Biology

Polio Resurgence in New York State Prompts Rapid Public Health Response
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Polio Resurgence in New York State Prompts Rapid Public Health Response

Andreas Wingert

The July 2022 announcement of a case of paralytic polio in a young adult in New York spurred a rapid public health response. Because only unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated persons are generally at risk of symptomatic polio, and because antiviral or other treatments for polio do not currently exist, vaccination is key to preventing further disease spread.

Posted on thenib.com on September 9, 2019.  Taken from: Naro M, Francis M.  When “Peanuts” Went All In On Vaccinations. Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious virus that has no cure and can cause paralysis or even death. After nearly 40 years of no sustained poliovirus transmission in the United States (US), a case of paralytic polio was confirmed in New York, prompting a rapid public health response by local, state and national authorities. The World Health Organization declared the US polio-free in 1994. But on July 21, 2022, public health officials announced a case of paralytic polio in an...
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Why does coffee make you poop?
Columns Quirky Queries

Why does coffee make you poop?

Sooyeon Jung

Have you ever had some coffee and had to go to the bathroom within the hour? This article explores what exactly happens to our digestive system when we drink coffee.

Different types of coffee. Photo From Shutterstock.  Quirky Queries answers your random science questions. If you have a query, let us know! - Have you ever ordered an iced mocha with almond milk or an iced vanilla latte with oat milk before class and then later had to poop really badly during lecture? Well, according to science, you aren’t the only one! In fact, about 30% of people need to use the bathroom after drinking coffee.  Contrary to popular belief, caffeine isn’t the main culprit. In 2008, the National Library of Medicine published a study that tested the colonic function...
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A Look into Mathematical Biology
Features

A Look into Mathematical Biology

Emily Almgren

Ever wonder how mathematics is used in biology? Professor Rebecca Everett uses differential equations to create mathematical models that represent biological systems. The models provide insight into these systems and predict long-term behavior.

Professor Everett (left) and her research students Maya Gong ‘23, Logan Post ‘23, and Anay Mehta ‘23 (left to right) presenting at Texas Tech University in 2021. The real world is full of complex biological relationships. A rabbit population might fluctuate depending on the fox population, the amount of edible plants, and the spread of disease. Mathematical biologists like Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Rebecca Everett make sense of these relationships using mathematical models. She explains that the mathematical models she creates represent biological systems much like a model airplane represents a real airplane. They are not perfect copies...
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How Do Fireflies Glow?
Columns Quirky Queries

How Do Fireflies Glow?

Sarah McNamara

The Lampyridae family, more commonly referred to as fireflies and lightning bugs, are neither true bugs nor flies… but within these colloquial names, it sure is apparent where the “lightning” and “fire” came from! But how do fireflies produce light in the first place?

Firefly. Photo by @yb_woodstock on Flickr, cc-by-sa-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Fireflies are winged beetles, and there are over 2000 species distributed across the temperate and tropical areas of the world; in fact, especially when considering that not all species glow, it is likely that there are multiple species within your own backyard alone! An abundance of fireflies in Delaware County (Catskills), NY. Photo by @s58y on Flickr, CC by 2.0, via Flickr.  Fireflies are bioluminescent, meaning they produce and emit light through chemical reactions in their bodies. Light is produced in a firefly’s abdomen — the “light organ” — when oxygen, calcium,...
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Dinner in the Woods: A Catalog of Edible Fungi on Haverford’s Campus
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Dinner in the Woods: A Catalog of Edible Fungi on Haverford’s Campus

Oscar Garrett

Haverford’s nature trail has more delicious offerings than a pleasant place to gaunt and jog; you might find your next dinner!

Amanita muscaria (also known as “Fly Agaric”), a beautiful mushroom with a rich history. Image taken in the Haverford Pinetum. Note: All images featured in this article were taken by Oscar Garrett. Disclaimer: Foraging is a fun hobby with tasty rewards, but it can result in injury or death with the right combination of ignorance and misfortune. Do not eat anything you find without being 100 percent sure of its identity. The contents of this article are intended to educate you of these fungi's presence on campus, not identify them. Consult a field guide or foraging expert before consuming any...
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How do Snakes Move?
Columns Quirky Queries

How do Snakes Move?

Emi Krishnamurthy

How do these legless creatures slither, glide, crawl, and climb? Here we discuss multiple different mechanisms of snake locomotion (including flying!).

