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School of Life Sciences News

Life sciences involves studies of living organisms and their life processes, including their evolution and relationships with other living organisms and our planet. The courses and programs offered by the School of Life Sciences are designed for those students pursuing professional careers in medicine, science, and science education.

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Current Life Sciences News

UNLV Newsmakers 2026: Summer Edition
students walking down stairs past UNLV signage, with the Flashlight sculpture in the background
Campus News |

A selection of prominent headlines featuring UNLV experts from July and August.

From Lake Mead to the Backyard: Water Conservation 101
Colorado River 2026
People |

Longtime UNLV soil, water, and plant scientist Dale Devitt shatters sustainability myths and shares lawn care tips and tricks to maximize water conservation for desert living.

Using Water Wisely and Making it Count
Center for Urban Water Conservation plants
Research |

As allocations from the Colorado River further squeeze the Las Vegas Valley’s water resources, innovation from UNLV's Center for Urban Water Conservation may ease the burden on plants and communities.

UNLV’s Wild Side
A desert cottontail rabbit in the landscaping.
Campus News |

Meet some of the Mojave Desert critters that call our campus home.

A Career in Conservation Led This Alumnus Back to Graduate Research
Danny Villanueva talks with students visiting Ash Meadows
Research |

Daniel Villanueva returns to the School of Life Sciences to help address challenges facing the endangered Devils Hole pupfish.

A New Wave of Ecology
Wetlands Park
Research |

Through field work at the Clark County Wetlands, two UNLV graduate students are providing scientific data to help restore habitats and evaluate the health of its newest trees.

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Life Sciences In The News

Is a Falcon Visiting Your Home a Sign? Here’s What Experts Say About This Powerful Encounter
PetHelpful

Don’t brush it off as just another bird. From scientific reasons to ancient spiritual symbolism, here is what that repeated visitor is really trying to tell you.

Tree survey studies health and progress of new local forests
WTVG 13 Action News

The next time you’re in one of Toledo’s 19 Metroparks, you might see a bunch of 4 feet tall plastic tubes with trees growing out of them. But that’s not litter: those plastic tubes are actually helping the trees grow.

Key brain circuit regulating hibernation found at last
Science

Discovery in hamsters suggests path toward inducing hibernation in mammals that don’t do it naturally.

Plant biodiversity is increasing on Metroparks property, report shows
The Blade

Two-thirds of Metroparks Toledo plant sites examined over a recent six-year period showed biodiversity gains, a new report shows.

13 Reasons Hummingbirds Aren’t Visiting Your Yard—and How to Fix Them
Good Housekeeping

It could be unreliable feeders, unreachable nectar, or the lack of a water feature, to name a few.

The Flower Colors Hummingbirds Can’t Resist, According to Ornithologists
Real Simple

Turn your garden into a hummingbird magnet.

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Life Sciences Experts

Eduardo A. Robleto
An expert on mutagenesis, DNA repair, and bacterial genetics.
Sean Neiswenter
An expert on mammals.
Martin Schiller
An expert in bioinformatics, virology, AIDS/HIV, Alzheimer's disease, and genetics.
Allen Gibbs
An expert in insect physiology and evolution.
Helen J. Wing
An expert on bacterial gene regulation and bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, Shigella, and Salmonella. 
Scott Abella
An expert in ecology, fire management, and U.S. National Parks.
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Recent Life Sciences Accomplishments

Ernesto Abel-Santos, Rochelle Hines, Brach Poston, Manoj Sharma
Ernesto Abel-Santos (Chemistry and Biochemistry), Rochelle Hines (Psychology), Brach Poston (Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences) and Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health) have been awarded a $2,189,956 National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 grant, the Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (GRISE), for 2026-31. The…
Prasun Guha
Prasun Guha (Life Sciences) gave a talk at the FASEB Acetylation International Meeting (2026) in Porto, Portugal.
Drew Peltier
Drew Peltier (Life Sciences) co-authored a new meta-analysis in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled "Divergent trait controls on soluble sugars and starch underlie global strategies of tree carbohydrate storage." This study showed that phylogeny and functional traits—especially stomatal regulation, photosynthetic…
Aude Picard, Cheyenne Brokaw, Patrice Boyd
Aude Picard (Life Sciences) and Cheyenne Brokaw (Law) and master's student Patrice Boyd (English) recently published a research article in the journal Geobiology, titled: "Membrane Vesicle Formation Removes Iron Sulfide Mineral Crusts From the Cell Surface of Growing Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria." In this project, funded by NSF EPSCoR, the team…
Helen Wing, Monika Karney, Taylor Gerson
Monika Karney, alumna Taylor Gerson, and Helen Wing (Life Sciences) published a paper in Nucleic Acids Research (Oxford University Press). Gerson completed her Ph.D. in December and is a post-doc at Scripps Research, San Diego, Calif. Karney is a self-funded MS student who works as a lab manager on Wing's team. 
Prasun Guha, Sujan Chatterjee et al.
Published in Nature Communications, a new study from Prasun Guha’s (Life Sciences) laboratory, led by Sujan Chatterjee (Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine) et al., discovered that the small molecule IP6 (phytic acid) acts within the nucleus and is essential and sufficient for activating the HDAC3 epigenetic axis. The study further…
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