A decade after scientists discovered that lab rats will rescue a fellow rat in distress, but not a rat they consider an outsider, new UC Berkeley research pinpoints the brain regions that drive rats to prioritize their nearest and dearest in times of crisis. It also suggests humans may share the same neural bias.
A new book entitled “What, if Anything, are Species?” by IB Professor Brent Mishler explores this controversial topic in detail, based on 40 years of investigation. He concludes that species are nothing special; entities currently given that rank are simply clades like taxa at all other levels on the tree of life, smaller or larger than the traditional species level. He goes into the advantages of fully rankless classification, and of a multi-level approach to ecology and evolution.
Join IB graduate student Tara Lepore on Thursday, June 10th for another exciting "Grounds for Science" event in UC Berkeley's Science at Cal series. Register for this free event here.
Check out the new Spring 2021 Newsletter, as we welcome the department's new co-chairs to Integrative Biology.
It is with sadness that we share the news that our beloved colleague and friend, David Wake, passed away yesterday morning, surrounded by his family. A native of South Dakota, Dave earned his Ph.D.
Congratulations to Professor Tyrone Hayes. One of six UC Berkeley faculty members and top scholars have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), a 241-year-old organization honoring the country’s most accomplished artists, scholars, scientists and leaders who help solve the world’s most urgent challenges.
The Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times Award is intended to honor UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and student instructors who in 2020 embraced the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and engaged in or supported excellent teaching. These instructors and staff used innovative methods and worked beyond their traditional roles to ensure that students remained engaged and supported, and were challenged to do meaningful work under extraordinary circumstances.
The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution.
Congratulations to:
Dan Kim,
Claire Evensen
Daisy Horr
Congratulations to Carina Galicia on receiving a 2021 UC Berkeley Excellence in Management Award! Galicia is the Director of Student Services for the Biosciences Divisional Services, which oversees undergraduate and graduate student advisors in the Integrative Biology (IB) and Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Departments. "Carina cares about people – the students, the faculty, her staff, all of us. ...Guided by kindness, she treats everyone with respect and dignity."
IB Associate Professor Caroline Williams was one of the lead authors of a new study appearing this week in the journal Global Change Biology. Read more here.
