Department of Biological Science

FSU-led team earns National Science Foundation grant to study effects of heat waves on sea urchins

Published: September 17, 2020 | 3:02 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Juvenile purple urchins on reefs in southern California. Photo by Ron McPeak.

A team of researchers, led by a Florida State University biologist, has received a $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant to better understand how rapid and extreme warming events impact the reproduction of sea urchins. Daniel Okamoto, an assistant professor in FSU’s Department of Biological Science and principal investigator for the grant, and his team […]

Florida State-led team offers new rules for algae species classification

Published: September 14, 2020 | 3:36 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Florida State University Assistant Professor of Biological Science Sophie McCoy surveys the algal community underneath a canopy of “sea spaghetti” (Himanthalia elongata) at Cape Cornwall, England. Photo by Sophie McCoy.

A team of evolutionary biologists and ecologists, led by a Florida State University researcher, has a new idea for how scientists should classify algae species. FSU Assistant Professor of Biological Science Sophie McCoy and her team are proposing formal definitions for algae species and subcategories for the research community to consider: They are recommending algae […]

Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare team up to turn around COVID-19 tests in 24 hours or less

Published: August 10, 2020 | 11:09 am | Posted in: News, University News

Lorea Arambarri, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Science, confers with Patrick Phillips, laboratory performance and improvement and quality assurance manager from Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Bill Lax / FSU Photography Services Bill Lax / FSU Photography Services

The longer a patient must wait for the results of a COVID-19 test, the less effective it is as a tool for preventing the spread of the disease. Having to wait days to learn results means they could be out-of-date by the time they reach a patient. Long delays could also mean asymptomatic carriers are […]

FSU biologist uses genome database to investigate cancer cells

Published: July 29, 2020 | 12:32 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

Florida State University researchers are contributing to the the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, a project to better understand how the human genome works. Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health.

Florida State University Professor of Biological Science David Gilbert is using the latest information about the human genome as a guide to better understand cancer. Gilbert and his FSU colleagues were part of a team that compared different cancer cell types to a database of normal human cells using a new method he developed that […]

FSU biologist part of team that discovered new record for highest-living mammal

Published: July 17, 2020 | 11:18 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse captured near the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano on the border of Chile and Argentina. Credit: Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, Austral University of Chile

It was a surprising thing to see on the otherwise lifeless peak of a South American volcano — a mouse, specifically a yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, or Phyllotis xanthopygus, scurrying among the rocks on the summit. The find was especially startling because the mouse was living at an elevation of 22,100 feet, a higher elevation than […]

FSU workshop on maize genome profiling leads to new study on corn flowering

Published: July 9, 2020 | 12:37 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Study co-author Md Shamimuzzaman working in the Bass Laboratory. Courtesy of Hank Bass

A genomic mapping technique developed in part at Florida State University has played a crucial role in a new study aimed at understanding growth in corn, a major U.S. crop. Professor of Biological Science Hank Bass and colleagues at FSU have refined the technique, called chromatin sensitivity profiling, over the past decade. They used it […]

FSU researchers net $200K NSF grant to study bat linked to COVID-19

Published: June 15, 2020 | 10:46 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A team of Florida State University researchers has received a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to create a global data set on the horseshoe bat, a possible source of the novel coronavirus plaguing nations worldwide. Professor of Biological Science Austin Mast and College of Communication and Information digitization specialist Deborah Paul, along […]

It’s a family thing: FSU research shows guppies help their brothers when it comes to the opposite sex

Published: March 26, 2020 | 12:43 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

When it comes to finding a mate, male guppies rely on their brothers to ward off the competition. In a new study published by a Florida State University team, researchers found that male Trinidadian guppies observe a form of nepotism when it comes to pursuing the opposite sex. These tiny tropical fish often help their brothers in the mating process […]

FSU researchers help discover new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants

Published: March 6, 2020 | 3:00 pm | Posted in: Health & Medicine

From left, College of Medicine graduate student Jamie Johnston, College of Medicine Associate Professor Jose Pinto, College of Medicine graduate student Maicon Landim-Vieira and Department of Biological Science Professor P. Bryant Chase. Courtesy of P. Bryant Chase.

Florida State University researchers working in an international collaboration have identified new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants, and their research has led to novel insights into the role of a protein that affects how the heart pumps blood. It is a discovery that could lead to new treatments for people suffering from […]

Fishing for answers: Researchers develop tool to incorporate social, cultural concerns in resource management

Published: October 14, 2019 | 2:59 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

For years, fisheries managers have struggled to find a delicate balance between competing financial and ecological needs. Now, a team of researchers led by a Florida State University faculty member is working toward integrating a third factor — the social and cultural needs of different groups of people. “Everyone wants their piece of the pie […]

FSU study: Fish may be key to controlling growth of reef bacteria

Published: September 30, 2019 | 9:57 am | Posted in: News

In response to local and global climate stressors, a type of bright red bacteria has proliferated on reefs worldwide often snuffing the life out of precious corals and changing the reef ecosystem. To learn more about this process and what might be used to control it, Florida State University researchers conducted extensive research on Caribbean […]

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Department of Biological Science