Category: Winter 2011
Assessing the Utility of Microsatellites for Assigning Maternity in a Wild Population of Anolis sagrei Lizards
To study selection in the wild, one must be able to measure both survival and reproductive success in situ. Brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei) are an ideal model species for studying natural selection in the wild (i.e., survival), but studies of sexual selection in the wild (i.e., mating success) require genetic techniques for assigning paternity.
Selenium in Tuna: White versus Light and Water versus Oil Packing
Canned tuna fish is one of the most commonly consumed types of seafood in the United States as well as a prominent source of dietary selenium. Thirty-two samples of canned tuna were analyzed using fluorescence spectrophotometry to determine whether type of tuna or packaging liquid significantly affects selenium concentrations.
Isotopic and Molecular Methods for Sourcing Environmental PAHs: A Review
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants that accumulate in the environment as a result of both natural and human processes. The molecular and isotopic signatures of these compounds vary depending on production conditions, and can be exploited to trace PAH contaminants in the environment to a particular source or responsible party. Environmental forensics investigations relating to PAHs are often motivated by environmental remediation or litigation efforts and depend heavily on geochemical principles.
A Tribute to Biotechnology: A Poem
Biotechnology is nothing new
There’s Mesopotamia’s beer breweries
Mayan fermented cacao and Viking fondue
All so delicious and all still in use.