Posts

Life scientists use novel technique to produce genetic map for African Americans

John Novembre, UCLA assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a member of UCLA’s Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, is senior author of a recent paper that published one of the first genetic maps pinpointing where DNA is likely to be reshuffled in the genomes of African Americans — a tool that could help scientists find genes that cause disease.

Smaller leaves: adapting to drier conditions

Lawren Sack, UCLA professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and collaborators, including Ph.D. candidate and lead author Christine Scoffoni, used three-dimensional computer models to simulate water transport within the veins of different sized leaves. They found that the distinct vein systems of smaller leaves are structurally and physiologically better adapted for plants to live in dry soil, contributing to survival during periods of drought.

Again, but faster! The spectacular courtship dance of a tiny bird

Julia Barske, a UCLA graduate student and doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology, has recently published data that shows that the females select the males that completed elements of the courtship dance in 50 milliseconds over the males that took 80 milliseconds. Barney Schlinger, professor and departmental chair of integrative biology and physiology and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology is co-author of the study.

Species extinction rates may be overestimated

Stephen Hubbell, UCLA distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is co-author on a new study published May 19 in the journal Nature. The study found that methods most widely used for calculating species extinction rates are “fundamentally flawed” and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160 percent.

New Book: The Failure of Environmental Education– And How We Can Fix It

This week, conservationist Charles Saylan and UCLA Professor and Chair of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Daniel T. Blumstein published their latest book, “The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It).” Sayan and Blumstein argue that schools must revamp how they teach about the environment to prevent ecological collapse.

How to tell when someone’s lying

UCLA professor of psychology R. Edward Geiselman and three former UCLA undergraduates have analyzed some 60 studies on detecting deception and conducted original research on the subject. They present their findings and their guidance for how to conduct effective training programs for detecting deception to help law enforcement agencies tell truth from lies.