Kansas State University biologist seeks to understand brain development

Biologists have long studied zebrafish as a developmental model for understanding the biology of chordates, e.g., animals with a notochord, hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, endostyle, and post-anal tail. Chordates include mammals (us!), fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Dr. Thomas Mueller, research assistant professor in the Division of Biology, co-authored with Dr. Mario Wullimann, Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, the "Atlas of Early Zebrafish Brain Development: A Tool for Molecular Neurogenetics – 2nd ed.” published by Elsevier.

Second MERS case confirmed in Thailand

Thailand has confirmed a second case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) disease in a traveler. The traveller was initially admitted to a private hospital on January 22, 2016, and has since been transferred to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute. Measures are being taken to trace all contacts during the journey to Bangkok. The first case was 7 months ago in another traveler from Oman. 

Bad Bug Book (2nd Edition)

The FDA has been publishing the Bad Bug Book for free online since 2005. It provides great information about the major bacterial, viral, and parasitic causes of foodborne illness. Also included are natural toxins (fungal-, animal-, plant-derived) that contaminate food and cause illness. Each chapter has a "consumer box" that provides non-technical information, in everyday language - what can make you sick and how to prevent it. Information about the etiology, morbidity, mortality, target populations, recent outbreaks, identification, and diagnosis of each pathogen/toxin is provided.

I helped write a textbook!

The textbook is designed specifically for Kansas State's Biology 198 Principles of Biology course. The course is taught using the studio approach and based on active learning. Typical enrollment approaches 1,500 students a year. The textbook is divided into 7 learning modules and unusually begins with the big picture of ecology and then steps back to cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, and energetics before ending with whole-organism plant and animal modules.

Update on MERS in South Korea

As of July 15-17, 2015, no new cases of MERS infection or new deaths related to MERS have been reported. So far, 186 MERS cases have been documented in South Korea, including 1 case in China attributed to the South Korean outbreak, with 36 related deaths. There are still 155 contacts being monitored. The median age of cases is 55 years old (16-87 years old), 59% of cases were men, and 14% are health care workers. All cases have been linked to a single chain of transmission and are associated with health care facilities.

MERS Outbreak in Seoul, South Korea

While only 30 people have been confirmed to be infected with MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), with 2 dead, South Korea has approximately 2,300 people in quarantine and 1,300 schools closed. Seoul police will enforce the quarantines and the Mayor may ask for city-wide self-quarantining. While human-to-human transmission is being seen, it is still not infectious enough to be considered a community-associated disease. To go pandemic, MERS would need to mutate so that it could spread easily between humans in the wider community.

Gut Check on Parkinson’s Disease

Does the gut flora influence Parkinson’s disease or vice versa? Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland say there is a correlation between Parkinson’s disease and the gastrointestinal flora. As to cause and effect, that remains to be shown.

Cytotoxic T Cells in motion!

Hand Dryers vs. Paper Towels - A Microbiologist's Perspective

The debate of our lifetime, no the 21st Century is raging!! Well, maybe not, but it's still an interesting microbiological question. Here's what you should know.

First off, don’t Google “hand dryers versus paper towels”. The manufacturers/retailers of both systems have bought up all of the search results and flood the search page with dubious, self-serving (self-profiting) websites and YouTube videos that look scientific, but aren’t. This is common for health- and food-related topics on the internet. Go to a reputable source of edited, peer-reviewed scientific publications, like PubMed, a website run by the US National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. This is where taxpayer-funded medical research conducted at universities, colleges, and the National Institutes of Health is posted in online publications.

Study Finds Climate Change May Dramatically Reduce Wheat Production

Recent research at Kansas State University finds that in the coming decades at least 25% of the world's wheat production will be lost to extreme weather from climate change, if no adaptive measures are taken. Based on the 2012-2013 global wheat harvest of 701 million tons, the resulting temperature increase could result in 42 million tons less produced wheat. Crop ecophysiologists currently project a 6% decline in wheat production for each degree Celsius the temperature rises.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Update

So what’s the status of MERS virus and MERS virus in the US? First reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, the corona virus MERS spreads from infected people through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. There is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings. It causes a severe, acute respiratory illness with fever, cough, shortness of breath. The majority of disease is seen in the Arabian peninsula, with >900 people sickened and >300 killed.

