Rich biodiversity depends on the ability of species to coexist. And yet, ecologists are still grappling with the requisite mechanisms. Recent findings published in Nature suggest that predators might not be as helpful a driver of species coexistence as … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recently published papers selected by Academy members
Journal Club: Predators can harm rather than help biodiversity
Categories: Animal Behavior | Ecology | Journal Club | Population Biology
Tagged anole, biodiversity, lizard, population dynamics, predator, prey
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Journal Club: Psychological tasks in the lab are poor predictors of real-world self-regulation
Skipping dessert to stay healthy, saving money for a rainy day, not shouting at your boss even when there might be good reason—psychologists group these and other human behaviors under the large umbrella of “self-regulation.” That is, despite the near-term … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged psychological space, self-regulation, surveys, tasks
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Journal Club: Protozoan predators help pinpoint how evolution and ecology shape predator-prey dynamics
A hungry lynx bounds after a scampering hare. Occasionally the lynx secures its catch. Often, it doesn’t. For ecology students, this back and forth battle is the textbook example of an ecological process driving predator–prey population dynamics. The predator population … Continue reading
Categories: Ecology | Evolution | Journal Club
Tagged bacteria, eco-evolutionary, hare, Lotka-Volterra equation, lynx, predation, predator-prey population dynamics, protozoan
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Journal Club: Neurons fire in sync, helping elucidate the biological basis of learning
Our brains change as we learn. But how exactly does a cluster of neurons change their activity or connections? It seems the phenomenon is due, at least in part, to neurons starting to fire in sync, according to a recent … Continue reading
Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Neuroscience
Tagged learning, maze, memory, neurons, plasticity, prefrontal cortex, rat
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Journal Club: In big advance for lab-grown organs, 3-D printing better replicates tissue complexity
The lung is a feathery web of blood vessels and air sacs that branch closely together, but never touch. They’re nestled near enough that oxygen can diffuse into the bloodstream, but far enough that blood and air flow through separate … Continue reading
Categories: Engineering | Journal Club | Medical Sciences
Tagged 3-D printing, bioengineering, lung, photoabsorber, regenerative medicine, stereolithography, tissue engineering
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Journal Club: Newly discovered ion channel gene promises disease insights
The molecular identity and precise function of a commonly expressed cell-membrane chloride channel has long been a mystery. A recent study in Science uncovers the gene responsible for the channel, potentially shedding light on its role in the body. Researchers … Continue reading
Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Medical Sciences | Neuroscience
Tagged acidosis, ASIC, chloride channel, CRISPR, gated pore, heart attack, ion channel, membrane protein, PAC, stroke, TMEM206
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Journal Club: Understanding how a plant makes a hook could someday improve crops
This spring, as the first shoots of new plants emerge from the soil, many are bent over in a hook. This simple act protects the fragile stem tip and leaves as the sprout pokes up through the dirt. But how … Continue reading
Categories: Agriculture | Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Journal Club | Plant Biology
Tagged apical hook, Arabidopsis, auxin, soybeans, TMK1
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Journal Club: Brain scans and behavior suggest oxytocin can change perceptions of fairness
Some people are more generous in social situations—offering to cover the dinner bill for example. Others are more individualistic, preferring to keep resources for themselves. A recent study in Nature Neuroscience finds that perceptions of fairness vary from person-to-person based … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Neuroscience
Tagged amygdala, fairness, orbitofrontal cortex, oxytocin, prosocial
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