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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Fish Bites Back: A Developmental Analysis Of Feeding Biomechanics In Danionin Minnows, Collin Shinkle
The Fish Bites Back: A Developmental Analysis Of Feeding Biomechanics In Danionin Minnows, Collin Shinkle
WWU Graduate School Collection
Ecological roles are often closely related to the food organisms consume, and investigating the developmental control of feeding apparatus morphology and biomechanics contributes to a broader understanding of how ecological roles evolve. Changes in thyroid hormone signaling are thought to be involved in the evolutionary diversification of feeding mechanics in many fish lineages, including danionin minnows such as zebrafish (Danio rerio), a common model organism. Recent work suggests that changes in thyroid hormone signaling may have influenced the trophic divergence of fishes in the genus Danio and those in the genus Devario, including the giant danio ( …
The Foreign Earth: An Exercise In Speculative Biology, Aidyn Ruf
The Foreign Earth: An Exercise In Speculative Biology, Aidyn Ruf
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
Speculative Biology is the practice of examining hypothetical scenarios about the potential evolution of life. This project explores one such perspective timeline, utilizing scientific illustration, scientific information, and creative writing to estimate what the organisms of Earth might look like 250 million years into the future. Basic parameters were established, examining our current knowledge about geology and the environment to determine how the Earth itself might look. This included examining factors such as tectonic movement, adjusted ocean currents, and planetary heat cycles. Then, I studied mass extinctions and the animals which survived them, creating a baseline of ancestors the future …
On Research Ethics: A Proposal For An Undergraduate Ethics Course Using A Graduate Research Ethics Course As A Baseline, Jordan Sawyer
On Research Ethics: A Proposal For An Undergraduate Ethics Course Using A Graduate Research Ethics Course As A Baseline, Jordan Sawyer
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
In the biology department at Western Washington University, there has been a lack of research ethics courses that students can take, with one of the first being taught in Spring Quarter of 2023. This paper goes through the co-development process of making a graduate-student level ethics course, using Responsible Conduct of Research as a guideline, as well as the schedule for the course. In addition, the paper offers a proposal on how the course could be altered to fit an undergraduate student audience, with the goal of accessibility in mind.
White Lies Matter: The Evolution, Persistence, And Impact Of Scientific Racism, Kim Keay
White Lies Matter: The Evolution, Persistence, And Impact Of Scientific Racism, Kim Keay
WWU Honors College Senior Projects
A dissection of the origins, history, persistence, and impacts of various threads of scientific racism. This paper traces scientific racism from its roots in evolutionary biology through Social Darwinism and eugenics. By exploring the historical connection between scientific racism and white supremacy, this research aims to reveal some of the ways in which contemporary science, racism, and society at large have been shaped by the past. Tracing these threads will follow scientific racism from its origins to the beginnings of Social Darwinism and eugenics, through American cultivation of eugenics and its connections to Nazi Germany, to ongoing eugenicist policies and …
Regulation Of Ampa-Type Glutamate Receptor Homolog Glr-1 By Erad Ubiquitin Ligases In C. Elegans, Sam Witus
Regulation Of Ampa-Type Glutamate Receptor Homolog Glr-1 By Erad Ubiquitin Ligases In C. Elegans, Sam Witus
Scholars Week
Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) maintains cellular health by removing misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ERAD is ubiquitin-dependent, and ubiquitination of target proteins can be catalyzed by ER-resident E3 ubiquitin ligases. In C. elegans, genes for three putative ERAD E3 ubiquitin ligases have been identified: hrd-1, hrdl-1, and marc-6 (HRD-1, GP78/AMFR, and MARCH-6 in mammalian systems). In C. elegans, these three genes cooperate to maintain the overall health of animals during ER stress. We are testing the roles of hrd-1, hrdl-1, and marc-6 in the neurons of C. elegans. GLR-1 is a glutamate receptor that is expressed in a …