Watch Eosinophils Attack a Parasite

This video from 3 Minutes of Fun shows eosinophil granulocytes chemotaxing to an IgE-opsonized multicellular parasite. During a normal immune response to helminths, eosinophils degranulate and release cationic granule proteins (major basic protein [MBP], eosinophil cationic protein [ECP], eosinophil peroxidase [EPO], and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin [EDN]) to destroy pathogens too large to be endocytosed by phagocytes. They also induce mast cells and basophil granulocytes to degranulate, thus releasing histamine and proteolytic enzymes. 

Beautiful Mold Growing in Time-Lapse

Russian photographer Nick Lariontsev filmed this time-lapse showing how mold grows. This is a mixed group of Aspergillus fumigatus, Botrytis spp., Mucor spp., Trichoderma spp., and Cladosporium spp.

Cellular Toggle Switch Could Herald An Anti-Aging Breakthrough

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a toggle switch for aging cells. By controlling the production of telomeres, it may be possible to keep healthy cells dividing and regenerating in old age. Most human cells can’t divide forever. Each time a cell divides, a cellular "timekeeper" at the ends of the chromosomes, known as a telomere, shortens. When the telomeres are shortened enough, cells are no longer able to divide, resulting in aging-related organ and tissue degeneration.

Aquatilis Expedition

Aquatilis Expedition is a 3-year underwater journey utilizing the best in modern technology and digital imaging. Using a custom-made remotely-operated underwater robot with a built-in 4K camera, scientists are exploring the oceans. Focusing on zooplankton, they are refocusing many technologies used to explore Mars back to exploring our own unknown frontier, the oceans’ depths.

Second MERS virus case in US

On May 11, 2014, the second US imported case of MERS was confirmed in Florida with a traveler from Saudi Arabia. The first US case was May 2, 2014 in Indiana with another traveler from Saudi Arabia. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a zoonotic viral respiratory disease first reported in 2012, with a likely reservoir in camels. MERS is a coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory illness with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The mortality rate for MERS is >30% and the virus is known to be spread through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. There is currently no evidence of community spreading. 

University of Akron researchers trace bat killer’s path

Bats provide critical ecological services to humans. They are critical in food plant pollinators and in controlling bugs that threaten agriculture and forestry. A single bat can eat thousands of insects in a single night. Their pest-control value to the US economy is estimated in the billions of dollars. Unfortunately, they are dying in massive numbers. White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has killed about 7 million North American bats with no end in site. This trend will probably worsen, since the recent UA discovery indicates that the deadly WNS fungus can survive in caves with or without the presence of bats. The regional extinction of North American bats is possible. 

Engineers design ‘living materials’

MIT researchers design hybrid materials by combining living bacterial cells with nonliving elements such as gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. These “living materials” could potentially combine the advantages of living cells (responses to the environment and production of complex biological molecules) with the benefits of nonliving materials, such as conducting electricity or emitting light. The new materials could be used to design more complex devices such as solar cells, self-healing materials, or diagnostic sensors.

Nanomotors are controlled, for the first time, inside living cells

For the first time, chemists and engineers at Penn State University have placed synthetic nanomotors inside live human cells and using those motors to steer as they moved by acoustic vibrations.

Ancient European Hunter-Gatherer was a Blue-Eyed Boy

Analysis of the entire genome of a 7,000 year old hunter-gatherer has revealed interesting facts about the evolution of human genes. DNA extracted from the teeth of remains found in a cave in Spain were completely sequenced. This marks the first pre-agricultural genome to be sequenced and analyzed. While previous sequence data have shown changes in genes associated with early agriculture, such as adaptations to lactose, grain, livestock diseases, the new data raises interesting questions about when some of these genes evolved.