Natural Sciences Seminar Series – Aging and Comparative Biology

Join us to learn about the active science research programs at Le Moyne and beyond. Speakers include Le Moyne College students and faculty as well as scientists from other colleges, universities, and the private sector.

“Aging and Comparative Biology,” Nicholas Macoretta II, Ph.D. ’16, biochemistry and molecular biology program at the University of Rochester. Macoretta graduated from Le Moyne in 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, focusing on molecular biology, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. He also minored in music. While at Le Moyne, Macoretta researched the alga hydrodictyon reticulatem and its potential cryptic diversity under the supervision of Dr. Hilary McManus. This research focused on sequencing several algal samples and performing phylogenetic analyses to determine if there were multiple strains or subspecies currently classified within one species that was only previously determined by morphology. He received his Master’s of Science in pursuit of a Ph.D. in 2018. Macoretta’s research focused on epigenetic mechanisms of aging. Specifically, he studied the role of histone post-translationalmodifications in longevity using a comparative biological approach. Here, he characterized trends in these modifications across over 20 species and demonstrated how targeting the levels of these modifications via pharmaceutical interventions reduced frailty in old mice.

All events will be held at 3:30 p.m. in room 100 of the science addition. Sponsored by Le Moyne College and the natural science departments. Contact Dr. H. John Sharifi (sharifhj@lemoyne.edu) for more information.