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Life Sciences

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Empowering women: A Q&A with the 2022 student commencement speaker

April 18, 2022
At BYU’s commencement exercises this week, University Honors student Emilee Carr will represent the graduates as the student speaker. A molecular biology major with a minor in chemistry, Carr, like her fellow classmates, has accrued many achievements as a BYU undergraduate.
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First-generation college grad will use degree to serve rural, Latino populations

April 15, 2022
The needs Paoloa Piña saw in her hometown motivated her to prepare for a career in healthcare when she came to BYU. Graduating this year with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and wellness and a minor in gerontology, she plans to become a physician assistant specializing in women’s health and wants to work with rural Latino populations.
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BYU earns No. 1 Overall ‘Seed’ in Landscaping Championship; Brings title back to home turf

March 25, 2022
This past week BYU took home its fourth-consecutive National Collegiate Landscape Title, a championship that means BYU is once again best in the land for taking care of land… and water and rocks and trees and shrubs.




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State-funded BYU study finds elk move when hunting season starts — and it's causing problems

February 16, 2022
Research from BYU wildlife sciences professors finds that when hunting season starts, elk in Utah move off of public lands — where they can be hunted — and onto private lands — where they cannot be hunted. And then, when hunting season is over, they shift right back to public lands.



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BYU researchers discover locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees

January 31, 2022
BYU researchers led a project to locate the ancient site of Maya cacao tree groves. Their work led them to sinkholes in the Yucatan, where they conducted soil anaylses to confirm evidence of cacao, a plant considered divine by the Maya.
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BYU researchers sequenced the quinoa genome. Now they’re introducing hybrids of the crop to developing nations

January 11, 2022
As soils across the world become less fertile and more desert-like due to climate change, it’s getting harder for farmers, especially those in developing nations, to grow basic life-preserving crops such as corn, wheat and rice.
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BYU research: Higher genetic risk for multiple sclerosis means earlier onset of the disease

December 14, 2021
Scientists at BYU are now zeroing in on a potential clue to unravel how severe a patient’s multiple sclerosis prognosis might look: genetic risk. A new study finds people who have a higher genetic risk for the disease are likely to have accelerated onset of MS.
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BYU study: Want to maximize the health outcomes of fasting? Start your fast with exercise

November 24, 2021
Exercise at the start of a fast can make a big difference. A BYU study finds when participants exercised, they reached ketosis on average three and a half hours earlier in the fast and produced 43% more the ketone-like chemical BHB.
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A megafire induced over a century’s worth of erosion near Utah Lake — but there’s more to the story, say BYU scientists

October 22, 2021
In burned watersheds where the wildfire had consumed stabilizing vegetation and leaf litter, the rain had caused massive erosion. There was a 2,000-fold increase in sediment flux compared to unburned areas, creating a plume of ash and soil moving into Utah Lake that was visible from space.
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BYU joins three medical schools on $4 million NFL study for hamstring injuries

October 18, 2021
Brigham Young University is one of four universities partnering on a new $4 million NFL grant to study the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries among football players.


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BYU, University of Colorado scientists may have discovered the most lifeless place on Earth

August 12, 2021
A group of scientists from Brigham Young University and the University of Colorado have found a remote location deep in the icy heart of Antarctica’s Transantarctic Mountains where the soil contains no distinguishable sign of life. It represents the first time humans have discovered earthly soil that appears uninhabitable.
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BYU major partner in project to combat Alzheimer's, dementia in Native, Pacific Islander communities

August 09, 2021
BYU is a major partner in a new $14.6-million National Institute on Aging-funded project to expand treatment and research on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups.
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BYU biologists travel the world to chart over 6,300 dragonfly species

July 28, 2021
A team of BYU biologists has been tracking dragonflies around the world, from Vietnam to the islands of Vanuatu. Their goal is to piece together the first-ever phylogenic tree of all 6,300 known species and their ancestors.
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Finding Joy and Hope in Public Health Work

April 20, 2021
A Q&A with the 2021 student commencement speaker
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Ph.D. Graduate Shares His Passion for the Outdoors with the Next Generation of Students

April 18, 2021
For BYU Ph.D. graduate Steve Bates, the popular tune “Home on the Range” hits close to home. Since 1999, Bates has worked as the wildlife manager at Antelope Island State Park in Utah, and he knows a thing or two about the land “where the buffalo roam.” He’s accustomed to the dazzling sunrises and picturesque settings the island offers – and he’s dedicated much of his life to researching, preserving and protecting the wildlife living there.
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Awards Season 2021: Regardless of discipline, BYU students are taking home the hardware

April 13, 2021
From anthropology to graphic design, BYU students are winning their fair share of year-end awards for excellence in their field of study.


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New research on Alzheimer’s Disease shows ‘lifestyle origin at least in some degree’

March 31, 2021
AD-stricken brains show a genetic deficit in ability to use glucose
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BYU study: Alcohol-free hand sanitizer just as effective against COVID-19 virus as alcohol-based versions

December 03, 2020
A new BYU study, recently published in The Journal of Hospital Infection, finds that alcohol-free hand sanitizer is just as effective at disinfecting surfaces from the COVID-19 virus as alcohol-based products.


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