William Taylor

During a pivotal and rare quiet moment in last summer’s wildly pink blockbuster Barbie, Margot Robbie in the title role notices an old woman sitting on the bench beside her.

Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) has advanced considerably in the past decade, moving beyond research labs into real-world industrial applications and products. This emerging field creates job opportunities for individuals with diverse technical backgrounds. As the industry grows, there is a pressing need to equip students with quantum-specific skills, quantum awareness, and broader STEM knowledge.

Collagenous connective tissue, found throughout the bodies of metazoans, plays a crucial role in maintaining structural integrity. This versatile tissue has the potential for numerous biomedical applications, including the development of innovative collagen-based biomaterials. Inspiration for such advancements can be drawn from echinoderms, a group of marine invertebrates that includes sea stars, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, sea urchins, and sea lilies. Through their nervous system, these organisms can reversibly control the pliability of their connective tissue components (i.e., tendons and ligaments) that are composed of mutable collagenous tissue (MCT). The variable tensile properties of the MCT allow echinoderms to perform unique functions, including postural maintenance, reduction of muscular energy use, autotomy to avoid predators, and asexual reproduction through fission. The changes in the tensile strength of MCT structures are specifically controlled by specialized neurosecretory cells called juxtaligamental cells. These cells release substances that either soften or stiffen the MCT. So far, only a few of these substances have been purified and characterized, and the genetic underpinning of MCT biology remains unknown. Therefore, we have conducted this research to identify MCT-related genes in echinoderms as a first step towards a better understanding of the MCT molecular control mechanisms. Our ultimate goal is to unlock new biomaterial applications based on this knowledge. In this project, we used RNA-Seq to identify and annotate differentially expressed genes in the MCT structures of the brittle star Ophiomastix wendtii. As a result, we present a list of 16 putative MCT modulator genes, which will be validated and characterized in forthcoming functional analyses.

November 3 - Chefs for Farmers food and wine festival: The Main Event, Old City Park

If you're like me, you are looking forward to days off and holiday feasting. But while we prepare to give thanks at the expense of a turkey's life, perhaps we should also be thinking about those who face more challenges when it comes to putting food on a table. Cody Baker, brand manager and director

Editor’s note: If you occasionally focus your lenses on Preston Hollow happenings and would like to share, please email your high-resolution images with your name and an explanation of your pictures to [email protected].

Commentary by Alexander Palmer, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., and Jennifer Jun Published December 10, 2024

Texas weather may seldom prove conducive to fireside chats, but that hasn’t stopped an independent Dallas co-ed school from invoking the theme in service to the community.

Want a bauble to mark SMU’s incredible 2024 football season and historic trip to the new 12-team College Football Playoffs?

Influenced, in part, by childhood memories of a residential designer her mom used in Little Rock, Lindsay Wilson chose her major midway through her freshman year at the University of Arkansas.