Pheronym Inc. Is Making Advancements in Pheromone-Based Nematode Research
Pheronym Inc., a company started by former UF researcher Fatma Kaplan, Ph.D., has developed technology to create pheromones that can control the actions of nematodes, one of the most abundant creatures on Earth.
Over 20 years ago, Kaplan began researching ways to use pheromones, which are external chemical triggers that influence mating and other behaviors. According to Kaplan, there are both good and bad nematodes, with the good ones attacking other insect pests in the soil to kill them or keep them from mating.
Host Immunity Drives Viral Evolution of Dengue
New research by a team of University of Florida investigators, and others, provides evidence that host immunity drives the evolution of the dengue virus.
How NASA Is Using Synthetic DNA in Its Search for Alien Life
In the coming decades, new rovers will roam the sands of Mars. An orbiter will sample the seas of Jupiter’s moon Europa. A drone will grace the skies of Saturn’s moon Titan. Mission planners dream of equipping these mechanical scouts with instruments capable of scouring the unknown environments for signs of life, but the technology […]
Zika Epidemic Likely Suppressed Dengue in Latin America
When the Zika epidemic burned through the Americas in 2015, it was transmitted in the same areas where the dengue virus was already endemic. This was not unexpected, as both viruses are genetically and antigenically similar, and they also share the same mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus. But what was surprising was how […]