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A Serendipitous Path to Pharmacology

A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW by Baldomero Olivera I have no formal academic training in pharmacology. It’s...

OUR DNA Fall 2022

Hot off the press! Fall 2022 issue. Read the full issue of OUR DNA, the...

Haylee Mathews

“Many people who [do] not have previous experience with plant biology,” says Haylee Mathews, “don’t...

Ty Mellor: Taking the Leap

A few more than 2,000 people currently live in Salina, Utah just north of Interstate...

Mario Capecchi Endowed Chair: Ofer Rog

The School of Biological Sciences has appointed Ofer Rog, assistant professor of biology, as the...

A Tale of “Terroir”: Porcini Mushrooms Evolved

The Dentinger Lab at the Natural History Museum of Utah has published a provocative new...

The BioKids ethic

Earlier this year, when BioKids was awarded a half-million-dollar stabilization grant, where those monies were...

Meet your new anatomy professor

“I took two years off following my bachelor’s in education,” says Jon Groot, PhD. “All...

Veteran Appreciation Lunch

All veterans in the College of Science and the College of Mines and Earth Sciences...

Stolen Ivory

Isotope data strengthens suspicions of ivory stockpile theft | Science shows the ivory dates to...

A best case scenario that wasn’t planned

A cracker jack team of U of U undergrads works with principal investigator Ben Myers...

Why Bio Majors Love Chem: Meet the TAs

It’s de rigeur these days to talk about cross-over science. And to do it. Physicists...

Remembering Norman Curtiss Negus (1926-2022)

Norman Negus passed away just shy of his 96th birthday, after a busy and productive...

Visualizing what to the human eye is infinitesimal

… Nature is what we know – Yet have no art to say – So...

Wilkes at Center of U’s Climate Action Plan

A  Message from University of Utah’s President Taylor Randall: Salt Lake City, September 20, 2022–I...

Golden Goose Award: Olivera lab

These scientific breakthroughs led to the development of a bladeless LASIK procedure, paper microscopes, and...

‘Indigenous imagination’ can be found in all of us

On July 28, 58 junior high and high school students participated in the Summit Youth...

Global analysis identifies at-risk forests

Forests are engaged in a delicate, deadly dance with climate change, hosting abundant biodiversity and...

What is the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy?

The geography that makes Utah unique—red rock deserts, greatest snow on Earth, cities amidst natural...

Bill Anderegg, Inaugural Director, Climate Center

Backed by $20 million gift, U launches the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy...

Synthetic insect-bacterial symbiosis

A new paper in Current Biology authored by Crystal Su (Dale lab) and other collaborators...

Denise Dearing, New Division Head, NSF

The National Science Foundation has announced a 2-to-4-year appointment of the University of Utah’s M....

A Great-Grandson’s Tribute to Utah’s “First Dentist”

Remembering George R. Riser … and his tribute to Utah’s “First Dentist.” Salt Lake City,...

Zach Allred: A TA Recalls His Experience with Nielsen’s Anatomy Lab

by  Zachary Allred, DO former teaching assistant/mentor, SBS Anatomy Lab above: Zach Allred (left) and...

Stephanie VanBeuge

Lockdowns are something that Stephanie VanBeuge BS’17 knows something about . . . even before...

Elaine Tan

The difference between the flora and fauna of Malaysia and that of the Great Basin...

Seeing the world through ants

Ants are among the most numerous insects in the world, numbering from 10-100,000 trillion individuals...

Remembering Bob Vickery

Emeritus Faculty Dr. Robert Kingston Vickery Jr, 99, passed away July 20, 2022 in Salt...

You are STEM!

One of the best ways to engage in science, technology, engineering and math is through...

Structural Signatures in E. Coli

Motile bacteria are capable of swimming efficiently toward favorable chemical environments and away from inhospitable...

Payton Utzman

Most people wouldn’t see a direct line between working on tractors in rural Washington State...

Major Alex Horn, PhD’21 | USAF C-17 Pilot

By Alex Horn I joined the Air Force as an 18-year-old cadet. I came to...

OUR DNA, Spring 2022 Issue

THE SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES MAGAZINE OUR DNA magazine is a dynamic 360-degree snapshot of...

