News & Events

Study co-led by UB finds the gene for starch-digesting saliva may have first duplicated more than 800,000 years ago, seeding the genetic variation that shapes our modern diet.

Evolutionary biologist joins Driven to Discover podcast to talk about his curiosity-driven research and why bringing back extinct species is a bad idea.

The center is led by UB biologists Soo-Kyung and Jae Lee, whose daughter Yuna was born with FOXG1 syndrome.

UB-led team shows treatment reverses brain abnormalities in mice, a step toward human clinical trials.

Researchers identify candidate genes for human male infertility by analyzing gorillas’ unusual reproductive system.

Study charts family history of Arabica, world’s most popular coffee species, through Earth’s heating and cooling periods over last millennia.

This year’s projects center on hydrogen production, anti-ice coatings for wind turbines, infectious biofilm resistant orthopedic implants, among others.

The plants’ duplicated genomes may have paved the way for specialized carnivory, as well as separate-sexed plants.

The research will be led by biologists Soo-Kyung and Jae Lee, whose daughter has the rare neurological disorder.

The discovery could help reduce the plant-based drug’s three-year production time; lead to less toxic alternatives.

Genetic analysis suggests some Alaska Natives live near where their ancestors did 3,000 years ago.

The grant, from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, could help benefit people suffering from the rare genetic brain disorder.

Genetic study of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans points to the importance of ‘balancing selection’ in evolution.

In mammals, proteins called mucins evolved — again and again — by co-opting non-mucin proteins in a surprising way, study suggests.

The huntingtin protein may travel together with important signaling molecules in injured neurons, researchers find.

Researching the past could provide important insights into how climate change may impact ecosystems today.

Research delves into the origins of pregnancy, pointing to an invasive placenta in the last common ancestor of eutherian mammals.

In a new study, scientists detail how they coaxed excitatory neurons to release neurotransmitters usually produced by inhibitory neurons.

It’s complicated. Rather than simple splitting events, the species histories of polar and brown bears, like those of humans, hide convoluted stories of divergence and interbreeding, study finds.

Monique Kapur-Mauleon will begin a five-year degree program that combines a master’s in oral sciences with a doctor of dental surgery from the UB School of Dental Medicine.

Research focuses on placement of stream gauges — instruments that keep tabs on how much water is flowing through rivers and streams.

The UB researchers suspect climate change is affecting the fish population.

Researchers from UB and Cardiff University were instrumental in creating a special themed issue of the quarterly journal Built Environment focused on food equity, an increasingly important topic in planning and design disciplines.

Motor neurons innervate the body; a study describes how a gene called Kdm6b helps these cells diversify into crucial subtypes.

From analyzing the avocado genome to designing a stingray-inspired space exploration vehicle, here are some highlights from a year of discovery.

Scientists identify a stop switch for a motor protein called kinesin 1.

Radiant and flavorful, lychees were so beloved that they were domesticated not just once in ancient times, but independently in two different regions of China, a study finds.

From documenting inequality in Buffalo to identifying proven oral hygiene tools for happy gums, UB scholars’ work had local and international impact in 2021.

The remains — thought to be the oldest confirmed from a dog in the Americas — support the theory that the animals may have traveled with people along a coastal route. This image is a composite that employs a technique called focus-stacking to show details of the bone more clearly.

In a new study, genetically engineered E. coli eat glucose, then help turn it into molecules found in gasoline.

These big turtles have extra copies of genes that may help them age well and evade cancer, and the creatures’ cells respond to stress in ways that may help to prevent disease, scientists conclude.

From celebrating the life of a Buffalo civil rights activist to resurrecting a mammoth’s broken genes, here are stories from the work of UB researchers in a difficult year.

Data from the research could facilitate efforts to prevent and treat adverse pregnancy outcomes, showing the importance of evolutionary medicine.

The research adds to a decades-long, existential debate: Are the soft corals Plexaura homomalla and Plexaura kükenthali a single species, or not?

A paper in Science Advances focuses on the evolution of the human growth hormone receptor gene.

C. albicans’ ability to shift forms can help it cause dangerous infections, and a study suggests that a protein called Sir2 aids this transition.

The pandemic has caused a run on baker’s yeast. It’s a marvelous organism, as UB scientists explain

Gerald Koudelka’s research has focused on themes including mechanisms of DNA sequence recognition and the evolution of bacteriophage-encoded exotoxins.

A study explores the role of HAND2 in human and mammalian pregnancy.

A study shows that elephants possess a large toolbox of genes for evading cancer, and suggests that evolution of tumor suppression capabilities contributed to the development of big bodies.

Research suggests that MLL4 controls production of neurons vital to growth.

