Neurotrophic interactions occur in Drosophila, but to date no neurotrophic factor had been found. Neurotrophins are the main vertebrate secreted signalling molecules that link nervous system structure and function: they regulate neuronal survival, targeting, synaptic plasticity, memory and cognition. Here we have identified a neurotrophic factor in flies, Drosophila Neurotrophin (DNT1), structurally related to all known neurotrophins and highly conserved in insects. By investigating with...

What does it mean to age successfully? After all, aren’t we accomplishing this just by being alive? The term "successful aging" is vague and leaves much to the imagination. Yet, there is a growing interest in this topic. UCSD’s Stein Institute for Research on Aging has embarked on its own research project to discover the secrets to success. This presentation provides insights related to successful aging and discuss current research findings and proposed models.

In the final episode of this 3 part video series on how to optimize antibiotic use and minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens, Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, goes in depth on the use of antimicrobial drugs in agriculture, their efficacy, and adverse human health consequences. Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, discusses policy, regulatory and...

This video shows a demonstration of how to use a custom made steam collector designed to condense steam from geothermal vents (aka., fumaroles). This device was used used to collect samples of halophilic Archaea from fumaroles around the world, work which was published in:

Ellis, D., R.W. Bizzoco, and S.T. Kelley. (2008) Halophilic Archaea identified in fumarole steam vapor from vents around the world. Environmental Microbiology, 10: 1582-1590.

This video shows the life cycle of the sea biscuit Clypeaster subdepressus and is part of my master's thesis project at the Biosciences Institute of University of São Paulo. We collected adults from sand beds of São Sebastião Channel (São Sebastião, SP, Brazil) and induced gamete release (eggs and sperm). We did the fertilization in vitro and followed the embryonic development in the laboratory, under light microscopy. Embryos become swimming larvae, approximately 0.2 mm wide,...

On September 18, 2008 at the Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, discussed how to optimize antibiotic use and how to minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens. In part 2 of this 3 part video series, Dr. Levy discusses how antibiotic resistance develops, the development...