Some regions are known for their ability to grow the most flavorful agricultural products.   Ancient farmers, through trial and error, determined the best fit between a crop, the soil and weather conditions. They had plenty of land to choose from to find the perfect fields for their crops.  But today, our ability to grow food is becoming limited as the availability of … [Read more...] about Getting to the root to grow understanding

Congenital heart defects affect nearly 40,000 births every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Dr. Ryan Udan, associate professor of biology at Missouri State University, leads studies in his lab to understand how blood-vessel-related birth defects form.  “We want to learn how the smooth muscle tissue grows to surround … [Read more...] about Vascular research as a path toward a cure

Biologist Dr. Jay McEntee believes songbirds – specifically wrens – learn songs from those they are surrounded by. He is conducting research with a student about how these birds learn new and more complex songs. The research project was shared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. … [Read more...] about How a songbird expands its songbook

The California floater mussel, a native freshwater mussel, is on its way to extinction. But Dr. Chris Barnhart, distinguished professor of biology at Missouri State University, is working with ecologist Jonathan Young and a team of others, to reintroduce the California floater mussel to Mountain Lake, — a tiny 2,000-year-old natural lake located on the southern edges of San … [Read more...] about Reintroducing the California floater mussel