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Biology Department News

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Dr. John Sproul: Unearth the Unknown

October 02, 2023
Meet John Sproul, a new assistant professor of biology studying genes and phylogenetics.
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Making Mentorship A Living Reality

September 14, 2023
Biology PhD candidate Justina (Tina) Tavana was recently named a Human Genetics Scholar by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). The ASHG is comprised of 8,000 members with an interest in human genetics. Tavana was inducted as a member due to her contributions to health research in understudied populations.
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Immense Proteogenomic Dataset Provides New Resource For Pan-Cancer Analysis

August 14, 2023
A proteogenomic dataset that was organized with the leadership of BYU's Dr. Sam Payne provides a new and accessible research for pan-cancer analysis. The dataset was published in Cancer Cell and will be an invaluable resource for cancer research and treatment.
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50 Years of Teaching Evolution at BYU

July 26, 2023
Teaching evolution at BYU has an origin story decades in the making. Today, it acts as a testament to BYU’s commitment to search for and teach truth by integrating faith and science.
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The Contagion of Fear

July 26, 2023
The global prevalence of anxiety has increased in recent years, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fish may help us understand human anxiety, social connection, and how to move forward.
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Learning From the Land on Lytle Ranch

July 28, 2022
Dallin Leota, the new owner of the Lytle Preserve, opens the land to BYU students, visitors, and Paiute tribe leaders to provide hands-on experiences with history, preservation, and land restoration.
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Life Under Ice: Profiles and Pictures

July 22, 2022
Alder Dillman
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Huddled Up for Healing: Working with the Football Team to Address a Degenerative Brain Disease

July 21, 2022
In 2002, the death of legendary NFL center Mike Webster introduced the world to the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The disease is marked by depression, rage, substance abuse, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia, and diagnoses are rising rapidly among retired football players.
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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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New director of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

July 13, 2021
Dean James Porter, College of Life Sciences, announces the appointment of Dr. Michael Whiting as the new director of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. The appointment is effective August 1, 2021.
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Native Samoan graduate student studies genetic disease in her homelands

June 15, 2021
Family relationships are the fabric of the Polynesian culture. Grandparents help take care of the young, and in turn, children and grandchildren take care of the elderly. Having grown up in Samoa and Hawaii, graduate biology student Justina Tavana ('23) understands the value of looking out for aging community members, even as the ravaging effects of dementia steal away their close connections and identity.
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