Tag: Anneliese Moll

Features

Alzheimer’s: History and Current Research

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

The human brain is a complex organ containing roughly 100 billion neurons. In humans, the brain continues to develop until the age of 25.

Yearly, more than 3 million cases of Alzheimer’s disease are reported. Within the next few decades that number is expected to rise to over 150 million, which means that this is a disease that many of us will either suffer from or have loved ones who do.  The odds of someone developing Alzheimer’s doubles every five years after that person reaches 65. It’s estimated that this form of dementia affects one in 14 people. So far majority of people who get Alzheimer’s are over 60 years old, but there have been cases reported in people as young as 19. Continue reading “Alzheimer’s: History and Current Research”

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News, Opinion

Climate Change: Effects and Awareness

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

We live in a greenhouse. The life we see around us depends on the energy we receive from the sun. Only about half of the light from the sun that reaches the Earth passes through the atmosphere. Once it’s through it’s absorbed and radiated back up in the form of infrared heat. From there roughly 90% of the heat is absorbed by greenhouse gasses and is ultimately radiated back to the surface, which causes warming of the surface. The Earth is an average nice, life-supporting, 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue reading “Climate Change: Effects and Awareness”

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News

Sea Turtle Conservation

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

Within any fishery, there is bycatch. Bycatch are fish or other marine species that are caught   unintentionally. It can consist of the target species, but the wrong sex or size. However, some species that are often bycatch are dolphins, marine turtles, and seabirds.

Modern fishing equipment is extremely, and often unfortunately, durable. Currently, there are thousands of miles of fishing lines and nets within the ocean. Bycatch that is pulled aboard with the target species is often left on deck while the target species are sorted, before being tossed back into the water dead or very close to dying. However, there are people all over the world who are working on ways to reduce the amount of bycatch obtained by fisheries. Continue reading “Sea Turtle Conservation”

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Features

Professor Spotlight: Dr. Heidi Pearson

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

Dr. Pearson is an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at UAS and also an Assistant Professor for the School of Fisheries and Ocean Science with UAF. She was born in Iowa and had her first encounter with the ocean at the age of 12 while on a family vacation. Dr. Pearson graduated from Duke University with majors in Anthropology, Anatomy, and in Biology. After that, she went on to Texas A&M University to obtain a Ph.D in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Up next was some postdoctoral work with the Whale Center of New England, which was a non-profit organization focused on research, conservation, and education regarding whales, as well as other marine mammals. Before coming to UAS in 2011, Dr. Pearson was also a lecturer at several universities, one of which being Stony Brook University. Continue reading “Professor Spotlight: Dr. Heidi Pearson”

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News

Invasive Species: What to Look For

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

Invasive species are everywhere. They can be plants, fungi, pathogen, or an animal species that is not native to a specific area. These invaders can often spread to a level that can greatly impact the lives of the native species, who often cannot out compete them. Within Alaska there are many invasive species ranging from plants to animals and insects to many marine organisms. Continue reading “Invasive Species: What to Look For”

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News

Genetics: Key to Survival

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

In 2011 a study involving several groups of researchers from the United States, Canada, Germany, and Mexico who had been working on a study replicating ecological speciation the Atlantic molly (Poecilia Mexicana) and in P. sulphuraria (Poeciliidae) was published in the journal of Molecular Biology and Evolution.

These fish usually live within freshwater or brackish waters, but they have also been colonized several sulfidic springs in southern Mexico. These springs are particularly relevant because they are not just slightly sulfidic. They are extremely hypoxic (lacking oxygen) and have high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, enough to be lethal to most organisms. Continue reading “Genetics: Key to Survival”

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Campus Safety, News, Opinion

SB 174: Deregulating Guns on Campus

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

On February 8, 2016, SB0174 was introduced to the legislature by Senator Pete Kelly. Senator Mike Dunleavy, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, is a co-sponsor of the bill, as is the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Lesil McGuire. This bill is an Act relating to the regulation of firearms and knives by the University of Alaska. It is scheduled have hearings on February 16 through Feb. 18. Continue reading “SB 174: Deregulating Guns on Campus”

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News

Laboratory Grown Corals Helping Reefs

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

Coral reefs everywhere are facing huge threats from several fronts: overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Over the last couple of years, scientists from all over the world have been searching for ways to help coral reefs recover. Continue reading “Laboratory Grown Corals Helping Reefs”

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News, Opinion

ANSEP Celebrates 21 Years

Anneliese MollBY ANNELIESE MOLL
For the UAS Whalesong

The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) started in 1995 as a scholarship program for  University of Alaska students. ANSEP has grown over the last 20 years into a program that has students starting in the sixth grade and has the ability to follow the student through the PhD level. In the last year ANSEP has grown to more than 1500 students. Continue reading “ANSEP Celebrates 21 Years”

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News

First Litter of Puppies Born of IVF

Anneliese MollBy ANNELIESE MOLL
for the UAS Whalesong

On December 9, 2015 Cornell University published a study in which they were able to successfully sire a litter of puppies by in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a pretty complex process that is utilized when treating individuals with genetic or fertility trouble. During the procedure mature eggs are taken from a female and sperm from a male and then the egg is fertilized within a laboratory. To add another level to this experiment, researchers decided to cryopreserve (preserve though freezing) the eggs and sperm of the dogs since the majority of eggs and sperm collected from humans is stored this way (Nagashima et al. 2015).

Surprisingly, prior to this study there has been very little work done in regards to canine species. Which is interesting because there are currently over 300 known heritable disorders or traits present in dogs that are very similar to conditions observed within humans. Since their domestication humans have selected for specific traits both aesthetically and behaviorally. Continue reading “First Litter of Puppies Born of IVF”

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