• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

BIONEWS – Newsletter of the Biology Department ⎯ University ofLouisiana, Lafayette ⎯ Ray P. Authement College of Sciences ______________________________________________________________________________ We hope you will find this newsletter Welcome to BIONEWS informative. If you have any questions or comments on its contents, please direct Welcome them to me ([email protected]). Thank to the 3rd you for your interest and support of biology edition of at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Bionews, the annual Sincerely, newsletter of the biology department of University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This Paul Leberg is our attempt to help alumni and friends of Professor and Head the department stay informed about the activities of our faculty and students. Reviewing our newsletter, you will see this has been an outstanding year for Faculty Spotlights: the department. We had 92 undergraduates receive biology degrees! It Biology research project on is exciting to see these recent graduates landing jobs and attending medical, International space station professional, and graduate schools. The faculty and graduate students continue their (this story is modified from one originally high levels of research productivity. Some prepared by Charlie Bier, liftoff photo from of the news stories we have reprinted NASA) describe faculty research occurring from the ocean depths to outer space. Dr. Karl Hasenstein is leading an This was also a year of much experiment that took place inside the needed physical plant improvements for our International Space Station. The biology buildings. Among these were a new roof professor is exploring ways plants sense and a new heating/AC system in Billeaud and react to gravity by studying how Hall. As you can imagine, major directional forces affect their growth in a construction work does not mesh well with nearly weightless environment. maintaining research and teaching The activities. But now that the work is project was complete, it is great to have an improved launched in environment for our students and faculty. April from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Space X-3 resupply mission. 1 BIONEWS – Newsletter of the Biology Department ⎯ University ofLouisiana, Lafayette ⎯ Ray P. Authement College of Sciences ______________________________________________________________________________ The objective of the research is to Biologist studies evolution of learn more about how and why plants grow up, while their roots grow down. 'electric organs' There are several prevailing theories. One (this story is modified from one originally involves starch grains inside cells, called prepared by Charlie Bier, photo by Amy amyloplasts. The tiny grains settle in the Windsor) direction of gravity and are thought to Dr. James Albert jabs the exposed end of a provide growth length of coated wire into the water of a signals. “We don’t small aquarium, home of a tiny electric eel know what kind of the size of pocket comb. The associate movement these professor of biology at the University of particles undergo Louisiana at Lafayette waves the metal without gravity, prongs around like a wand, sending without effective electrical impulses into a black box at the gravity,” other end of the wire. The electronic box Hasenstein said. crackles like an old transistor radio The experiment attempted to searching for a signal. The popping sounds displace the starch grains in Brassica grow louder as his hand nears the eel, rapa (turnip) roots using strong magnetic which emits an electric current it uses to gradients. The plants were encapsulated stun prey, defend itself, navigate and in a semi-autonomous device and communicate. exposed to powerful magnetic fields. The Albert is an ichthyologist, or a roots curved away from the magnetic scientist who studies fishes—their anatomy, gradient if displacement of the starch evolution, behavior, genetics, and, during a grains is the gravity-sensing trigger. 10-year research project, their potential for “If we determine it’s not sensitive to medical advances. His favorites, and the the displacement, we know we don’t have ones he has studied the most, are electric to go that way. We can look at something eels, which get their name from their long else,” Hasenstein explained. The body shape experiment also will analyze the effect of and are the magnetic gradient on plant cell actually a membranes and potential gene specialized expression changes. kind of fish. “The work is important not just for “Electric plants, it’s important for everything to fishes are the understand what small effects gravity has masters of on individual cells,” Hasenstein said. electricity,” Albert said. “All animals make Hasenstein was able to monitor electricity. Our brains run on electricity, and growth via a live stream of images during every time a muscle contracts, it’s because the several weeks the project was in of electricity. But electric fishes can make space. Since the experiment returned to more of it, and they have control of it.” Earth in May 18th, Dr. Hasenstein and his Albert co-authored an article entitled students have been busy conducting “Genomic Basis for the Convergent additional research on the materials. Evolution of Electric Organs” that was recently published in Science magazine. The article details the work of a team of 16 2 BIONEWS – Newsletter of the Biology Department ⎯ University ofLouisiana, Lafayette ⎯ Ray P. Authement College of Sciences ______________________________________________________________________________ scientists who assembled the entire Learn more about "Genomic Basis for the genome—or the complete set of genes—of Convergent Evolution of Electric Organs" the electric eel. “Electric fish have a whole on Science magazine’s website. new cell type that mammals don’t have, and the question is, ‘What genes were changed to allow the origin of this new cell type?’ ” Professor leads expedition to he said. study underwater habitat, sea life Researchers compared a group of (this story is modified from one originally electric fish from South America with prepared by Charlie Bier) another group from Africa as part of the study. They discovered that although each Dr. Scott France, an group evolved electric organs associate professor of independently, similar genes were biology, led a scientific responsible for the development of these expedition to explore a organs inside the fish. Electric eels produce series of underwater electricity using several organs, which mountains and canyons contain flat, disc-shaped cells, called off the coast of Cape electrocytes. The electrocytes, which are Cod. He and other stacked atop each other like batteries in a researchers studied the flashlight, generate electricity. New England The project, which was led by Dr. Seamount chain, which Michael Sussman of the University of extends about 700 Wisconsin-Madison, was conducted to miles to the southeast and consists of more provide a genetic blueprint for electric fish than 30 volcanic peaks. The underwater that could be used in medical research, mountains are dotted with holes and according to Albert. “There’s a whole new tunnels that provide habitat for a range of generation of implantable devices that are species, but are largely unexplored. It is the coming down the pipeline, pacemakers for largest seamount chain in the North example. How are we going to power Atlantic. them? Are we going to put artificial batteries The expedition was carried out to in these devices? Or are we going to be map underwater topography and to study able to use our own metabolic activity to underwater geological features, marine power them? That’s what an electric fish biology and ecosystems. The National does. It has modified muscles that generate Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration electricity.” funded the expedition, which began in As the project’s only anatomist, August and ended in October. Albert’s work included dissecting the France, a marine biologist and electric organs, spinal cords, brains, oceanographer, worked aboard the kidneys, skin and other tissue to help Okeanos Explorer. The 225-foot-long ship ascertain the genetic profiles of the electric is used for NOAA exploration. It’s outfitted fishes. His main interest in the project, he with a sonar mapping system and carries a says, was less biomedical than learning submersible, remotely operated vehicle that more about evolutionary history. “What I can explore underwater terrain thousands really wanted was the genome of the of meters deep. The ROV, which is tethered electric eel, to understand the evolution of to the Explorer via a long fiber-optic cable, electric fish.” transmits operator commands, video and 3 BIONEWS – Newsletter of the Biology Department ⎯ University ofLouisiana, Lafayette ⎯ Ray P. Authement College of Sciences ______________________________________________________________________________ electrical power. It also captures and One biological objective of the transmits high-definition video in real time. expedition was focused on how fish use the “Some of the things you see are jaw- coral ecosystems for habitat, including as dropping. You feel lucky, because some of spots to lay eggs and to “hide out” from the places have never been seen before,” predators. “The places we’re targeting have said France in a recent interview. He has really steep cliffs and rugged topography participated in similar expeditions in the where we expect coral communities, and, British Virgin Islands and Hawaii.

Load more

  15

Copy Link