Utopia or dystopia? It’s up to us.
In the 21st century, powerful technologies have been appearing at a breathtaking pace—related to the internet, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and more. They have amazing potential upsides, but we can’t ignore the serious risks that come with them.
Brave New Planet is a podcast that delves deep into the most exciting and challenging scientific frontiers, helping us understand them and grapple with their implications. Dr. Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is a geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician who was a leader of the Human Genome Project and for eight years served as a science advisor to the White House for President Obama. He’s also the host of Brave New Planet, and he’s talked to leading researchers, journalists, doctors, policy makers, activists, and legal experts to illuminate how this generation’s choices will shape the future as never before.
Brave New Planet is a partnership between the Broad Institute, Pushkin Industries, and the Boston Globe.

Most researchers know that data management is essential for getting the most out of your data. But what exactly is it and how do you ensure that you’re managing your data well? This course, focused around a series of webinars, introduces key concepts in data management and how to apply them in your research.

By the end of the course you will be able to:
Describe the data management cycle
Discuss benefits and challenges of data sharing
Explain what happens to data after it is shared
Identify appropriate data repositories and their submission requirements
Describe how ontologies and standards are used to annotate biological data
Identify appropriate resources and tools for data management

Students are introduced to the concept and steps of the engineering design process and taught how to apply it. Students first receive some background information about biomedical engineering (aka bioengineering). Then they learn about material selection and material properties by using a provided guide. In small groups, students learn of their design challenge (improve a cast for a broken arm), brainstorm solutions, are given materials and create prototypes. To finish, teams communicate their design solutions through class poster presentations.

Lab 1: the students begin by describing on a worksheet their own ideas
of delta formation using concept sketches and written descriptions of
the stages of formation, with only broad guidance from the instructor.
They are also asked to describe the key features of their concept
sketches, and to hypothesize how those features might develop (the
processes). The students have all been exposed to deltas in Physical
Geology, but likely only have rudimentary knowledge of them. Once they
have completed the worksheet, the entire class moves to a lab with a
stream table in it, preset to run a "model delta." The model has both a
web cam and a time-lapse web cam set up over the table to record the
development. The students help start the water flowing and the cameras
recording, then watch as it develops over the next 2-3 days.

Lab 2: In the second lab, we use grain-size analysis of the
stream-table delta as a means of testing some of their ideas from lab
1. The students as a class develop a strategy to sample the
stream-table delta for grain size, using a laser grain-size analyzer.
Each pair of students collect one sample, but are also asked to predict
the changes in grain size distribution for samples elsewhere in the
delta. The particle size analyzer rapidly provides results to the
students near the end of lab.

Lab 3: the final lab is a field trip to a pair of gravel pits that
expose the guts of two natural stranded deltas, including topset and
foreset beds. The students are asked to assess the landforms on a topo
map before arriving, and to describe the deposits at each site we
visit. On the final writeup, the students need to synthesize all the
elements of the three labs, along with input from our readings in the
textbook (Easterbrook) and McPhee's "Control of Nature."Â

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In this interactive activity from Shedd Aquarium, build a fish and then release it into the reef to search for food and evade predators. Try different combinations and observe how each kind of fish has unique adaptations that help it survive in its habitat.

All living beings are made up of cells. Some of them are made up of only one cell and others have many cells. Also in: Dutch | French | Hungarian | Spanish

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Tropical maize hybrid, a single cross of flint and dent inbred lines, is an important crop throughout the Americas and Africa. Crop yield, however, is highly dependent on nitrogen availability, and fertilizers are therefore often necessary to increase production. Developing more nitrogen-efficient maize would not only cut costs for farmers, it would also increase crop yield and reduce environmental impacts. But how do you make a plant more nitrogen efficient? The performance and production of crops can be improved by selectively crossing individuals with desired traits. When such plants are crossed, they produce hybrids that are often bigger, stronger, and more vigorous than either of the parent plants. By carefully choosing which individuals are used in creating these hybrids, specific traits, such as nitrogen efficiency, can be selected for..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"US researchers are finding that what goes for the work place, the playing field, and the home goes for getting the most out of fuel-producing yeasts: teamwork makes the dream work. Inspired by the give-and-take that enables the community of microorganisms found in lichens to thrive in a range of environments, the team paired photosynthetic bacteria with yeast strains to streamline the production of energy-dense fatty acids. That two-way interaction could point to new ways of making biofuels a more attractive alternative energy source. Yeast are among the most industrious organisms on earth. Through the power of fermentation, these microorganisms can take sugar and turn it into clean-burning fuel. But even when genetically optimized to withstand high temperatures and boozy volumes of fuel production, yeasts must still be fed their sweet treat externally. That adds extra processing steps and drives up cost..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

In this demonstration, the teacher will use a potato and hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen in a closed environment. Students can then observe its effects on a burning wooden splint and on burning steel wool. They will understand that a large amount of energy can be released by the process of oxidation. As an extension, the teacher can discuss how the appearance of oxygen (produced by cyanobacteria) in Earth's early atmosphere initially resulted in the formation of large deposits of iron oxide (Banded Iron Formations) and then aided in the evolution of more complex life forms.

Business Administration: Eco-Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship Course Materials and Syllabus

BA 278. Eco-Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship.

