Biological Sciences

UC Berkeley and Harvard Jointly Launch Study of Psychedelics’ Influence on Art, History and Human Existence

November 29, 2023

On November 15, the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University announced a new, collaborative initiative that will expand psychedelic research across the arts, humanities and social sciences. Called “Psychedelics in Society and Culture,” the joint effort between the nation’s foremost public and private universities will foster new ways of thinking and partnering to answer some of the most pressing and intriguing questions surrounding psychedelics and society.

While much research to date has centered on the important potential of therapeutic...

https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/research-art-history-culture/

Innovative design achieves tenfold better resolution for functional MRI brain imaging

November 29, 2023
Robert Sanders

An intense international effort to improve the resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for studying the human brain has culminated in an ultra-high resolution 7 Tesla scanner that records up to 10 times more detail than current 7T scanners and over 50 times more detail than current 3T scanners, the mainstay of most hospitals.

The dramatically improved resolution means that scientists can see functional MRI (fMRI) features 0.4 millimeters across, compared to the 2 or 3 millimeters typical of today's standard 3T fMRIs.

"The NexGen 7T scanner is a new tool that allows us...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/11/27/innovative-design-achieves-tenfold-better-r…

Dr. Samantha Lewis receives 2023 Prytanean Faculty Enrichment Award

October 31, 2023

Headshot of Sam LewisThe Prytanean Honor Society Alumnae Board recently announced the selection of Dr. Samantha C. Lewis, UC Berkeley assistant professor of cell biology, development and physiology, as the recipient of the 2023 Prytanean Faculty Enrichment Award, along with a $35,000 grant. This honor recognizes...

Hummingbirds' unique sideways flutter gets them through small apertures

November 14, 2023
Robert Sanders

Screenshot of video showing a side view and bottom view of a hummingbird in black and white

Most birds that flit through dense, leafy forests have a strategy for maneuvering through tight windows in the vegetation — they bend their wings at the wrist or elbow and barrel through.

But hummingbirds can't bend their wing bones during flight, so...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/11/09/hummingbirds-unique-sideways-flutter-gets-t…

L&S Author Interview: Noah Whiteman & "Most Delicious Poison"

October 17, 2023
Chauncey Walker
Noah Whiteman, professor of genetics, genomics, evolution and development and director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at UC Berkeley, speaks about his new book, Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins--From Spices to Vices.

In this interview, Noah Whiteman shares his experience writing Most Delicious Poison, which focuses on the chemicals that plants, fungi, and small animals make to defend themselves from attack. He simultaneously explores how these intricate mechanisms found in nature have found their way into the human experience and our consumption...

Berkeley biologist Samantha Lewis awarded $500,000 grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

November 1, 2023

Headshot of Sam LewisSamantha Lewis, Ph.D., UC Berkeley assistant professor in cell biology, development, and physiology, has been honored with a $500,000 grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)...

MCB alum Xuebiao Yao (PhD '95) receives ASCB Burgess Award

September 15, 2023

Headshot of Xuebiao Yao

2023 Recipient: Xuebiao Yao, University of Science and Technology of China, Cell Dynamics

The ASCB Burgess Award "celebrates and recognizes a scientist with a track record of excellence in research or serves a critical role in fostering cell biology research and has demonstrated the importance of inclusion and diversity in science through mentoring, cultural change, outreach, or...

https://www.ascb.org/ascb-meetings/burgess-award-presentation/

Eva Nogales Wins Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine

May 31, 2023
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Media Relations

Headshot of Eva NogalesEva Nogales, a senior faculty scientist in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab) Biosciences Area, has won the 2023 Shaw Prize in Life Science...

https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/05/31/eva-nogales-wins-shaw-prize-in-life-scienc…

A Call for Community on Campus

October 12, 2023

Chancellor Carol Christ sent to the following message to the Berkeley campus community Thursday afternoon.

We are increasingly concerned by the growing prevalence of online threats, doxxing and harassment connected to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. We decry any calls for violence in any form or support for terrorism as we continue to mourn the loss of innocent life. We understand this rhetoric is creating deep fear and concern among many members of our campus community. With that in mind, we want to share an extraordinary message, written by two of our faculty, one who is...
https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/10/12/a-call-for-community-on-campus

Nature's poisons: Why we love them and abuse them

October 24, 2023
Robert Sanders

Noah Whiteman posing with a sunflower leafAs an evolutionary biologist, Noah Whiteman knows that many chemicals humans abuse — cocaine, heroin, caffeine, alcohol — originated in the continual arms race between plants, fungi or microbes and the animals that want to eat them.

It was only after the death of his father in 2017 from alcohol abuse disorder, however, that the...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/10/24/nature-s-poisons-why-we-love-them-and-abuse…