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Read more about the article Fifth in the series : Prof. Janet Heasman
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Fifth in the series : Prof. Janet Heasman

For the last week of March and as the end of our mini-series, we are pleased to present Prof. Janet Heasman. She has dedicated her career to vertebrate development using Xenopus laevis as a model.  Biography Her contribution to Xenopus science Conclusion References Biography Janet Heasman was born in Hartlepool, England (1,2). She attended University College Hospital Medical School in London and in the second year, she took an intercalated BSc degree in J.Z. Young’s Anatomy department where she met her husband, Christopher Wylie (1,2) . Janet succeeded her BCs…

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31 March 2023
Read more about the article Fourth in the series : Hilde Mangold
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Fourth in the series : Hilde Mangold

To continue the March series of articles on women, we are pleased to introduce a woman who greatly contributed to the understanding of cell fate in the development of amphibian embryos, such as Xenopus laevis. This woman is Hilde Mangold, a German biologist of the early 20th century. Biography Hilde Mangold's contribution to the concept of organizer Conclusion References Biography Hilde Mangold, previously Proeschold, was born on 20 October 1898 in Gotha in Germany (1–3). At the age of 16, she entered the Gymnasium Ernestinum where she was one of…

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23 March 2023
Read more about the article Third in the series : Dr. Sharon Amacher
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Third in the series : Dr. Sharon Amacher

For the third week of our special Women’s month, we are going to present to you Dr. Sharon Amacher, an American scientist who dedicates her research to understanding muscle development, patterning and disease.  Biography Her contribution to zebrafish research Conclusion References Biography Sharon Amacher completed her entire academic studies in the United States. She first attended the University in California Berkeley to obtain a Bachelors Degree in Physiology. She then continued her studies at the University of Washington in Seattle where she obtained a PhD in biochemistry in 1993. After…

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16 March 2023
Read more about the article Second in the series : Dr. Kerstin Howe
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Second in the series : Dr. Kerstin Howe

For the second week of our Women in Science month, we are pleased to present Dr. Kerstin Howe. She is a German computational biologist working on genomic sequences (1). Biography Her contribution to zebrafish research Conclusion References Biography Kerstin Howe was born in Germany. She studied Biology at the Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany where she had her diploma in 1994 and after a year working in industry returned to university to obtain a  PhD in genetics in 1999 (1,2). After she finished her PhD, she worked for one…

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8 March 2023
Read more about the article First in the series : Prof. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
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First in the series : Prof. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard

In March we celebrate women’s history. And we have taken this great celebration to highlight important women in the history of aquatic models research, especially zebrafish and xenopus. Every Friday of this month, we will publish one article on the fantastic discoveries made by a woman.  Today we are honored to present to you Prof. Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, a german developmental biologist and Nobel laureate.  Biography Her contribution to zebrafish research Conclusion References Biography Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard was born on October 20, 1942 in Frankfurt. Her father was an architect and her…

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2 March 2023
Read more about the article Do zebrafish fall in love?
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Do zebrafish fall in love?

Valentine's Day just passed and zebrafish show us their dance again. In fact, male zebrafish have a special way to seduce females: they court females by dancing!  By being an emergent model in biology and medicine, zebrafish are more and more studied and used. But do we really know about their social behavior? This article tries to better understand zebrafish breeding and mating choice in order to increase egg production in fish facilities and laboratories.  Zebrafish and its life cycle Mating choice The courtship Conclusion References Zebrafish and its life…

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21 February 2023
Read more about the article Xenopus laevis chromosomes in the Christmas spirit
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Xenopus laevis chromosomes in the Christmas spirit

Christmas is coming and even the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) cells are in the Christmas spirit. In fact their cells contain a structure that looks like Christmas trees. But what is this particular structure? They are rRNA transcription units in chromatin spreads. And what does this mean? Keep reading to understand it! In this article we will explain the genetic and transcription bases of this structure. DNA and RNA Christmas tree structure  Conclusion References DNA and RNA All living organisms are built from deoxyribonucleotide acid (DNA). In animals, most…

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23 December 2022
Read more about the article Where do our aquatic models come from ?
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Where do our aquatic models come from ?

Did you know that the EggSorter works with small biological entities from different species: from zebrafish, medaka and killifish eggs to xenopus oocytes and embryos? Sounds cool, right? But do you know where these species exactly come from and what they are used for in research? This article presents the ecology of these organisms and gives a glimpse of how they are used in research. Zebrafish Medaka Killifish African clawed frog Conclusion References Zebrafish The zebrafish is used as a model organism in laboratories because they are easy to feed…

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26 November 2022
Read more about the article Do zebrafish like classical music ?
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Do zebrafish like classical music ?

In laboratories and fish facilities, environmental noise management is essential to ensure the well-being of zebrafish and optimize their reproduction. Noises from the aquarium facility, as well as from human activities, can influence zebrafish behavior. In this article, we talk about how fish react to environmental sounds and how music, especially classical music can positively influence fish behavior and make experiments more reliable. Zebrafish hearing Anthropogenic sound effects on zebrafish Classical music effects on zebrafish Conclusion References  Zebrafish hearing Zebrafish can detect sounds, vibrations and motion through their well-developed auditory…

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21 October 2022
Read more about the article How can zebrafish embryos help to find a personalized treatment for leukemia?
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How can zebrafish embryos help to find a personalized treatment for leukemia?

September is blood cancer awareness month. Leukemia is the broad term for blood cancer, and just in Switzerland, there are more than 1000 new cases listed per year. It is also the most common childhood cancer (1). The diversity of leukemia and the ineffectiveness of current treatments call for new treatments tailored to each individual, using the patient's own tumor cells. Zebrafish are interesting for personalized medicine due to their similarities with human genetics and physiology. In fact, about 70% of human disease genes have an equivalence in zebrafish (2). …

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13 September 2022