Characters Kaa, an Indian python, and Mowgli in Disney’s “The Jungle Book” (1967). From the Disney gallery. Quirky Queries answers your random science questions. If you have a query, let us know! -- How do these legless creatures slither, glide, crawl, and climb? Here we discuss multiple different mechanisms of snake locomotion (including flying!). Serpentine locomotion Snakes are known to slither. They move by pushing off of rocks, branches, and other surfaces in order to propel forward, but how do snakes travel on flat surfaces? Slithering, called serpentine locomotion, is dependent on the muscles that connect a snake’s skin, spine,...
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Parthenogenesis: Virgin Births Provide Hope for the Endangered California Condor
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Parthenogenesis: Virgin Births Provide Hope for the Endangered California Condor

Isabel Thornberry

California condors are a species that have hovered on the brink of extinction for decades, and captive breeding programs established in the 1980s have brought the species’ numbers back from just 22 in 1982 to 525 at the end of 2019. Now, a phenomenon called parthenogenesis, observed in two cases of California condors, brings up many questions around the birds’ reproductive ability and genetic variation.

California Condor. Photo by Chuck Szmurlo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction whereby females eggs develop into embryos without fertilization from a male. While this phenomenon is commonly observed in fish, reptiles, and plants, it is rare or unknown in birds such as the California condor. As part of the captive breeding program of California condors, Oliver Ryder and his team developed a genetic database for all California condors such that breeding programs can work to maintain genetic variation in condor populations and prevent inbreeding, as described in an article published in October...
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Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Discovery of Temperature and Touch Receptors
News Science in Society

Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Discovery of Temperature and Touch Receptors

Emi Krishnamurthy

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for research on how we feel temperature, touch, and bodily spatial awareness. This discovery marks a key breakthrough in our previously limited understanding of our sense of touch.

2021 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine, David Julius (above) and Ardem Patapoudian (below), and the discovered temperature and touch sensing proteins. Images via NobelPrize.org. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoudian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch, marking a key breakthrough in our understanding of how mechanical stimuli are converted into electrical impulses in the nervous system. Sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, our five major senses, connect our bodies and brains to the world. A sixth sense, proprioception, which helps our body know where it is...
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Seaweed: A Savory Solution to Save The Oceans
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Seaweed: A Savory Solution to Save The Oceans

Cat Kim

Eutrophication is a huge issue that is suffocating our oceans, and farming seaweed may be the key to saving them.

Algal bloom resulting from eutrophication. Photo by Lamiot, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Growing up Korean-American, I ate a lot of seaweed. My mom often made kimbap, vegetables and rice wrapped in seaweed, for me to eat at school. Every year for my birthday, I ate miyeokguk, a seaweed soup. I would have dried and salted strips of seaweed as a midnight snack. Seaweed has always been a huge part of my upbringing and diet, so I did not think much of it and never considered that it would have the potential to save the planet —...
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Haverford Bee Handbook
Features Science in Society

Haverford Bee Handbook

Emi Krishnamurthy

Which bees should I be afraid of? What should I do if a wasp lands on my sandwich? Did I just see a murder hornet? This is your guide to the bees on Haverford’s campus.

Bees run the world. They are widely recognized as being integral to biodiversity and food security. Their little lives impact our water cycle, carbon cycle, GDP, architecture, and so much more. Interior of the Vessel in Hudson Yards, NYC (left), honeycomb (right). Photos by Soly Moses and Archana GS. Honeybees First and foremost, the honeybee is an excellent pollinator, skilled honey maker, and close friend to Haverford’s campus. Our own beehive hosts thousands of fuzzy, golden-brown bees that help pollinate our produce at the Haverfarm. The honeybees you encounter on campus are most likely female worker bees collecting pollen and...
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The Amazon Rainforest’s Sinking Carbon Sink
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The Amazon Rainforest’s Sinking Carbon Sink

Ashley Schefler

The Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, and was once an important carbon sink in the fight against climate change. However, a newly published study ten years in the making shows that the Amazon has switched from being a carbon sink to a carbon source, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it takes in.

Aerial photograph of the Amazon rainforest taken near Manaus, Brazil. By Neil Palmer/CIAT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. It is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, spanning 2.6 million square miles (roughly 70% the size of the United States). The Amazon contains at least 10% of the world’s known species, and, for many years, it has functioned as an important carbon sink. If you’ve been following the news on climate change, you probably know that trees are one of the good guys in the story, able to store...
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Reef Shark Conservation: Is It Too Late?
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Reef Shark Conservation: Is It Too Late?

Lydia Guertin

Reef shark populations have severely declined in the past decade, and many species are now functionally extinct, according to a recent report. Is it too late to save them?

Blacktip reef shark. Shot by Talon Windwalker via Wikimedia Commons. Sharks are commonly heralded as an important species in oceanic and reef ecosystems, serving as an indicator of reef health, fish populations, and even seagrass growth. However, few people outside of the marine research community have noticed the alarming decline in shark populations, especially on reefs, until now, when it may be too late.  A July 2020 report published in Nature shocked many coastal communities across the globe when it announced that 20% of the reefs observed had no sharks over multiple months of observation. Although evidence of shark population...
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Bark Bacteria May Limit Tree Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Bark Bacteria May Limit Tree Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Emi Krishnamurthy

Wetland trees are an unexpected but major source of global methane emissions. Methane-oxidizing bacteria recently discovered in tree bark could inform how climate scientists and legislators approach future methane mitigation strategies.

