Morphological Entanglement in Living Systems.

Many organisms exhibit branching morphologies that twist around each other and become entangled. Entanglement occurs when different objects interlock with each other, creating complex and often irreversible configurations. This physical phenomenon is well studied in nonliving materials, such as granular matter, polymers, and wires, where it has been shown that entanglement is highly sensitive to the geometry of the component parts.

Whole-genome duplication in the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment.

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) is widespread across eukaryotes and can promote adaptive evolution. However, given the instability of newly-formed polyploid genomes, understanding how WGDs arise in a population, persist, and underpin adaptations remains a challenge. Using our ongoing Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment (MuLTEE), we show that diploid snowflake yeast () under selection for larger multicellular size rapidly undergo spontaneous WGD.

Emergence and maintenance of stable coexistence during a long-term multicellular evolution experiment.

The evolution of multicellular life spurred evolutionary radiations, fundamentally changing many of Earth's ecosystems. Yet little is known about how early steps in the evolution of multicellularity affect eco-evolutionary dynamics. Through long-term experimental evolution, we observed niche partitioning and the adaptive divergence of two specialized lineages from a single multicellular ancestor.

The biophysical basis of bacterial colony growth.

Bacteria often attach to surfaces and grow densely-packed communities called biofilms. As biofilms grow, they expand across the surface, increasing their surface area and access to nutrients. Thus, the overall growth rate of a biofilm is directly dependent on its "range expansion" rate.

Spontaneous Emergence of Multicellular Heritability.

The major transitions in evolution include events and processes that result in the emergence of new levels of biological individuality. For collectives to undergo Darwinian evolution, their traits must be heritable, but the emergence of higher-level heritability is poorly understood and has long been considered a stumbling block for nascent evolutionary transitions. Using analytical models, synthetic biology, and biologically-informed simulations, we explored the emergence of trait heritability during the evolution of multicellularity.

De novo evolution of macroscopic multicellularity.

While early multicellular lineages necessarily started out as relatively simple groups of cells, little is known about how they became Darwinian entities capable of sustained multicellular evolution. Here we investigate this with a multicellularity long-term evolution experiment, selecting for larger group size in the snowflake yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) model system. Given the historical importance of oxygen limitation, our ongoing experiment consists of three metabolic treatments-anaerobic, obligately aerobic and mixotrophic yeast.

Emergence and maintenance of stable coexistence during a long-term multicellular evolution experiment.

The evolution of multicellular life spurred evolutionary radiations, fundamentally changing many of Earth’s ecosystems. Yet little is known about how early steps in the evolution of multicellularity transform eco-evolutionary dynamics, e.g.

Varied solutions to multicellularity: The biophysical and evolutionary consequences of diverse intercellular bonds.

The diversity of multicellular organisms is, in large part, due to the fact that multicellularity has independently evolved many times. Nonetheless, multicellular organisms all share a universal biophysical trait: cells are attached to each other. All mechanisms of cellular attachment belong to one of two broad classes; intercellular bonds are either reformable or they are not.

Cellular organization in lab-evolved and extant multicellular species obeys a maximum entropy law.

The prevalence of multicellular organisms is due in part to their ability to form complex structures. How cells pack in these structures is a fundamental biophysical issue, underlying their functional properties. However, much remains unknown about how cell packing geometries arise, and how they are affected by random noise during growth - especially absent developmental programs.

Geometry, packing, and evolutionary paths to increased multicellular size.

The evolutionary transition to multicellularity transformed life on earth, heralding the evolution of large, complex organisms. Recent experiments demonstrated that laboratory-evolved multicellular "snowflake yeast" readily overcome the physical barriers that limit cluster size by modifying cellular geometry [Jacobeen et al., Nat.

Zwitterionic, cationic, and anionic fluorinated chemicals in aqueous film forming foam formulations and groundwater from U.S. military bases by nonaqueous large-volume injection HPLC-MS/MS.

A new analytical method was developed to quantify 26 newly-identified and 21 legacy (e.g. perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, and fluorotelomer sulfonates) per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) formulations.

Multiple-site concerted proton-electron transfer reactions of hydrogen-bonded phenols are nonadiabatic and well described by semiclassical Marcus theory.

Photo-oxidations of hydrogen-bonded phenols using excited-state polyarenes are described to derive fundamental understanding of multiple-site concerted proton-electron transfer reactions (MS-CPET). Experiments have examined phenol bases having -CPh(2)NH(2), -Py, and -CH(2)Py groups ortho to the phenol hydroxyl group and tert-butyl groups in the 4,6-positions for stability (HOAr-NH(2), HOAr-Py, and HOAr-CH(2)Py, respectively; Py = pyridyl; Ph = phenyl). The photo-oxidations proceed by intramolecular proton transfer from the phenol to the pendent base concerted with electron transfer to the excited polyarene.