UC unlocks genetic lives of bugs
January 23, 2020
The University of Cincinnati is helping to sequence the genomes of 5,000 insects, spiders and crustaceans as part of an international project. The results will lead to better agriculture, improved food safety and advances in medicine.
What do Chinese opera masks and spiders have in common? A lot, as it turns out.
January 24, 2020
University of Cincinnati biology student Jenny Yi-Ting Sung is applying analytical tools normally associated with studying evolution to examine Chinese opera masks. So far she has found surprising parallels in the significance of color and pattern in nature and in Jing masks.
UC builds better test of animal vision
March 12, 2020
UC biologists created a simple color vision test for animals using a modified liquid crystal display and light-emitting diodes. They can tell if animals such as fiddler crabs can distinguish different hues.
Silk offers homemade solution for COVID-19 prevention
September 22, 2020
With personal protective equipment still in short supply, researchers at the University of Cincinnati examined what common household fabrics might work best as a face covering. They found that silk is breathable, washable and moisture better than cotton or synthetics.
Trout don’t follow the weather forecast
September 11, 2020
University of Cincinnati visiting assistant professor of biology Michael Booth studied the migration patterns of steelhead, a subpopulation of rainbow trout that migrates to the Pacific Ocean, where the growing fish hunt and feed until they return to their natal freshwater streams to spawn.
Fish exposed to estrogen produce fewer males
October 22, 2020
UC assistant professor Latonya Jackson conducted experiments with North American freshwater fish called least killifish. She found that populations of killifish exposed to estrogen in concentrations of 5 nanograms per liter in controlled lab conditions had fewer males and produced fewer offspring. Scientists have found estrogen at as much as 16 times that concentration in streams adjacent to sewage treatment plants.