Department of Biology

Polymorphism

Shell color polymorphism in Littorina obtusata.

Malaria parasites

Malaria parasites (and their kin) can be viewed as minimal eukaryotes, harboring a nucleus (yellow), a secretory pathway the Golgi (purple) and specialized ‘rhotpry’ organelle (black), and two endosymbiotic organelles, the mitochondrion (red) and apicoplast (green).

Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli cells with fluorescently labeled chromosomal loci.

Social evolution

Social sharing of liquid food between ant nestmates ©Alexander Wild

Feeding worker and queen

Social evolution: honey bee nurse workers rear larvae as either new queens or new workers

Arabidopsis

Wild-type and transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing miR156, a microRNA that promotes juvenility and increases the rate of leaf initiation

Bacterial Microcolonies

Cell-to-cell variability of Vibrio choerae expressing green fluorescent protein from a flagellar promoter.

Bacterial Respiratory Complex

Structural model of a bacterial respiratory complex III: remember that when you respire, your complex III perspires to produce your body's energy.

News

Doris Wagner named Robert I. Williams Term Professor of Biology

March 14, 2018

Congratulations to Doris Wagner on this honor!
Award winning voodoo lily

March 12, 2018

Greenhouse and Garden Manager Josh Darfler reports the Amorphophallus konjac, voodoo lily, is once again blooming in the Lynch Laboratory greenhouses. The greenhouse staff is especially excited this year because one of our two A. konjac flowers won third place at the 2018 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, and now our second one is just opening up! Be sure to come by the greenhouse for a real olfactory surprise, but be quick the flowers don’t last long.
Biology Graduate Student, Bianca Charbonneau's research on sand dunes is featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

October 16, 2017

In the October 15, 2017 New Jersey edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bianca's research on grasses and dune strength is featured, including a description of her wind tunnel set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The wind tunnel helps Bianca and her team understand the impact of strong winds on the sand dunes and the dune grasses.
Mia Levine wins the 2017 Allan Wilson Junior Award for Independent Research

August 24, 2017

Dr. Levine was recognized for her innovative and creative research into how intra-genomic conflict affects the evolution of DNA packaging proteins. The award is given annually to exceptional members of the Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution (SMBE) community who are in the early stages of an independent research career.

More News »

Events

Sarah Kocher, Princeton

April 24, 2018 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Tedori Family Auditorium, Levin Building
Yukiko Yamashita, University of Michigan

April 26, 2018 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Tedori Family Auditorium, Levin Building

Highlights

Flowers all year long

Josh Darfler, Greenhouse and Garden Manager

The James G. Kaskey Memorial Park sits on the grounds of the University of Pennsylvania’s original botanic garden planted in the late 1800s. Today, its three acres provide a green oasis on the south end of Penn’s urban campus, surrounded by the Department of Biology. The Park staff continues to increase the diversity of plants growing within those boundaries and there is something of interest to see almost every day of the year. As winter lingers, sweet smelling Chimonanthus praecox (yellow wintersweet) are blooming, along with Camellia japonica (camellia) cultivars. When spring finally arrives, the ephemerals will begin to bloom - be on the lookout for Erythronium americanum (trout lilies), Trillium (trillium) species, and Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) to begin flowering. Follow the Kaskey Park on Facebook and Instagram (@upennbiopond) to enjoy the progression of flowers throughout the year.