Metabolites’ role in understanding disease
MNT – April 8
A University of Alabama researcher who co-authored an article in an early online issue of Genetics advocates for a greater emphasis on the body’s metabolites in understanding illnesses. He cautioned that overreliance on genetic-centered approaches in predicting, diagnosing and treating disease will lead to few future scientific breakthroughs “To augment the value of genetic data, the scientific community needs to add additional information from things like metabolomics – the analysis of metabolites within an organism,” said Dr. Laura Reed, a University of Alabama geneticist and the paper’s lead author. “The Human Genome Project has been sold as something that is going to revolutionize medicine – that soon we will get our genomes sequenced, and we will be able to figure out exactly what diseases we are at risk for and, maybe, the best way to treat them,” said Reed. “While it’s true there are important innovations to come from that kind of information, it is much more limited than some may have hoped.” Using fruit flies as animal models in the research publishing in Genetics, the multi-institution team demonstrated how genetics, in combination with metabolomics and gene expression – how genes are turned on – can be used to predict heart disease and the organism’s response to environmental change, said Reed.
Student studies shrinking salamanders
Crimson White – April 8
When Nicholas Caruso, a graduate student in the biological science department, dissects a salamander, he cannot find its lungs. That is disconcerting, but it’s actually not terribly surprising – they are, after all, lungless salamanders. What Caruso has also noticed, researched and published is that salamanders are getting smaller. “There used to be much more bigger salamanders. For these guys, bigger is better,” he said. “We’re just not seeing big salamanders anymore.” Caruso is lead author on “Widespread rapid reductions in body size of adult salamanders in response to climate change,” which was published in March in science journal Global Change Biology and recieved extended media coverage. “Having this paper with my name on the front is great,” he said. “The press that it’s receiving is probably even better.” Caruso works in the lab of Leslie Rissler, an associate professor and curator of herpetology. Rissler said Caruso’s doctoral research in her lab will be important work. “Nick’s Ph.D. work in my lab will be focused on determining whether the body size changes are truly evolutionary,” Rissler said. “Publishing research is one of, if not the, most important jobs of a scientist, and to have such an extraordinarily high press article at his early stage is fantastic.” Outlets like NBC, Nature, The Weather Channel and BBC Nature have picked up Caruso’s research and its implications.
Data on Molecular and Integrative Physiology Described by Researchers at University of Alabama
News RX – April 8
New research on Life Science Research is the subject of a report. According to news originating from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Ingesting, digesting, absorbing, and assimilating a meal are all energy consuming processes that accumulate to form the specific dynamic action (SDA) of the meal. Sensitive to digestive demand, SDA is theoretically fixed to a given meal size and type.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Alabama, “In this study, we altered relative meal size to explore the effects of digestive demand on the postprandial metabolic profile and SDA of the corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus. We also examined the effects of body temperature on the SDA response while controlling for meal size and type and assessed whether these responses are highly repeatable under the same conditions. Additionally, the effects of body mass on SDA were investigated by feeding snakes the same relative and absolute meal size.
Supply and demand: Why you can – and can’t – go home again
Al.com – April 8
High praise for a high achiever … And speaking of highly-trained professionals who often seek greener employment pastures than the Port City has traditionally made available, I’m hopeful other local companies and even those eyeing Mobile for potential expansion will pay particular attention to the homegrown talent before casting too wide a recruitment net. Consider for instance, Lauren Blight of Mobile, a senior at the University of Alabama graduating in May. A few days ago, as part of UA’s Honors Week, Blight received the Austin Cup, the Culverhouse College of Commerce’s highest student honor. Blight, a double major in economics and math with a perfect 4.0 grade-point-average, is also a University Scholar who will receive her master’s degree in economics in May.
University of Alabama to offer expo on summer programs
Tuscaloosa News – April 7
The Graduate Parent Support program at the University of Alabama is encouraging families to explore its free community-wide summer camp expo Saturday on the Quad. The expo will provide parents with information about summer programs at UA and across town, and children will be able to participate in activities during the free public event from 1 to 3 p.m. Children’s activities Saturday include gymnastics, musical instrument petting zoo, horseshoe games, RingStix games and others. Those who attend may register to win door prizes. Free hot dogs, popcorn, and drinks will be provided for the first 150 people and goodie bags for the first 100 families. Everyone who attends the expo will get a free admission ticket for the Alabama Museum of Natural History, which will have a booth Saturday.
Panel discusses political polarization
Crimson White – April 8
Over the years, Americans’ trust in their own government has consistently fluctuated. Decline in trust and lagging public opinion ratings were the main topics of the most recent Honors College Town Hall event “Polarized Politics: Restoring Faith in Government.” Monday night, former United States representative and current vice chancellor for government relations and economic development for UA system Jo Bonner served as moderator for the event. George Hawley, an assistant professor of political science, and Alan Abramowitz of Emory University made up the rest of the event’s panel. The event primarily focused on how the political climate in America has negatively transformed into what it is today and what actions need to take place in order for American citizens to reclaim their trust in the government. Most of the discussion centered on the idea that party politics dictate everything in the U.S. government today, including the president, who now receives more votes for political affiliation rather than his stance on key issues.
Shurett presented with leadership award at University of Alabama
Sand Mountain Reporter – April 8
The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences has presented the Betsy Plank Outstanding Leadership Award to Sand Mountain Reporter Publisher Ben Shurett. “I was surprised and thrilled to learn of this award,” Shurett said. “It is a great honor and nothing pleases me more than to receive this award from the university I love.”
SPJ, USA Today promote reading
Crimson White – April 8
In order to promote the College Readership service and to encourage students to read newspapers, The University of Alabama’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will partner with USA Today and The New York Times for Get Caught Reading Day. Throughout the day on Tuesday, students across campus can tweet photos for an opportunity to win prizes. In past years, the campaign has consisted of SPJ members canvasing campus to take photos of students reading newspapers, but this year, Get Caught Reading will rely on students to submit their own photos. “We decided this year, instead of walking all over campus on a specific day and finding people reading either The Crimson White, The New York Times or USA Today and giving out prizes, we’d have people send in photos,” President of SPJ Casey Voyles said. “Since we have such a big campus, and it’s growing everywhere, it would take so many of us to spread all over campus all day long, and so it’s just more effective and more efficient if we have people just tweet in pictures.” Voyles said any student can participate by simply tweeting their photos using the hashtag #getcaught and tagging @UASPJ and @USATODAYcollege.