fruit fly
genes
learning

Tracing the Roots: Mapping a Vegetable Family Tree for Better Food

Mon, 07/08/2019 - 3:07pm -- yountj
Hong An

In the new study, a team of multi-institution scientists led by Hong An at the University of Missouri challenged prior theories of the origins of three vegetables — canola, rutabaga and Siberian kale — by mapping the genetic family tree of these leafy greens.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Human genetic testing has evolved over the recent decades, allowing people to find their ancestors and even determine specific percentages of their heritage. Much like the advances in human genetic testing recently popularized by commercial organizations have allowed people to gain a better understanding of their ancestry, scientists are now a step closer to determining a genetic family tree for vegetables by linking biology with computer science.

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biological sciences
genetics
leafy greens

A&S Students Honor Favorite Instructors and Advisers

Mon, 11/19/2018 - 1:40pm -- yountj
A&S banner

The College of Arts and Science Student Council has presented its autumn/fall 2018 Chalk Awards to an economics professor, a faculty adviser, and a student teaching assistant in recognition of their excellence as instructors and advisers. The student council solicits nominations from students for their favorite instructors and advisers, and the council’s executive committee makes the final selections. The student council reviewed a number of nominations, and members had a chance to learn the high regard that students have for their teachers, teaching assistants, and advisers.

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economics
chalk awards
instructor
adviser
biological sciences

MU Awarded $1 Million Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant to Enhance Science Education

Wed, 06/20/2018 - 9:47am -- yountj
jesse hall

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected MU and 32 other colleges and universities to join 24 schools selected in 2017 in its Inclusive Excellence initiative, which aims to catalyze schools’ efforts to engage all students in science ­­­─ regardless of background. Those students could include underrepresented ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, or working adults with families.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has selected the University of Missouri to receive a $1 million, five-year grant in support of the Inclusive Excellence initiative. As one of 33 colleges selected in 2018, Mizzou will contribute to the initiative by improving efforts to engage all students in science—regardless of their backgrounds.

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inclusive
diversity
science
biological sciences

Harvesting an Interest in Genetics

Wed, 11/08/2017 - 1:31pm -- yountj
Ben Julius

Graduate student Ben Julius harvests corn as part of his research to uncover genes that control sugar transport in plants.

For corn geneticists like Ben Julius, fall means one thing: harvest time. Although the hard, dry ears of corn that Julius picks are not meant for consumption, he hopes one of these ears holds the secret to the mouthwatering sweet corn Missourians look forward to each summer.

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biological sciences
genetics
corn
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