Research

What is stress? According to IB's Professor Daniela Kaufer, stress can be a healthy response to a perceived threat. But there is a fine line between feeling a small amount of stress, which can make your brain stronger, and going through traumatic events, a kind of stress that brings on conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The difference between the two has profoundly different long-term effects on the brain. Read more...

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Professor George Brooks has published a paper in in the journal Cell Metabolism which reviews the evolution of our understanding of the role lactate plays in metabolism, from a poison that causes muscle fatigue to an essential fuel that helps cells repair themselves after stress or injury.  
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Anyone who’s tried to kill a cockroach knows that the ancient pests have some world-class evasive maneuvers. Or at least they appear to.

The first “big data” analysis of California’s native plants, using digitized information from more than 22 herbaria and botanical gardens around the state, provides some surprises about one of the most thoroughly studied and unique areas in the country.

For one, the state’s arid regions, including deserts such as Death Valley, are hotspots for originating new plant species and providing refuges for older plants that have disappeared elsewhere.

Take a look inside the newest IB Newsletter!

Robert Full wants to tap the diverse experiences of UC Berkeley undergraduates to teach them the fun of discovering biology’s secrets and the innovations that can spring from hacking them.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced today that 14 leading scientists have been named HHMI professors, an award that recognizes excellence in research and education and empowers recipients to explore new approaches to important challenges in science education. HHMI is awarding 10 individual grants of $1 million each and two grants for collaborative projects that will receive a total of $1.5 million each over five years.

Each year the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry recognizes a young investigator for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and biochemistry or to related fields of functional and integrative biology. The award offers the awardee a fantastic opportunity to communicate this research via a large lecture at this year's SICB conference.

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