Sophia Friesen

Developmental Biology

University of California, Berkeley

“A camel is a horse built by committee.” This quote, by the designer of the Mini car, illustrates the challenges of teamwork. Especially when communication is limited, groups of humans often struggle to reach a collective goal. But when groups of cells in a developing body - whether camel, horse, or other - make decisions about growth and division, they’re able to reach collective outcomes with remarkable accuracy. In my graduate research, I study how cells communicate with each other to grow, divide, and ultimately produce an organ of the right size and shape. I’m also interested in improving human communication through better science education and outreach.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash  

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Changing your microbiome could be as easy as taking a walk in the park

Bacteria from soil, plants, and air transfer to your body when you go outside, potentially bringing health benefits

Sophia Friesen

cocoparisienne / Pixabay

Extinction risks in a rapidly warming planet depend on previous slow temperature swings

Considering "climate memory" changes the risk calculation as much as an organism's geographic range or abundance

Sophia Friesen
a leafcutter ant carrying a piece of leaf with another ant holding on for a ride

Kathy & sam on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

An array of bacteria and fungi help leafcutter ants break down toxic leaves

The ants and the microbes work as a team to digest rainforest vegetation

Sophia Friesen