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BSA 1st meeting of the semester
The Biology Student Association (BSA) is holding their first formal meeting of the semester TODAY at 5pm in the Life Sciences lecture hall (LSB 3). The guest speaker will be Mrs. Marquerite Dillon, a holistic nurse who specializes in psycho-physio therapy.
Free pizza and refreshments will be served at the meeting! Anyone interested in biology is encouraged to join us!
Equal Right for Parasites
- Did you know that 70-80% of all animals are parasites?
- Did you know that parasites operate on a higher spiritual and moral plane than predators?
- We hope you joined us for special presentation on Parasites and discovered why the "creepy, crawly" critters are so important.
Dr. Jack O'Brien was our guide to their unusual world. If you have question, please free to contact him (jobrien@jaguar1.usouthal.edu).
Darwin Day
BSA commemorated Charles Darwin's 200th birthday by throwing a party of sorts. It's hard to believe that it's been 200 years, but you know, time flies. We had fun playing science trivia games, raffling off a bunch of goodies to the attendees, and enjoyed some munchies and cake. If you missed it, 300 will be here before you know it!
See photos of the event in the Photos section of the site.
Using Fungi to track radioactive clouds!!
Lichens, a symbiotic association between a fungus and algae and/or cyanobacteria, have the ability to take up and accumulate heavy metals. After the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, scientists were able to measure the occurrence of caesium-137 in lichens to track the movement of the Chernobyl clouds (Hawksworth 2002). For those of you who are not familiar, the Chernobyl accident (disaster), was and remains the worst nuclear power accident in history.
References:
Hawksworth, David L., 2002. Lichens. Pages 1-6, IN: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. http://www.els.net
Read in: Dr. Mata's Fungal Symbiosis class (490).
Submitted by: Jackie Howell