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Life Sciences

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Neuroscience student wins 3 Minute Thesis Competition

September 19, 2022
The brain is an incredible machine, and for Michael Von Guten ('24), it was the star of his entry to the 3 Minute Thesis competition. As a neuroscience graduate student, Von Guten studies the effects LSD could have in curing mental health issues, and how multiple drugs used at once can harm the brain.
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Solving the Issue of Dried, Dead Tissue

September 12, 2022
The miracles of anatomy are evident to students who have the privilege of working with cadavers. However, there are also many challenges, including how quickly the tissue dries. Cell biology student Ayden Olsen (‘23) and recent cell biology graduate Craig Reeves (‘22) were curious if they could find a solution. Through a CURA grant, the two set out on a hydration quest.
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Scholarships Save

September 09, 2022
Senior Biology student Ellecyn Brimley traveled to Vietnam on a study abroad thanks to the many scholarships provided by the BYU Kennedy Center, including the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship. She shares how she got the scholarship, and how other students can too.
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BYU Researchers’ Fight to Preserve Permafrost and Restore Earth’s Climate

August 31, 2022
Permafrost is the layer of permanently frozen soil, sediment, and rock in many northern and mountainous regions. Permafrost regions contain most of the Earth’s remaining wilderness, and the ecosystem supports more than 1.5 billion people globally. However, permafrost is in trouble. It’s billions of years old—and it’s melting. A team of BYU researchers is raising a voice of warning and working to stop the meltdown.
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Trauma in Training: Is Trauma Inherited?

August 29, 2022
As the old adage goes, the family is the basic unit of society. Characteristics and habits are taught and trained through parenting, morals and perspectives are shaped, and even legacies are formed. Generations cycle through; it is simply how human beings go on. However, research shows that more than just morals and the way you load a dishwasher is transferred from parent to child—parents often carry their childhood traumas into parenthood too.
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Mexico Meets Medical Mitigation

August 25, 2022
Diabetes affects one in six adults in Mexico, with a higher rate in women than men. Mexico is also the most obese country in the world. To fight the diabetes epidemic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints designed a manual with Mexico City officials to help citizens fight for their health.
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Deep Dive into Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

August 25, 2022
Studying antibiotic-resistant bacteria during a study abroad in Gwalior, India, gave Sierra Mellor (‘24) a deep dive into microbiology. While her knowledge of microbiology expanded, so did her understanding of Indian culture.
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Getting Diabetics Back on their Feet

August 23, 2022
68% of all amputations are attributable to diabetes. Andrew Hillier researched the effectiveness of foot braces designed to help people heal from diabetes-related ulcers and prevent amputation.
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Fish Are Friends, and Other Species Similarities

August 14, 2022
Erik Johnson (‘22) wins a CURA award for his research exploring possible connections between individual personality traits and placement in social hierarchies.
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3 Practices to Improve your Mental Health, According to a BYU Public Health Professor

August 09, 2022
Say something, know something and be something to help improve mental health.
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Taking the Abstract out of Addiction

July 21, 2022
Calvin Smith (‘22), a recently graduated neuroscience student, witnessed first-hand as the negative effects of drug addiction adversely altered the personalities and mental health of childhood friends. Motivated to explore the brain-altering implications of drug use, Smith joined the Edwards neuroplasticity lab to better understand what was happening.
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Moving Agriculture Upward for Urban Residents

July 15, 2022
Larvae squirm into an urban resident’s bare foot. Soon, a rash appears, followed by a loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and a fever. One in seven individuals from the global community encounter these undesirable guests. The larvae-sourced disease (also called hookworm or roundworm) plagues over 1.5 billion individuals across the planet—and those living in urban-packed environments are the most at-risk.
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One Student's Fight for Cleaner Air and Water

July 15, 2022
When Isabella Errigo (‘20) first entered BYU’s environmental science program, she didn’t know her journey would lead to winning the prestigious Fulbright scholarship—or to having the Utah legislative body cite her research in an effort to prevent pollution.
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Dean Bridgewater Brings Her Broad-Campus Perspective to the College

July 06, 2022
After serving as a BYU associate academic vice president, Dean Laura Bridgewater returns to the College of Life Sciences. She looks forward to assisting the college community maintain a well-integrated combination of scientific excellence and gospel light that lifts and blesses others.
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Q&A with Dean Laura Bridgewater

July 01, 2022
Spend a few minutes with Dean Laura Bridgewater as she answers five questions and starts her tenure as Dean of the College of Life Sciences. "There are people working and studying in offices, classrooms, laboratories, and centers throughout our college who have exceptional insights based on their own experience, and I want to tap into those insights . . ."
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Gluten-Free and Growing: The Oat Genome’s Global Impact

June 06, 2022
With its long stem and small, cocoon-like structures, the oat holds complicated grains that supplement diets and, in some countries, support ecosystems and economies. But the oat doesn’t just provide prosperity to millions of people; it also holds the key to a wealth of health benefits without triggering allergies compared to other cereals such as wheat or rye.
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The Search for Sperm: Fighting Male Infertility in the Jenkins Men's Reproductive Health Lab

May 23, 2022
Emerging research from the Jenkins lab takes steps forward in developing tools to help those struggling with infertility.
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Liking a New Species of Lichen

May 05, 2022
Life Sciences students discover a new lichen species in Glen Canyon. As DNA sequencing didn’t match the green lichen, Jacob Henrie ('22) and biology professor Steve Leavitt concluded that this scaly symbiotic fungus was, in fact, a brand-new species of lichen.
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