Division of Biological Sciences (MU)
The Division of Biological Sciences at MU offers a unique integration of world-class research, award-winning graduate and undergraduate training, and outstanding community outreach. Our faculty research programs include the acquisition of new knowledge through basic research, and coordinated translational research to improve human health, our food supply, and our environment. Our graduate training programs emphasize the excitement of discovery and the development of individual creativity and critical reasoning skills, with graduate mentors who are experts at the frontiers of their field. In undergraduate education, as in our graduate programs, we emphasize the excitement of discovery and the development of individual creativity and critical reasoning skills, providing an excellent foundation for advanced study or direct entry into the workplace. Because science exposure in the pre-college years is critical to the development of both scientists and informed citizens, we also offer special outreach programs for secondary school science teachers and their students in Missouri.
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Mapping nif genes of Rhodobacter capsulatus, and characterization of a mutant with a pleiotropic defect in nitrogen metabolism
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1988)Mutations affecting the ability of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus to fix nitrogen (Nif- ) have previously been mapped into six linkage groups (I-VI) by transduction with gene transfer agent (GTA). ... -
Genetic analysis of Amanitin resistance in the Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1987)Mutants resistant to oc-amanitin, a fungal toxin that interferes with messenger RNA production by binding to RNA polymerase II, make possible genetic analyses of RNA polymerase II function. The work reported here involves ... -
Functional myology of the primate head and neck with implications for hominin evolution
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2025] The primate nuchal region has been widely cited as reflecting postural and locomotor behaviors. Postural and locomotor reconstructions of fossil primates, particularly fossil hominins, have relied ... -
A monograph of Lupinus for Argentina
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1978)The species of Lupinus for Argentina are reviewed in a morphological and taxonomic study. For the country of Argentina and vicinity there were 85 species cited. Over 45 holotypes, numerous isotypes and several non-type ... -
Disentangling the feedback signals coordinating the ion channel mRNA profile of motor neurons of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] How do neural networks reliably produce motor behaviors over the course of an organism's life? Remarkably, neural networks are able to stabilize their outputs in spite of physiological perturbations ... -
Cancer drug resistance mechanisms
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] Significant advances have been made toward developing potent agents that selectively target and kill cancer cells. However, achieving durable clinical benefits remains a significant challenge in ... -
Adaptations enabling PBP1a-driven polar growth in Agrobacterium tumefaciens
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] For bacteria with complex life cycles involving several environmental niches, adaptability is key. The plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a master of adaptability as it lives two distinct ... -
B2 or not B2 : loss of ephrin-B2 in endothelial cells during development, homeostasis, and regeneration
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)The microvasculature is a robust and highly adaptive system, responsive to minute physiological and molecular cues. Endothelial cells (ECs) assemble the microvasculature during development through vasculogenesis and ... -
Disturbance and restoration ecology : exploring biological and human dynamics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)As scientists, when we study ecology, we study relationships. From a strictly biological sense, we look at relationships between organisms--how they interact, compete, and develop at different scales. We also look at how ... -
An all-consuming conundrum : drivers of seed predation in tallgrass prairies
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Post-dispersal seed predation is a determinant of seed availability for species establishment, and ultimately, community structure. For example, species with high intrinsic fitness and competitive ability may not remain ... -
Unveiling glial pathways involved in neuronal communication
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Glia have been understudied throughout time largely because of a lack of basic understanding. Early experiments showing that glia do not respond with action potentials after an electrical stimulation, like their neuronal ... -
The evolution and genetic basis of complex traits in Drosophila melanogaster
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The current climate crisis, increasing habitat fragmentation, deforestation, the number of extreme weather events, contagious diseases, and more are major environmental stressors that threaten the survival of every species ... -
Hormonal and genetic control of leaf and vein development in maize
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Grasses (Poaceae) have successfully colonized diverse terrestrial ecosystems and impacted human civilization by producing the bulk of world food supply. The grass leaf is distinct for having a sheathing base and strap-like ... -
(Socio-)ecological tools and insights for a changing climate
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)In one way or another, climate change is impacting all social, economic, and ecological systems on the planet. Scientists worldwide warn of catastrophic and irreversible damage to social and ecological systems in absence ... -
Mining the Drosophila gustatory receptor family for new thermosensitive proteins : basic science and tool development
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)Extrinsic control of neural activity is a powerful paradigm for understanding how neural circuits operate and regulate behavior. Traditionally, optogenetic tools are used to activate or inhibit neuronal activity with light. ... -
Molecular dissection of the roles of RNA processing proteins in meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is a model organism for the study of genome defense and epigenetic mechanisms. N. crassa utilizes meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) to silence unpaired genes during sexual ... -
Dissecting the genetic basis of carbohydrate partitioning in maize and sugarcane
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Carbohydrate partitioning, the process by which carbohydrates synthesized in the photosynthetic source tissues (mature leaves) are mobilized to non-photosynthetic (sink) tissues, such as roots, seeds, and developing organs ... -
Neuroscience tools in novel contexts: developing thermogenetics in Drosophila and decoding autonomic activity in mouse major pelvic ganglion
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Animal research models provide the opportunity to decode neural activity via the ability to precisely stimulate and record neural events associated with quantifiable circuit and behavioral outputs (Bernstein et al., 2012; ... -
Genetic and hormonal regulation of meristem initiation and maintenance pathways during maize vegetative and reproductive development
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)Plant development is driven by pools of undifferentiated stem cells called meristems. Meristems have two functions, to divide producing cells that will replenish the stem-cell niche, and cells that will differentiate into ... -
Methodological approaches for sound training in underepresented learners: a case study with american toads (Anaxyrus americanus)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)efforts to better understand the minds of animals have been flourishing, with methodological breakthroughs and a remarkable increase in the number of publications dealing with a wide variety of non-model species. The growing ...