ASM honors IU microbiologist for significant contributions in advancing microbial sciences
The American Society for Microbiology has awarded Irene Newton with its 2023 Honorary Diversity Lecturer Award.
IU Biology news
INSGC funds graduate student’s research to develop an energy source for electricity on Mars
The fellowship will fund Ph.D. student Brittany Herrin as she investigates maximizing hydrogen (H2) production by a microbial community as a means of producing biofuel on Mars.
USDA funds IU-led research team to develop disease-resistant wheat
Roger Innes and colleagues were awarded over $1.2 million to investigate a genetic-based solution to deploy against a fungal disease in wheat.
Winter madness: Recent graduate’s study on seasonal aggression in hamsters published in prestigious journal
Kat Munley's research findings—some of the first to suggest that distinct neuroendocrine responses may underlie a similar behavioral phenotype in males and females—were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Department of Biology awards inaugural Sagalowsky Family Endowed Professorship in Biology
The Sagalowsky Family Endowed Professorship in Biology has been awarded to Heather Hundley, whose research is paving the way to improve targeted treatments for human disease.
IU biologist investigating important signal-blocking compounds that could be key to ‘disarming’ deadly bacteria
NIH has renewed funding for Julia van Kessel's quest to develop resistance-proof drugs to fight infection by targeting the quorum sensing pathway of bacteria.
NIH funds graduate student’s quest to understand how RNA regulation and modification contribute to successful reproduction
The National Institutes of Health has presented Emily Erdmann with its NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to further her research on ADAR function in the germline.
Researchers discover a probable cause behind brain cancer’s resistance to standard chemotherapies
Heather Hundley and colleagues, building on earlier findings, have found evidence as to why standard chemotherapies used on glioblastoma (brain cancer) are not effective in treating the cancer.
Internationally acclaimed evolutionary biologist named to organization’s elite honorary lifetime membership
The American Society of Naturalists has chosen Ellen Ketterson as its newest Honorary Lifetime Member.
Researchers discovered a dicentric bacterial chromosome and revealed the genetic requirement for its stable maintenance
The chromosome resulted from the fusion of the circular and linear chromosomes in a plant pathogen.
Microbe protects honey bees from poor nutrition, a significant cause of colony loss
IU researchers have identified a specific bacterial microbe that, when fed to honey bee larvae, can reduce the effects of nutritional stress on developing bees.
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Graduate Program listed as one of the "Best Ecology Programs" in U.S.
IU Biology's Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Graduate Program has been ranked #10 in "Ecology/Evolutionary Biology" programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Biodiversity module challenges students to connect climate change impacts to their local environment
Professor Armin Moczek and high school teacher Kirstin Milks have developed a simultaneously locally relevant and globally applicable module to teach students about effects of climate change.
Science CORPS connects community college students to research opportunities
To help address the need for more equitable research opportunities for community college students, Ph.D. student Lana Bolin and Professor Jen Lau founded Science CORPS.
Research reveals that evolution seemingly follows form in archaeal chromosomes
New work from the labs of Distinguished Professor Steve Bell and Assistant Research Scientist Rachel Samson uncovers an interplay between the structure of chromosomes and their evolutionary rates.
Heat waves may limit mating in birds, but can behavior mitigate the effects of climate change?
Hot males may be less motivated to mate, compounding climate change effects on birds. Associate Professor Kim Rosvall and colleagues examined how heat and behavior interact to affect physiology.
Image from Kumar lab article selected for journal cover
An image from an article by Professor Justin Kumar's lab in the journal Genetics was featured on the issue's cover.
IU Bloomington professor elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious honorary societies in the U.S., elected Distinguished Professor Lynda Delph to its ranks in its latest class of honorees.
Holland Summer Science Programs transformational for young underrepresented students
Holland Summer Science Programs offer high-achieving, underrepresented high school students in science a chance to learn more about STEM fields through interaction with faculty and hands-on projects in the field and in the lab.
IU awarded $1.2M to develop first-of-its-kind rotavirus-norovirus vaccine for infants
John Patton and researchers in his lab will further develop a new technology for a combination oral vaccine to protect infants from viral diarrhea.
Kumar lab research featured on journal cover
The journal Development, which published an article by members of Justin Kumar's lab, selected an image from the article for its cover.
When is a tumor suppressor gene not a tumor suppressor?
Findings from Brian Calvi's lab have important relevance to understanding molecular mechanisms that ensure human female fertility.
Pace lecturer to discuss advances that laid the foundation for contemporary microbiome research
Renowned evolutionary biologist and microbiologist Mitchell Sogin will present "Setting the Pace of Discovery" on April 5—discussing the groundbreaking research involved in bringing to light the worlds of single-cell organisms.
Graduate student featured in student research video
Ph.D. candidate Lana Bolin is part of a team studying how farmers' decisions affect the microbes in their soils and what that means for plant resilience to drought.
2021 Plant Photographic Scavenger Hunt garners 8,988 images!
Participation of native plant lovers from across Indiana made the IU Herbarium's 2021 Plant Photographic Scavenger Hunt an overwhelming success.
Evolutionary biologist works to establish groundwork to build a better tomato
A nearly $120,000 predoctoral fellowship helps Ph.D. student Matt Gibson continue his investigation of the coastal-inland adaptation genetics of wild tomatoes.
Biologists awarded $2.3 million to investigate how plants use RNA to fight off disease
Discoveries being made by the Innes lab could provide them with a means to create crop plants with improved immune systems more resistant to disease.
Bell honored with IU's highest academic title
Steve Bell has been named a Distinguished Professor—IU's highest academic title for its most outstanding and renowned scholars and researchers.
Researchers identify how bacteria with multiple chromosomes maintain their genomes
In a recent paper published in PNAS, lead author Zhongqing Ren and colleagues identify how the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens organizes and segregates its genome.
Graduate students awarded prestigious fellowships in support of their research to solve agricultural challenges
Ph.D. candidates Allie Margets and Delaney Miller awarded NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Predoctoral Fellowships to fund research to solve emerging agricultural challenges.
Professor emeritus awarded medal for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics
The Genetics Society of America has honored Distinguished Professor Emeritus Michael Lynch with its Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal.
Biologist interviewed in Current Biology
Dan Tracey was interviewed by Current Biology about his life, love of fruit flies, and the serendipitous events that led to his discovery of the Drosophila gene painless.
Polly named AAAS fellow
P. David Polly has been elected to one of the most distinguished honors within the scientific community.
Biologists discover novel hybrid molecule that primes DNA replication
Bell lab discovers that combined DNA and RNA synthetic capabilities of archaeal DNA primase facilitate primer hand-off to the replicative DNA polymerase
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