Evolutionary biologists have long puzzled over how new traits emerge in nature, largely because much of the evolutionary information available is from the distant past. To learn more about how genes influence evolution, these researchers study organism phenotypes—the observable characteristics of an organism that are influenced by genetics and… Read more
National Institutes of Health
NAU team receives $2.6 million grant to train, mentor Native American students in STEM disciplines
Native Americans have the lowest rate of university enrollment and graduation rates of any group in the United States—and in STEM fields, they represent only 0.5 percent of students nationwide. Another major hurdle for Native American populations is health-related. Those living on tribal lands experience a disproportionate rate of environmentally-associated health issues such as… Read more
Protecting future generations: NAU scientists study Arctic community’s exposure to toxic pollutants
St. Lawrence Island, just south of the Bering Strait in Arctic Alaska, is one of the most isolated places on the planet. Wild, mountainous and remote, the island is inhabited by 1,600 indigenous Yupik Eskimos who subsist by hunting and fishing.
Although the island’s natural environment may appear pristine, residents are exposed to high levels of persistent organic pollutants—toxic chemicals that remain in the… Read more
NAU scientists urge further study of ‘the beasts in all of us’—colonizing opportunistic pathogens
A new paper published in PLOS Pathogens by a team of researchers comprised of Bruce Hungate and Ben Koch from Northern Arizona University; Lance Price from George Washington University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute; and Gregg Davis and Cindy Liu from George Washington University outlines the critical need for further research into the nature of colonizing opportunistic pathogens, or… Read more
New NAU research project to improve oral health of Arizona’s preschoolers
According to experts, approximately 23 percent of American children aged 2 to 5 years have caries, or untreated tooth decay. But that number is dramatically higher in Arizona, where 40 percent of preschoolers have tooth decay. Among the more rural, economically disadvantaged Hispanic and Native American populations of Northern Arizona, that number is even higher.
NAU bioinformatician and assistant professor Viacheslav “Slava” Fofanov recently received a $224,000 grant from the Arizona Biomedical… Read more