Tags: genetics

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New comparative study on DNA modifications across the fungal tree of life

DNA activity can change without changing the sequence of the DNA segment itself. Gene activation and inactivation can be the basis for how species produce unique individuals. Some processes that change gene activity are well understood in the context of model species. However, scientists are still grappling with how some processes, like DNA methylation, change gene activity in many diverse organisms. Broader theories applicable to all species…

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UGA leading unknown compound identification effort

The National Institutes of Health has established UGA as a core center of efforts to unblock a bottleneck in biological and medical research: University of Georgia scientists will utilize genetics and quantum chemistry as tools for identifying unknown metabolites in the human body as one of five Compound Identification Development Cores in the United States. The initiative, funded by National Institutes of Health Metabolomics Common…

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Women at UGA: 100 years of evolving gender roles

Coeducation at the University of Georgia opened up a variety of fields where opportunities had been few, and over the decades has begun to change how women see themselves and engage their intellectual and career interests. Doctoral candidate Michelle Ziadie shares this thoughtful perspective from a scientist: It wasn't until I started graduate school that I really began to reflect on the challenges I faced as a woman of…

Moving Evolution Education Forward
Moving Evolution Education Forward

Recent research co-authored by department of genetics Ph.D. candidate Michelle Ziadie focuses on resources available for undergraduate evolution instructors. From the abstract of the paper: Evolution is a unifying theory in biology and is challenging for undergraduates to learn. An instructor’s ability to help students learn is influenced by pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which is topic-specific knowledge of teaching and learning…

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How corn breaks genetics laws

In a new paper published in the journal Cell, genetics professor Kelly Dawe solves a long-sought mystery: Modern genetics is based on the idea that genes are passed on to progeny in a predictable fashion, as first described by 19th-century Austrian botanist Gregor Mendel. He determined that genes exist in pairs, and each one of the two has an equal chance of being transmitted to the next generation. However, in rare exceptions, chromosomes…

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Westpheling elected SIMB president

Professor of genetics Janet Westpheling has been elected president of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology in the 2018 SIMB Board of Directors election. The Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to the advancement of microbiological sciences, especially as they apply to industrial products, biotechnology, materials, and processes. Founded in…

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Battling neglected diseases

Great overview of the work by Franklin College faculty in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, where multi-track efforts are yielding gains against some of the world's worst scourges: Founded 20 years ago by Regents Professor of Cellular Biology Rick Tarleton, CTEGD consolidates UGA’s extensive, campus-wide tropical disease knowledge and drug discovery expertise into an interdisciplinary research unit that focuses on…

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Researchers increase diversity in plants by reactivating dormant genes

A new breeding technique using a plant's own DNA could produce crops that are more resistant to drought and disease: A team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a new way to breed plants with better traits. By introducing a human protein into the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, researchers found that they could selectively activate silenced genes already present within the plant. Using this method to increase diversity…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2018

Faculty members authoring articles and being quoted by the popular media demonstrate the impact of public scholarship and expertise on current discourse surrounding many important issues. A sample of the recognition of and engagement by Franklin College faculty members during February: Four ways that black Catholic sisters rewrote the American story, article by associate professor of history and African-American studies Diane Batts Morrow…

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ClinEpiDB launch

An international team of researchers has launched the Clinical Epidemiology Database, an open-access online resource enabling investigators to maximize the utility and reach of their data and to make optimal use of information released by others: Population-based epidemiological studies provide new opportunities for innovation and collaboration among researchers addressing pressing global-health concerns. As with the vast quantities of…

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Genetics professor to lead corn pangenome project

Distinguished Research Professor Kelly Dawe in the department of genetics is principal investigator on a new project to sequence the genetic diversity of the world's largest cash crop: When the human genome was first sequenced in 2001, the project focused on a single individual. Since that time, several new genomes have been assembled and additional genetic data have been generated for thousands of individuals, producing a more complete picture…

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Amazing Student: Stephan George

Triple Franklin major Stephan George (B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; B.S. Genetics; B.S. Biology) is committed to making a difference for people with disabilities: I am currently conducting a research project in the Wells laboratory at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. I am investigating the role that seven mutations in a gene called O-GlcNAc Transferase play in the development of intellectual disability. I also recently…

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WUGA TV

The sale of WUGA-TV to Marquee Broadcasting is scheduled to be completed on July 1, and we would be remiss not to note the end of this mini-epoch in university broadcasting. Since 2012, WUGA-TV existed as a local PBS affiliate in Athens, owned by UGA and whatever may have been its initial puropse or the original motivations behind the endeavor, the Franklin College became a significant contributor to the station. It broadcast, in every sense of…


Costa Rica documentary wins Telly Award

The one-hour WUGA-TV documentary that follows 17 University of Georgia students (including many from the Franklin College) studying abroad in Costa Rica "UGA Costa Rica: Changing Lives," has been awarded a bronze award in the national documentary category as part of the 35th Annual Telly Awards. The documentary follows UGA students taking Spanish, creative writing and photo-documentary classes from their first days on the UGA Costa Rica campus…


WUGA TV documentary premiere: "Two Powerful Women"

The presence of a broadcast television station on our campus is a great asset of which we are only beginning to scratch the surface. But another step in the right direction is producing terrific original programming featuring UGA units, faculty and expertise, and the latest new piece premiers toinight: In a one-hour documentary scheduled for broadcast this December, WUGA-TV showcases a current exhibition on Russian art at the Georgia Museum of…


Documentary on Athens medical students

On August 21, WUGA-TV will broadcast a new 30-minute documentary on medical students in Athens, produced and edited by graduate students from the Grady College: The 30-minute documentary-"Changes and Transitions: Georgia's New Medical Partnership," compiled by a team of health and medical journalism students from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is a peek behind the scenes into the lives of the medical students and their…
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