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Graduate students bring science to life through IU Biology outreach

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Graduate students in Indiana University Bloomington’s Department of Biology are extending their impact beyond the lab and into the community.Josy Joseph, Anjaly Prasannajith and Siddhartha Yaddanapudi are helping connect IU research with the public through hands-on biology outreach. With guidance from Jean Lennon, director of biology outreach, and support from the outreach team, the students are delivering science experiences that engage learners of all ages.

IU Biology research shines new light on sex differences in circadian clocks

Friday, June 13, 2025

A recent commentary article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) highlights research in Drosophila that reveals fundamental differences in circadian mechanisms between the sexes. The original article titled, “Circadian rhythms are more resilient to pacemaker neuron disruption in female Drosophila,” was published in PLOS Biology.

Will Wally bloom? IU Biology invites you to observe a rare plant in action

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Excitement is in the air – and soon, so might be an unforgettable scent. Wally, the resident Amorphophallus titanum (corpse flower) at the Indiana University Bloomington Biology Building Greenhouse, may be preparing for another rare and spectacular bloom. You can watch Wally grow – and possibly bloom – live via the Wallycam livestream.

IU biologist’s research on plant immune systems could increase crop yields, reduce costs for farmers

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

“Imagine that we could return half of the Midwest to prairie. We could increase the planet’s ability to capture carbon, restore our insect populations and restore our ecosystems to a better balance,” said Roger Innes, Distinguished Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University.

IU biology researchers publish study on evolution of cannibalism in tadpoles

Monday, May 5, 2025

Indiana University Bloomington assistant biology professor Cris Ledón-Rettig and graduate student Dante Nesta recently published a paper in PNAS entitled, “Cryptic genetic variation in brain gene expression precedes the evolution of cannibalism in spadefoot toad tadpoles.”

Six biology faculty honored for teaching excellence

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Six faculty members in our department have been awarded for their instructional skills and dedication to their students.

A celebration of the Department of Biology Class of 2025

Monday, April 28, 2025

During the Biology Graduate Recognition Ceremony on May 2, the department celebrated its most recent graduates. Watch the video recording of the event here.

Mentorship at IU leads to published study, career shift for high school senior

Monday, April 28, 2025

For many students, a high school internship is a chance to shadow professionals and explore career paths. But for recent Bloomington South graduate London Mitchell, the opportunity became something much more – an opportunity that not only led to a published scientific paper but also transformed her career aspirations. Guiding her through it all was Erica Nadolski, a Ph.D. candidate in biology in Professor and Department Chair Armin Moczek’s lab in the Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington.

IU Biology presents Norman R. Pace Lecture featuring Dr. Stephen Giovannoni April 16

Friday, April 4, 2025

Indiana University Bloomington welcomes Stephen Giovannoni, University Distinguished Professor of Microbiology at Oregon State University, for the 2024-25 Pace Lecture. His lecture, “Microbial Life in Low-Nutrient Ocean Deserts,” is April 16 at 3:30 in Biology Building 100A.

Two IU biology faculty members named 2024 AAAS Fellows

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Karen Bush, professor of practice emerita of biology, and Sid Shaw, professor of biology, have been named 2024 AAAS Fellows.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, has named seven Indiana University faculty members to its 2024 fellows’ class, a lifetime honor within the scientific community.

Two IU biology faculty members named 2024 AAAS Fellows

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Groundbreaking norovirus vaccine secures U.S. patent for global impact

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

A team of researchers at Indiana University Bloomington, led by biology professor John Patton in collaboration with GIVAX Inc., has developed a groundbreaking rotavirus-norovirus combination vaccine to combat norovirus, a highly contagious virus responsible for about 100,000 childhood deaths globally each year.

IU biologist awarded $2.1 million NIH grant to study RNA-binding proteins

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

IU biologist Heather Hundley has been awarded a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences to decipher the molecular mechanisms of a family of proteins that modify and regulate RNA. Abnormal function of these proteins occurs in more than 35 human diseases, including neurological disorders, metabolic diseases and cancer.

IU Biology and EEB Seminar Series present Robert Reed, Cornell University, Feb. 28

Monday, February 24, 2025

The Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington will host Robert Reed, professor of biology at Cornell University and curator of Lepidoptera at the university’s entomology collection, for the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior (EEB) Seminar Series on Feb. 28. Reed will present “Seasonal Wing Pattern Plasticity in Butterflies” in the Biology Building, A100.

IU Biology Presents Joan Wood Lecture Featuring Dr. Anne Moscona on Feb. 26

Friday, February 21, 2025

The Joan Wood Lecture Series will feature Dr. Anne Moscona on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 3:30 p.m. in the Biology Building, Room A100. She will present a lecture titled, “Activities of a Paramyxovirus Fusion Complex on the Viral Surface.” Mosscona will discuss how proteins on the surface of a virus attach to a host cell to start an infection, a complicated and regulated “activity” similar to a choreographed dance.

IU Bloomington Graduate Student Shefali Shefali Awarded Prestigious American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

Friday, February 14, 2025

Indiana University Bloomington graduate student Shefali Shefali has received the prestigious American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship supporting pre-doctoral and clinical health professional students pursuing careers in science, medicine, and related fields. The fellowship aims to improve global cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and brain health.

IU Researchers Identify Key Protein to Boost Soybean Resistance Against Costly Nematode Infections

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

A recent study led by Indiana University Bloomington graduate student Alexandra Margets and Distinguished Professor of Biology Roger Innes identifies and characterizes a key protein involved in soybean cyst nematode infection.

Biology professor and Bloomington High School science teacher advance STEM learning of human evolution nationwide

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Indiana University Bloomington biology professor and department chair Armin Moczek and Bloomington High School South science teacher Kirstin Milks have collaborated for nearly 15 years to support STEM education in the Bloomington community.

IU study unlocks how Velvet Ant venom, while excruciating, may help advance pain-related medical research

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

A new study by researchers at Indiana University Bloomington investigates why velvet ant stings are among the most excruciating in the animal kingdom, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolutionary arms race between predators and prey—while providing insights that may inform pain-related medical research.

Devil's Tongue Plant Blooms at IU Biology Building Greenhouse

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Amorphophallus konjac, popularly known as “devil’s tongue,” received lots of attention recently in the IU Biology Building Greenhouse, where two of the plants bloomed simultaneously.

New research reveals RNA on leaves may impact microbial communities

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Biologists at Indiana University Bloomington have shown that the surfaces of plant leaves are coated with a diverse array of RNA molecules

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