Welcome to the Department of Biology
Biology Department News
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Chiari research team draws crowd to Akron
The Conquer Chiari Research Center at UA — the first of its kind — opens its doors for an open house. -
Donation of wetlands to UA honored with national award
The Environmental Law Institute is honoring Steve and Jerry Panzner for their gift of 104 acres of restored wetlands to The University of Akron for use as a living laboratory. -
Graduate student endeavors to answer a whale of a question
Leptin is the "fat hormone" that tells the brain when to stop eating. Whales have the hormone too, so why doesn't it work? -
One Glue, Two Functions
While the common house spider may be creepy, it may be the key to developing adhesives for human applications, such as wound healing and industrial-strength tape. -
The new skinny on leptin
Obesity hormone linked to hearing and vision problems in new research study.
Hope Ball - Integrated Biosciences PhD student
Research Spotlight: Biology
Studying "Obese" Whales to Understand Human Obesity
How do mammals get fat and stay fat? Specifically, how do whales do it? That’s what researchers in UA Biology are trying to finout out. To do so, Hope Ball, a PhD student in the Integrated Biosciences program is looking at tiny protein called leptin that’s involved in how the body regulates how much it eats and how much energy it burns. The goal for mammals is typically to find a balance between food intake and energy burn. Whales, and other obese mammals, have found a way to build large fat stores despite this balance but rather than being obese they appear to be healthy and happy as fat mammals. Learn More
