If you ever get the chance to watch life under a microscope, seize the opportunity. In many ways, microscale life mimics the movies — there are thrilling chases as immune cells hunt down bacterial invaders, a feeling of tragedy as a sick cell bursts and budding romances between cells that crumble in dramatic divorce. Our […]
Nicholas McCarty
Posted inCommunity/News
Six groundbreaking research projects at the University of Iowa
From Mars to nanostars, skin cells to dog DNA, University of Iowa researchers are at the forefront of a wealth of scientific discoveries. Here are a few recently published projects.
Posted inCommunity/News
UI students are rewiring genes to create biodegradable plastic
Genetic engineering has long been the poster child of science fiction. Now, a team of University of Iowa undergraduates are synthesizing a “green plastic” for iGEM, an international science competition.
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s dwindling bee population is part of a larger, frightening trend
Deep in the belly of the Vermeer Science Center at Central College in Pella, Iowa, cardboard boxes are stacked against the wall in a dimly lit laboratory. The boxes contain thousands of bees — carefully preserved and meticulously categorized based on their Latin genus and species — each with a unique tale to tell. Some are as small as a gnat; others are the size of a cockroach. Their colors span the spectrum, too, from rich, reflective blues to the familiar striped yellow and black of the common honey bee. Paulina Mena, an associate professor of biology, is their veritable warden.