Introduces the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainability, and social entrepreneurship within the business environment with a focus on global, domestic and internal business methods, practices and policies. Investigates sustainable business, social innovation and intrapreneurship evolution and trends. Includes opportunities to interact with local social entrepreneurs, analyze initiatives, and develop market-based solutions to social problems. Examines individual and corporate decision-making and best practices. Includes team projects and a community-based service learning experience.

COURSE OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of BA 278, the student will be able to:
1. Understand the fundamental definitions, concepts and methods of corporate social responsibility,
environmental sustainability, social entrepreneurism and intrapreneurism.
2. Critically examine the complex and interconnected relationship between human economic behavior and
the environment through a lens of sustainability and “the triple bottom line” (people, planet, profit).
3. Build an awareness of the impacts of environmental sustainability issues and policies on communities of
diverse backgrounds, on the local, regional, national and international level, in order to interact with
sensitivity, respect and a sense of responsibility to others and to the future.
4. Analyze claims about sustainable business and social entrepreneurial practices and policies critically.
5. Develop and apply writing, systems-thinking and analytical thinking skills effectively in the workplace.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Cancer cell growth depends on the production of new blood vessels by tumor endothelial cells in a process called angiogenesis. But the growing cancer cells produce large amounts of lactic acid as a byproduct of glucose breakdown. How tumor endothelial cells are able to survive in this toxic environment is unclear. In a recent study, researchers sought to uncover the mechanism of tumor endothelial cell survival in a lactic acid-rich tumor microenvironment. Using genetics and proteomics, they compared the RNA and protein levels of pH-regulating proteins in tumor endothelial cells to those in normal endothelial cells. They found that carbonic anhydrase 2 (CAII), an important pH regulator, was elevated in tumor endothelial cells, which was induced through the VEGF signaling pathway. Blocking CAII in tumor endothelial cells decreased cell survival in lactic acid conditions, and treating tumor-bearing mice with a CAII inhibitor had decreased lung metastasis..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Submitted as part of the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) Phase 3 Digital Textbook Initiative (CA DTI3), CK-12 Foundation’s high school Biology FlexBook covers cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, botany, zoology, and physiology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

CK-12’s Life Science delivers a full course of study in the life sciences for the middle school student, relating an understanding of the history, disciplines, tools, and modern techniques of science to the exploration of cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, evolution, prokaryotes, protists,fungi, plants, animals, invertebrates, vertebrates, human biology, and ecology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

CK-12’s Life Science delivers a full course of study in the life sciences for the middle school student, relating an understanding of the history, disciplines, tools, and modern techniques of science to the exploration of cell biology, genetics, evolution, prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, the animal kingdom, the human body, and ecology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

cloning is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually.
Advantages and Disadvantages of cloning.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Microbiomes are more than just prokaryotes and viruses; they also contain important eukaryotes, including fungi and protists. However, eukaryotes are difficult to study using ‘shotgun’ metagenomics, as their signal is often overwhelmed by the prokaryotes. Some methods use eukaryote-specific marker genes, but they can’t detect eukaryotes that aren’t in the reference marker gene set, and such methods are not compatible with web-based tools for downstream analysis. But CORRAL (Clustering Of Related Reference ALignments) is designed to close those gaps. CORRAL identifies eukaryotes in metagenomic data based on alignments to eukaryote-specific marker genes and Markov clustering. It can detect microbial eukaryotes that are not included in the marker gene reference set. The process is even automated and can be carried out at scale. A recent paper demonstrates CORRAL’s sensitivity and accuracy with simulated datasets, mock community standards, and human microbiome datasets..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Starting from the Big Bang Theory to the concept of the accelerating expansion of the universe, this Mini Lecture explores the evolutionary origin and development of the universe. Historical as well as up-to-date lecture snippets of the physicists Brian Schmidt, George Smoot and John Mather, all held in Lindau, illustrate the concepts used to analyze the universe.

The COVID-19 Data Portal was launched in April 2020 to bring together relevant datasets for sharing and analysis in an effort to accelerate coronavirus research. This course provides a short overview of what the COVID-19 Data Portal is, how to access it and how to submit data.

By the end of the course you will be able to:
Explain the purpose of the COVID-19 Data Portal
Describe what data is accessible through the COVID-19 Data Portal
Know where to submit COVID-related data

CREATES is a set of 6 steps that help learners read and critically analyze scientific papers. The CREATES method, pioneered by Dr. Sally Hoskins, has a demonstrated positive impact on undergraduate students' self-confidence in scientific reading, as well as in their general perceptions of and beliefs about science and scientific thinking (Hoskins, et. al, 2017).

The new CREATES site, created in collaboration with Jordan Moberg Parker, UCLA's Director of Undergraduate Laboratory Curriculum and Assessment in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, uses interactive media, step-by-step directions, and detailed annotation of authentic examples to guide students through the process.

Barrangou and a team of researchers at Danisco first experimentally demonstrated the technique of CRISPR (Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). To fight off the infecting bacteriophages, the bacterial immume systems (CRISPR-Cas9) specifically target genomic sequences. Cas9 is an enzyme that cuts DNA which is associated with the specialized stretches of CRISPR DNA.
This figure clearly depicts how the bacterium protects itself from the infecting viruses (bacteriophages).