Research reveals the details of how salivary glands collectively produce the constellation of proteins found in saliva, opening the door to important medical research.

From developing a pneumonia vaccine to desalinating water with the sun, here are some highlights from a year of discovery.

Researchers identify a new chemical pathway that helps the brain detect sweet, savory and bitter flavors.

Three projects selected for pilot grants all have the broader aim of understanding how obesity develops and what systems might be targeted to treat it.

Multitasking taste cells can sense bitter, sweet, sour and umami stimuli, challenging scientists’ understanding of how taste buds work.

UB biologists Soo-Kyung Lee and Jae Lee — whose daughter, Yuna, has FOXG1 syndrome — are among scientists researching the disorder.

Biologist Soo-Kyung Lee had researched a gene crucial to brain development. Then, her baby, Yuna, was born with a mutation in that gene.

The research adds to a body of work devoted to understanding the protein’s role in cell biology and health.

The species’ newly sequenced genome highlights how evolutionary tinkering transforms plants into some of nature’s great chemical-makers.

Researchers will tackle solar power, climate change in WNY, e-waste, pollution at Lake Erie’s Woodlawn Beach and more.

Research provides insight into the evolution of the progesterone receptor gene — and raises more questions.

Two studies mark an early step in a UB biologist’s quest to understand how foxgloves make medicinal compounds.

New research adds to growing evidence that our ancestors interbred with Neanderthals at multiple times in history.

From identifying a potential autism treatment to creating fungal-fighting 3-D printed dentures — here are some highlights from a year of discovery.

A new study illuminates the avocado’s family history and lays the foundation for the species’ improvement.

The research builds on evidence that the last mammoths on a lonely Arctic island suffered from a variety of genetic defects.

The neuroscience major is a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Twenty-five UB students will receive $25,000 in scholarship and internship support through fellowship program made possible by the Prentice Family Foundation.

Research on alpha-synuclein highlights a potential therapeutic strategy.

The newly sequenced genome of the coffee plant reveals secrets about the evolution of man’s best chemical friend: caffeine.

Program encourages collaboration among researchers, while serving as a springboard to external funding.

A study shows that short-term hearing loss can cause auditory nerve cells to alter their behavior and even their shape.

A genetic variant associated strongly with eczema may be a random artifact of evolution, study finds.

UB architect Joyce Hwang’s latest animal architecture creation, called Bower, will be celebrated at an opening event this Thursday at Artpark in Lewiston.

A study on primates' slobber shows that adaptation isn’t just about creating new tools for survival — it’s also about tweaking the ones we have.

The ubiquitous houseplant is imperiled in the wild, and UB scientists are crowdfunding an effort to sequence its genome.

Researcher Charlotte Lindqvist analyzed DNA samples for the special which will be broadcast May 29.

An accomplished scholar, Gollnick has published over 100 academic articles, advancing the field of microbiology.

A study of 46 mammal species explores the evolutionary history of amylase, a compound that breaks down carbs.

The award is one of the most competitive and respected scientific fellowships in the U.S.

New paper shows how science can explore the roots of folklore.

The region holds a unique position in the story of human evolution, UB scientists say.

The evolutionary history of a salivary protein may point to interbreeding between humans and an enigmatic ancient relative.

National Institutes of Health saw successful impact of scholarship program.

The carnivorous humped bladderwort plant is a sophisticated predator. Living in swamps and ponds, it uses vacuum pressure to suck prey into tiny traps at breathtaking speeds of under a millisecond.

A study of the iconic tree uncovers genetic secrets of value to wood, paper industries.

Three Buffalo Public Schools students aim to find out how potatoes germinated in space will fare when planted on Earth.

For a plant, the evolutionary pathways to becoming a carnivore may be limited, researchers say.

New study adds to evidence that fat and related molecules — called lipids — are more active in cellular processes than previously thought.

Students are using CRISPR to alter yeast genes in a course on genetics at UB that also asks them to consider the technology’s potential societal implications.

Study suggests that a gene encoding a viral protein has been carefully preserved in Myotis bats for millions of years.

It’s the fifth year in a row that a UB student has been awarded this prestigious scholarship.

Biologist Shermali Gunawardena studies ‘traffic jams’ in brain cells with the hope of unraveling the origins of disease.

Fifteen University at Buffalo students have received 2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, presented to them by SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson April 10 at an awards ceremony in Albany.

A UB study uncovers a complex story that hints at how adaptable — yet delicate — we are as a species.

The Ada Lovelace Fellowship covers tuition and fees for three years for students who are members of underrepresented groups in computing.

UB biologists are serving as consultants on the ultimate middle school science project: growing potatoes in space.