News
- E.O. Wilson to tout Darwin and ’The Creation’
When a luminary such as Edward O. Wilson states publically that his accomplishments rest on the shoulders of another, it has heightened meaning. Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and Harvard research professor emeritus, has pioneered seminal works in evolution of social behavior and organization; and a commitment to conservation that has shaped the face of science, philosophy, ethics and activism for more than a half century. The object of his admiration? Charles Darwin, whose audacious ideas on natural selection, evolution, and the nature of human origins turned a Victorian public and scientific establishment on its collective ear. more...
- ´The Superorganism´ national book launch to feature authors and adventures
Arizona State University and its School of Life Sciences will host an evening that highlights the beauty, elegance and strangeness of insect societies featuring Pulitzer Prize winning authors and scientists Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson and the book launch of "The Superorganism" at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. more...
- Ultrasound shown to exert remote control of brain circuits
In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity. Their findings, published in the Oct. 29 issue of the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) One, provide insights into how low-power ultrasound can be harnessed for the noninvasive neurostimulation of brain circuits and offers the potential for new treatments of brain disorders and disease. more...
- ASU attracts $6.3 million in funding for research of malaria and emergent disease
An Arizona State University research team headed by School of Life Sciences Associate Professor Ananias Escalante will share in more than $6.3 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health for three related studies. Two of the studies will examine the ecology and evolution of malaria and a third will delve into the genetic mysteries behind the host shift of retroviral disease from primates to humans. more...
- SOLS Magazine Fall 2008
Did you know that School of Life Sciences’ faculty, students, alumni, and emeriti are conducting research on all seven continents and across the oceans? Their bold ideas are bringing about fundamental change and meaningful partnerships globally. more...
- ASU communicators net six Silver Quill Awards
Two ASU publications, a School of Life Sciences´ podcast, and six writers and designers were recognized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) at the Southern Regional Silver Quill Award´s Ceremony held in Denver on Sept. 29. The ASU winners were chosen over submissions from 27 IABC Chapters in 15 countries and 14 U. S. states. more...
- Researchers Document World’s Mammals In Crisis
Science journal paper details threats to mammals worldwide as habitat loss and over exploitation take holdFrom majestic African elephants to tiny and often unappreciated rodents, mammals on Earth are in a state of crisis. One in four mammal species on Earth is being pushed to extinction, according to the Global Mammal Assessment, the most comprehensive assessment of the world’s mammals. more...
- NASA picks ASU research team to guide study of search for life
Humans have long pondered the possibility that life exists beyond Earth. The quest for habitable worlds has focused on searching for water, but "following the water" turns out to be too general a criterion. The list of planets and satellites that possess liquid water is growing faster than can be explored. As one of the new NASA Astrobiology Institute teams, Arizona State University researchers intend to boost extraterrestrial exploration to the next stage by refining the criteria that guide the search for life. more...
- Six outstanding ASU faculty recognized as rising stars
Six faculty members who are “rising stars” in the ASU firmament have been named exemplars by President Michael Crow. These teacher-scholars are pioneers, some still early in their careers, producing such high quality teaching and research that they set an example for others to follow. more...
- Evolving designer ecosystem sheds light on unintended consequences
What are the consequences of such human-made tinkering with land cover and hydrology on surrounding native ecosystems and biodiversity? more...
- Genes and nutrition influence caste in unusual species of harvester ant
Is nature or nurture more important in determining an ant´s status in the colony? That is the question researchers posed in a new study of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius. more...
- ASU podcast achieves #1 ranking on iTunesU
Like an elite Olympian, Arizona State University’s podcast “Ask a Biologist,” vaulted into the number one spot on the world stage. more...
- Professor earns national ecology award
Fisher, a researcher in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, studies the relationship between ecosystem structure and function using stream ecosystems as a model. more...
- From Foe to Friend: Researchers use salmonella as a way to administer vaccines in the body
Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have made a major step forward in their work to develop a biologically engineered organism that can effectively deliver an antigen in the body. more...
- Arizona State University research team working to decode TB
In the United States alone, thousands of new cases are reported annually making TB an enduring menace. more...
- Award-winning anatomist lends muscle to Hippocratic oaths and understanding hippopotami
“What do hippopotami and medical students have in common?” more...
- New Barn Swallow Study Reveals Image Makes the Bird
A manipulation of breast feather color can result in higher testosterone levels for male barn swallows more...
- ASU ranked 6th nationally for impact in ecology and environmental sciences research
Life sciences researchers study a diverse array of subjects and systems, from philosophy of sciences to transmission of disease. more...
- SOLS Website in Beta Stage
August 5th 2005. We are redesigning the SOLS web site and thought you might like to see our new look. more...
- Scientists announce top 10 new species; issue SOS
The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists – scientists responsible for species exploration and classification – today announce the top 10 new species described in 2007. more...
- ASU ranked 6th nationally for impact in ecology and environmental sciences research
Arizona State University placed sixth in the Thomson Scientific’s U.S. University’s Top 10 in the subject area of ecology and environmental sciences. The rankings, developed for 21 subject areas, were derived from an examination of 9,200 publications (from 2001-2005) associated with the Thomson’s University Science Indicators database. more...
- Cardineau chosen as Centennial Professor
Guy Cardineau, a Faculty Fellow in the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at the Sandra Day O´Connor College of Law, is one of two ASU faculty members to be named a 2008-2009 Centennial Professor by Associated Students of ASU. more...
- Phoenix elementary students win ASU podcast contest and interview scientists
Arizona State University doctoral student Rebecca Clark bends the neck of a flexible lamp to illuminate a wide plain of dirt captured between two panes of glass, while three. Phoenix elementary students peer closely to see that the soil has been organized into a branching array of chambers by some very busy leaf-cutter ants. more...
