 A natural history expert and museum executive, Joel A. Bartsch has a career spanning 40 years in this field. For his contributions, Joel Bartsch has been recognized by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) which gave him the 2004 Carnegie Medal Recipient for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Mineralogy.
The CMNH announced in a press release that a team of researchers, including experts from the CMNH, unearthed a discovery of major significance. Called the rarest of rare discoveries, the team found a dinosaur preserved on a nest of eggs containing embryos. The fossils belong to a group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs that are classified as oviraptorosaur. These dinosaur birds existed during the third part of the Mesozoic Era (Dinosaur Age), or the Cretaceous Era, which lasted from between 145 to 66 million years ago. The researchers discovered an incomplete large, adult skeleton crouched in a brood-like position over at least 24 eggs. Seven of the eggs contain unhatched embryos or partial skeletons. The way the researchers found the dinosaur and the eggs gives them a few bits of information. For one, it tells them that the dinosaur died in the process of incubating eggs, and this was surmised after using oxygen isotope tests that indicated the eggs had a high temperature, which would correlate with eggs being incubated. Also, because the eggs seemed to contain both embryos and skeletons, it indicates the eggs hatched at different times.
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 Before embarking on his 40-year career in history and natural science, Joel A. Bartsch attended Concordia University, where he earned a degree in seminary studies. In fact, Concordia University recognized Joel Bartsch in 2001, giving him the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions in Science and Mathematics.
Concordia University announced a student-friendly institution in January 2020 with its partnership with RaiseMe to help high school students raise money to attend college. RaiseMe is a platform that allows students to raise money for college through micro-scholarships. Beginning in their freshman year, students can build micro-scholarships-upwards 10,000-to go toward attending classes at the university. Students can prepare the online profile through RaiseMe in four steps. The first step involves the student researching colleges participating in the platform to get information related to annual costs, popular majors, and other important pieces of information. Students can build their high school portfolios, including information related to their GPA, volunteer activities, clubs, sports, etc. Finally, students earn micro-scholarships based on the information provided and redeem this money once enrolled in Concordia University courses.  Joel A. Bartsch has served as CEO and president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) since2004. While overseeing the HMNS, Joel Bartsch has also been working toward finishing his doctorate at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
A research team, including a Rice University synthetic biologist, has discovered that light-controlled genes could impact gut health through bacteria metabolite called colonic acid (CA). In a study published in eLife, researchers used bacteria in the gut of worms to turn bacteria genes on and off using various colors of light. The study revealed that bacteria genes exposed to longer light translated into longer life for worms. Concerning humans, this discovery begins with the gut bacteria C. elegans, the mitochondrial processes, energy, and the process of aerobic cellular respiration (how food is turned into energy). Typically described as the powerhouse of the cell, the mitochondria generate energy (ATP). In the thousands, these mitochondria regulate the balance between fusion and fission. As people age, the ability of the mitochondria to regulate this balance declines in the cells. In earlier studies, CA was proven to regulate the balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion in intestinal and muscle cells to extend longevity. The study ultimately found that CA does positively affect intestinal cells in the short-term, but they could not, without a doubt, determine whether there was a positive effect for the worms’ muscle cells. These findings revealed that CA's longevity effects begin in the gut and then spread throughout the other tissues in the body. The research study has larger implications for gut bacteria and its connection to health or disease. While many believe health begins in the gut, scientists would have to control the metabolite (CA) to show cause and effect. Furthermore, because of the complexity of the human intestinal tract, scientists have to turn on genes at specific places to determine what to eat to improve gut bacteria for better health outcomes and treat disease. |
AuthorMuseum Executive Joel Bartsch. Archives
March 2022
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