Paperbark Trees in Coombabah Lake Conservation Park. Photo by Silverish Lily via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wetland trees are an unexpected but major source of global methane emissions. Methane-oxidizing bacteria recently discovered in tree bark could inform how climate scientists and legislators approach future methane mitigation strategies. Methane comprises 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, but can be 32-87 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming Earth’s atmosphere. Natural sources produce millions of metric tons of methane every year because of climate change feedback systems, with wetland forests contributing about one-third of total methane emissions...
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The Ocean as a Key Resource in the Antibiotics Arms Race
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The Ocean as a Key Resource in the Antibiotics Arms Race

Emi Krishnamurthy

One key solution to fighting antibiotic resistance is to discover new antibiotics. Shreya Kishore ’21 shares how she screens marine bacterial cultures in pursuit of discovering a novel antibiotic.

Shreya Kishore ’21 in the Whalen Lab at Haverford College. Shreya Kishore is currently a senior Chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration and health studies minor at Haverford College. As a peer tutor and member of the Chemistry Student Group, Kishore is passionate about increasing the transparency of Haverford’s chemistry department. She plans on working toward her Chemistry PhD at Stanford University this fall. One key solution to fighting antibiotic resistance is to discover new antibiotics. Shreya Kishore ’21 shares how she screens marine bacterial cultures in pursuit of discovering a novel antibiotic. Almost 100 years ago, Sir Alexander Fleming...
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Scientists Clone Disease-Threatened Ferret Species to Introduce Genetic Diversity
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Scientists Clone Disease-Threatened Ferret Species to Introduce Genetic Diversity

Griffin Kaulbach

For the endangered species of black-footed ferrets, scientists are going beyond the typical conservation methods. Biotech companies and wildlife conservation organizations are working together to implement reproductive cloning to introduce genetic diversity into the disease-threatened ferret species. If successful, this method will create a more resilient population and show that reproductive cloning has the potential to save more of our vulnerable native species.

Endangered black-footed ferret in an outdoor preconditioning pen at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado. Photo by Stewart Brand for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For the conservation of endangered black-footed ferrets, scientists are going beyond protected areas and habitat restoration. Biotech companies and wildlife conservation organizations are working together to implement reproductive cloning to introduce genetic diversity into the disease-threatened ferret species. If successful, this method will create a more resilient population and show that reproductive cloning has the potential to save more of our vulnerable native species. In 1988, a Wyoming rancher was surprised when...
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Harnessing Plants’ Carbon Storage for a Greener Future
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Harnessing Plants’ Carbon Storage for a Greener Future

Griffin Kaulbach

In La Jolla, California, the founders of the Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI) at the Salk Institute are thinking about the big question that connects agriculture, wetland restoration, and atmospheric climate change: How can we safely use plant pathways to capture and store carbon, while restoring our agricultural and coastal environments?

In sunny La Jolla, California, the founders of the Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI) at the Salk Institute are thinking about the big question that connects agriculture, wetland restoration, and atmospheric climate change: How can we safely use plant pathways to capture and store carbon, while restoring our agricultural and coastal environments? According to Joanne Chory, leading Lebanese American plant biologist and co-director of HPI, “If we can optimize plants’ natural ability to capture and store carbon, we can develop plants that not only have the potential to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but that can also help enrich soils...
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You’ve Got Mail, And It’s From Spinach
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You’ve Got Mail, And It’s From Spinach

Cat Kim

The idea of plant-to-human communication may seem far-fetched, but not for a certain team of chemical engineers. With the power of nanobionics, Dr. Michael Strano’s chemical engineering lab at MIT implemented a process in which the ordinary spinach plant can detect toxic nitroaromatic compounds found in explosives and relay such detections wirelessly — in the form of an email.

Spinach plant. Photo by Jyotishmita Bhagawati, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The idea of plant-to-human communication may seem far-fetched, but not for a certain team of chemical engineers. With the power of nanobionics, Dr. Michael Strano’s chemical engineering lab at MIT implemented a process in which the ordinary spinach plant can detect toxic nitroaromatic compounds found in explosives and relay such detections wirelessly — in the form of an email. Plant nanobionics, according to Dr. Strano, aims to “introduce [structures] into the plant to give it non-native functions.” Strano’s lab previously created carbon nanotubes — cylindrical molecules made of...
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Recent

Polio Resurgence in New York State Prompts Rapid Public Health Response

What are Spotted Lanternflies, Why You Should Kill Them, and What Haverford Researchers Are Doing to Fight Them

Fall 2022 Stargazing: JWST Photos and Jupiter Opposition

Why does coffee make you poop?

A Look into Mathematical Biology