- Webby Awards marks ‘Planet Bob’ video with ‘Official Honoree’ distinction
The Webby Awards, the leading international honor for the Web, recently cited “Planet Bob” as an Official Honoree, a distinction that recognizes work exhibiting remarkable achievement. more...
- 2008 recipient of the King Faisal Prize to speak
An internationally renowned behavioral biologist, Wehner holds a professorship in neurobiology with the University of Zurich, where he is the also the director of the Institute of Zoology. more...
- Honeybee researcher to investigate longevity and aging with support from Norway
Gro Amdam, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, has been awarded two grants totaling the U.S. equivalent of about $1.4 million from the Norwegian Research Council to investigate biochemical factors and social life history properties that can influence aging and longevity in honeybees. more...
- Biosensing nanodevice to revolutionize health screenings
One day soon a biosensing nanodevice developed by Arizona State University researcher Wayne Frasch may eliminate long lines at airport security checkpoints and revolutionize health screenings for diseases like anthrax, cancer and antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). more...
- Solving an avian scourge could also provide benefits to human health
The old adage ‘a bird in hand is worth two in the bush’ may very well apply to a new vaccine project underway in the lab of ASU School of Life Sciences Professor Roy Curtiss, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at the Biodesign Institute. more...
- Mini worlds may simulate climate change, extraterrestrial and ancient earth’s atmospheres
“Global climate change” – words on the lips of senators, students, housewives and school children. The “new’ phenomenon is featured in headlines and theater marquees and accepted by the scientific community. However, change in Earth’s atmosphere is not new. more...
- Scientists show that streams are critical to preservation of oceanic coastal zones
–The plight of the world’s oceans is dire, according to recent studies, through insults from human-derived activities depopulating and damaging reefs, altering coastlines, and creating pollutants, such as nitrogen runoff from terrestrial watersheds. more...
- Researchers Visualize Complex Pigment Mixtures in Living Cells
In a technical advance that could allow researchers to watch cells as they act during the process of photosynthesis, scientists have developed a method that extends the power of fluorescence–mediated bio-imaging to see discrete pigments inside live cells of bacteria. more...
- Symposium on Idiopathic & Congenital Scoliosis: Genetics & Current Approaches
March 15, 2008, Saturday. 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm MST. Building 2, 600 East Van Buren Street. Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Available as Live Streaming Media. Please Register for Information more...
- SOLS Takes a Hike: See Papago Park with ASU Experts
Under a wide, azure sky, the red rock Papago Buttes rise prominently over Papago Park in Phoenix and provide a bird’s eye view of and window of discovery on the park’s 1,200 acres. more...
- SOLS Magazine Spring 2008
The heart of SOLS is its people. With more than 600 faculty and staff and nearly two thousand undergraduate students, life sciences takes a lesson from ecosystems: that collaborative relationships connect and propel us all forward in our research, careers, and self-discovery. more...
- Species explorers ask: What’s on your planet?
Taxonomy, the science responsible for species exploration and classification, has been largely ignored in recent decades – a disregard that ASU’s new International Institute for Species Exploration is out to change. more...
- Liberal Arts and Sciences places emphasis on health career advising
A health career advising group is being established in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to better serve the growing number of undergraduate students at ASU who are interested in medical and health professions. more...
- ASU bioethicist says mental illness is subject to biological and sociocultural factors
Biology is crucial to understanding psychosis, "but there is more to psychosis than mere biology," says Jason Robert, an Arizona State University bioethicist and philosopher of science. more...
- Adapting Local Ecosystems Can Soften Impact
"Think globally, act locally" makes for a nice bumper sticker – but is it an effective policy for coping with global climate change? Can local actions make a difference in a process principally driven by worldwide trends? more...
- Managing Uncertainty Important in Ecological Balance, ASU Researcher Says
The balance of nature looms prominently in the public mind these days. Climate change, genetically modified plants and animals, and globally declining fish stocks are but a few of the issues that remind us that ours is a fragile world. Or is it? more...
- Oceanic maps show human impacts gone global
The ocean has inspired men and women, who looked out over its wide vistas to the horizon and dreamed (or schemed). Its depths have provided food, inspired empires, and belched forth a wealth of resources and opportunities. more...
- Urban ecology: taking measure of the coming megacity’s footprint
If you are reading this, chances are that you live in a city – one, perhaps, on its way to becoming a megacity with a population that exceeds 10 million or more. If not, you and most of the world’s population soon will be more...
- Researchers decode genetics of rare photosynthetic bacterium
A bacterium that harvests far-red light by making a rare form of chlorophyll (chlorophyll d) has revealed its genetic secrets, according to a team of researchers who recently sequenced the bacteria’s genome. more...
- February 12, 2008 – 199th Birthday of Charles Darwin
The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth is February 12, 2009 and the count-down continues this year. This February 12th at noon, the School of Life Sciences and the Natural History Collections will sponsor a birthday tea. more...
- Whirligig beetle gets rock ‘n’ roll legendary name
An unusual new species of whirligig beetle from India is being named Orectochilus orbisonorum in honor of the late rock ‘n’ roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara. more...
- Iridescence workshop promotes naturer´s nanotechnology
The phrase “sex sells” takes on special significance when scientists and students gather. more...
- Arizona State Professor Is Appointed to NRC Licensing Board
Kenneth Mossman, an Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences professor of health physics and an international expert in radiation health and safety, has been named to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP) of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. more...
- Project Focuses on Production of Hydrogen From Bacteria and Sunlight
If we wanted to create the ideal environmentally friendly energy source, it would be a fuel that is easy and economical to produce, and one that does not pollute our air when burned. more...