[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”0deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(255,255,255,0.62) 0%|#ffdbaa 100%” background_image=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/2023_sleep_cycles_bat.png” background_size=”initial” background_position=”center_left” background_horizontal_offset=”10%” background_blend=”soft-light” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”6px||27px||false|false” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ box_shadow_blur=”14px” box_shadow_color=”#000000″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”custom” background_image_height=”100%” background_position=”top_left” custom_margin=”36px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”custom” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”||on|on|||||” header_text_color=”#231f20″ header_font_size=”31px” animation_direction=”right” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(255,255,255,0.62) 0%|#ffdbaa 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”custom” background_image_width=”25%” background_position=”bottom_right” background_horizontal_offset=”-5%” background_blend=”overlay” custom_padding=”2%|0px|2%|0px|true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” custom_margin=”20px||20px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_text_color=”#000000″ header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#231f20″ header_font_size=”55px” header_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|false|false” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”top” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”15px||15px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”270deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ffffff 0%|#ffdbaa 100%” background_enable_image=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” background_blend=”overlay” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Redlich_Ruby.png” alt=”Ruby Redlich” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” transform_translate=”-20px|20px” transform_translate_linked=”off” animation_style=”zoom” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”initial” background_position=”center_right” background_blend=”overlay” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”initial” background_position=”center_right” background_blend=”overlay” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Ruby Redlich\u2019s interest in genetics and sleeping patterns first awakened when she took an introductory computational biology class with Andreas Pfenning<\/a><\/span>, assistant professor of computational biology<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had talked about some projects his lab was working on, and it seemed really interesting,\u201d said Redlich, a senior in biological sciences<\/span><\/a> with a secondary major in computational biology. \u201cI liked the balance in his lab between biology and computer science.\u201d<\/p>\n Redlich joined the Pfenning lab<\/a><\/span> in fall 2021. Under the mentorship of Pfenning and Amanda Kowalczyk, a Neuroscience Institute<\/a><\/span> postdoctoral fellow, she started developing her own research into the evolution of different sleeping patterns and how they are related to genetic markers.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#000000″ divider_style=”dashed” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_testimonial author=”Amanda Kowalczyk” quote_icon_color=”#ffdbaa” quote_icon_background_color=”#FFFFFF” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”||on||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” author_font=”||||||||” author_text_color=”#000000″ position_font=”||on||||||” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”initial” background_position=”center_right” background_blend=”overlay” custom_padding=”|10px|10px|10px|false|true” animation_style=”fade” animation_duration=”1500ms” global_colors_info=”{}” transform_styles__hover_enabled=”on|hover” transform_scale__hover_enabled=”on|hover” transform_translate__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_rotate__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_skew__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” transform_origin__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” use_background_color__hover=”on” background_color__hover=”#FFFFFF” background_enable_color__hover=”on” background__hover_enabled=”on|hover”]<\/p>\n I feel like it\u2019s impossible to overstate how incredible Ruby is at doing research \u2014 it\u2019s genuinely been a joy to work with her and watch her quickly progress and discover new things.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_divider color=”#000000″ divider_style=”dashed” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”270deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ffffff 0%|#ffdbaa 100%” background_enable_image=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” background_blend=”overlay” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/2023_redlitch_sleep_cycles-scaled.jpg” alt=”sleeping patterns” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”13px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Animals follow four major kinds of sleeping patterns: (from bottom left) nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular and cathemeral.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|||||||#000000|solid” header_2_text_color=”#000000″ header_2_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Animals follow four major kinds of sleeping patterns: nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular and cathemeral. Nocturnal animals such as bats are awake at night, diurnal mammals such as squirrels are awake during the day, crepuscular animals such as rabbits are active at dawn and at dusk, and cathemeral mammals such as coyotes have no consistent sleep schedule. Animals in the same order or family can have different sleep patterns.<\/p>\n In the past, researchers have found that sleep patterns are genetic. Redlich wanted to use computational tools to see which genetic markers most determine sleep patterns and how those markers present across mammals.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s impossible to overstate how incredible Ruby is at doing research \u2014 it\u2019s genuinely been a joy to work with her and watch her quickly progress and discover new things,\u201d Kowalczyk said. \u201cShe\u2019s never been afraid to jump right in and take ownership of her project, dig around in the literature to learn everything she can, and become a true expert in her research topic. I think that kind of initiative is what makes her really exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n In her preliminary results, Redlich found that a specific gene implicated in sleep regulation, FAM217A, has evolved differently in nocturnal mammals and causes different behavior compared to cathemeral and diurnal mammals.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I find really exciting is that we\u2019re able to use computational tools to predict ancestral history,\u201d Redlich said. \u201cWe predict how the current day species may have evolved from their most recent common ancestor, so even though we don\u2019t know that, we\u2019re able to predict that using these computational tools. Then, we actually factor that information into our analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n Redlich\u2019s research was funded through a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)<\/a><\/span> grant by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development<\/a><\/span>, which provides $3,500 to CMU undergraduates conducting full time summer research.<\/p>\n Pfenning said that the tools she is creating could be of significant use across projects related to links between genomes and behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re interested at the higher level is basically how differences in the genome relate to differences in complex behavior,\u201d Pfenning said. \u201cWithin the human population, that might be a genetic difference that might lead to Alzheimer\u2019s disease or Parkinson\u2019s disease or even differences in sleeping behavior. But across species, that means that there\u2019s a genetic difference across mammals that might lead to differences in the sleeping behaviors of those mammals.\u201d<\/p>\nSLEEP CYCLES<\/h2>\n