Juneteenth Day of Freedom Summit

Juneteenth is a nationally recognized holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S....

Tiffany Do, Undergraduate Research Scholar

“My hero is my brother,” says Tiffany Do of her brother Anthony. “He’s the first...

College Merger

College of Mines and Earth Sciences to merge with College of Science. The University of...

Metabarcoding for characterizing wild animal diets

DNA metabarcoding is the large-scale taxonomic identification of complex environmental samples via analysis of DNA...

What gives mammals a tolerance to poisonous compounds?

In a new study, a SBS research team has learned that direct ecological exposure to...

Toto Gets Stamped!

Distinguished Professor Baldomero Olivera is featured in the Filipino Postal Office’s “Living Legends” commemorative stamp...

Remembering a Distinguished Alumnus: Loren Jensen 1937-2022

Loren D. Jensen, BS’60, MS’62, PhD ’65, a retired scientist who studied the Chesapeake Bay...

Wildfire, Drought & Insects

Threats impacting forests are increasing nationwide. by Paul Gabrielsen Planting a tree seems like a...

What We’re Still Learning About How Trees Grow

FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT WHAT FACTORS LIMIT TREE GROWTH. A NEW SBS STUDY MAY HOLD...

2022 Rosenblatt Prize: Thure Cerling

Thure E. Cerling, Distinguished Professor of Biology, is the 2022 recipient of the Rosenblatt Prize...

That’s a Wrap. Footnotes from a Young Scientist

Letters from the Galápagos Islands Our South American correspondent Sonora “Nora” Clayton happily embarked on an excursion...

Erik Jorgensen elected to the NAS

When explaining his work, Erik Jorgensen, a geneticist who studies the synapse, can transport you...

Outstanding Post-Doc Award

Julie Jung has received an Outstanding Post-Doctoral Fellow Award from the College of Science. Julie...

Social Distancing in Urban Wildlife

When visiting cities, coyotes seem to prefer the nightlife while deer and squirrels would rather...

SBS Ranked #13 in the Nation

COLLEGE RANKINGS   U.S. News & World Report has released their 2022-2022National University Rankings. The...

Patrick Newman

As a boy in growing up in Bountiful, Patrick Newman, BA’03, took a bite of...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #10

To whom it may concern, I don’t want to leave the Galápagos yet. March 18,...

‘Solidarity’ is theme for Pride Week 3/28-4/1

Pride Week at the U is an annual event honoring LGBTQIA+ histories, cultures, and lives!...

Johanna Varner’s 3D-Print Double

Some of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in history—including the research that led to mRNA...

The Leonardo Award to Nalini Nadkarni

The Leonardo Museum of Creativity & Innovation awards the innovation and dedication of a distinguished...

2022 Distinguished Alumni Awards

One of the largest academic units on campus, SBS is fortunate to have an alumni...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #9

To whom It may concern, It’s becoming evident to me that despite the length of...

Effective 3/14, Masking Suspended at U

As we enter the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, we are optimistic about the...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #8

To whom It may concern, It’s a small world after all. March 7, 2022, Week...

Audrey Brown

“One of the biggest things that helped me was connecting with my loved ones.” When...

April Christofferson

“I love the process of writing,” April Christofferson, BS’73, says in a 2007 U profile,...

#UGivingDay, Mar. 1-2

In celebration of the University of Utah’s birthday in 1850, you have 1850 minutes (March...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #7

To whom It may concern, Philornis downsi may as well be from Mars. February 28,...

Charles Sorenson

“My best trait is the ability to hang out with people who are far more...

Sarmishta Kannan

For Sarmishta Diraviam Kannan, HBS’17, the journey to her “dream school” – the University’s School...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #6

To whom It may concern, This week, I thought I’d change things up a little...

Meet Savannah Romney, Freshman in Biology

Today, February 17, 2022, Savannah Romney, a double-major in biology and math at the University...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #5

To whom It may concern, Readers should note that biologists, grad students, and intrigued 13-year-olds...

Decline of vultures and rise of dogs carries disease risks

In the yards behind the slaughterhouses—also called abattoirs—of Ethiopia, an ecological shift is unfolding that...

