BYU students find a way to extend longevity of cadavers
BYU student Ayden Olsen and graduate Craig Reeves worked together to find that glycerol is an effective humectant to combat the drying and aging of cadavers in the BYU anatomy lab. The two presented their findings at the College Undergraduate Research Award (CURA) conference in Nov. 2021 and won first place.
According to Olsen and Reeves, excessive amounts of dried tissues make it difficult for students to effectively identify aspects of the body. “What usually happens in these cadaver labs is that the lower extremity muscles—we’re talking, like, the lower leg—end up going into overtime drying, which distorts the natural look of the muscle,” Reeves said. “You’re not actually learning what it looks like.
Cell biology student Rachel Prince will continue their research as Olsen and Reeves graduate and move forward.
BYU professor and students help discover first known depictions of two biblical heroines
BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew Grey and a group of students helped uncover the first-known depiction of two biblical heroines in the Huqoq synagogue this summer.
According Grey, the group was brushing dirt from a mosaic on the synagogue floor when they realized they were looking at the story of Jael and Sisera the Canaanite. “We brought out a phone and pulled up Judges 4 to read the story while we uncovered the scene,” Grey said.
BYU faculty and students have worked with other universities since 2011 to excavate the synagogue near the Sea of Galilee. As they continued to uncover the mosaic, they also discovered a depiction of the prophetess Deborah.