Ed Esplin

“I anticipate the vaccine strategy for COVID-19, supported by the tremendous advances in vaccine technology...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #4

To whom It may concern, “Nothing could be less inviting than the first appearance [of...

Forests on Forests, Nadkarni on Radiolab

For much of history, tree canopies were pretty much completely ignored by science. It was...

Two New Plant Biologists Arrive at SBS

SBS and the University of Utah welcome SBS’s newest faculty, Assistant Professors Chan Yul Yoo and Heejin Yoo. Their...

George Seifert

The Winningest Coach in San Francisco 49ers History George Seifert, BS’63, began his professional coaching...

Debriefing of UofU’s MLK Week

Becoming the Beloved Community. The University of Utah celebrated its 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King...

Letters from Galápagos Islands #3

To whom It may concern, No, avian vampire flies do not parasitize vampires. January 31,...

Robert Berman

It was an auspicious time to graduate with a diploma in microbiology at the University...

2021 AAAS Fellows Announced

Four University of Utah scientists have been selected as 2021 fellows of the American Association...

Letters from Galápagos #2

To whom it may concern, I think the only person who is happy at 5:00...

Letters from Galápagos #1

To whom it may concern, Packing is an adventure. January 17, 2022, Week 00 –...

Action against racism on campus

January 14, 2022–From U of U Leadership: Dear campus community, We have an urgent vision...

New Gene-editing Tools Detailed in Cover Article

The expanding CRISPER-Cas universe continues to provide new tools for manipulating genomes in animals. James...

California mice eat monarch butterflies

This newly discovered mouse-butterfly interaction suggests that western monarch decline could disrupt ecosystems in unanticipated...

Beans-to-Genes Microbiology in the time of Covid

Last semester, Professor Colin Dale’s Biol 5275, Microbial Diversity, Genomics and Evolution (MDGE) lab/class was...

Ferocious fungus

In new paper, co-authored by SBS Professor, engineers discover what makes a tree-killing fungus so...

Remembering Naomi Franklin, 1929-2021

SBS Professor Emerita Naomi Franklin passed away on December 24, 2021 in Salt Lake City....

Desert shrubs cranked up water use efficiency to survive a megadrought

It may not be enough. Shrubs in the desert Southwest have increased their water use...

2021 Year-End Message from the Co-Directors

Moving Ahead with Biological Sciences Research programs carried out by Biology faculty have always been...

The Science of Biological Data: Fred Adler

In an age when cross-disciplinary collaboration has become essential, especially in academia, Fred Adler puts...

SRI Year-End Campaign: $50K match

We invite you to help biology students be part of the Science Research Initiative. We...

“The 28 Day Cycle” Art Installation

“I made an impractical decision that I do not regret,” says Danielle Okelberry who goes...

#GivingTuesday

Today, November 30, 2021, is the national day of giving in the United States. Across...

2007 Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi on this year’s award

Each year thousands of professors, members of national committees, Nobel laureates, and parliamentary assemblies lobby...

Early Riser: George Riser, Distinguished Alumnus

In 2017 George R. Riser, BS’47, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of...

Bill Gray Awarded Ty Harrison Service Award 2021

Three years ago after Ty Harrison passed away, the board of directors of the Utah...

Woodrat microbiomes: It’s who you are that matters most

More than diet or geography, evolutionary history has the strongest influence on bacterial gut communities...

Cottam’s Gulch

One of the most tranquil spots at the University is Cottam’s Gulch, the small gully...

Nalini Nadkarni: A tree goes around the world 7 times a year

In October 2021, SBS’s Nalini Nadkarni, Professor Emerita, came to Barcelona to collect the NAT...

The science of the sandworms of ‘Dune’

The giant creatures in Frank Herbert’s novel have an Earthly counterpart in the numerous nematodes....

Rivers become bird corridors

In a dry year in the West, when the world turns crispy and cracked, rivers...

Ilham Batar: Creating the unimaginable

In the office of the UofU President, now, currently occupied by Taylor Randall, Presidential Interns...

Can Fungi Save the World?

Just below the surface of our world lies the vast, unexplored world of fungi. There...