Figure 1: Immunohistochemistry stain of astrocytes (Oksanen, 2017, Stem Cell Reports). In the late 19th century, Santiago Ramón y Cajal aided in the formation of the neuron doctrine, a theory which used evidence from neuronal staining techniques to confirm that neurons are each separate entities and not one continuous fusion of cells. These separations allow … Continue reading Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!
Impostor Syndrome is 100% Real
Credit: 1388843 from Pixabay We’ve all had those moments at orientation. You hear a speaker say, “Look to your left, now look to your right…these are your colleagues but some of them might not make it to the end of this academic journey.” These moments can be taken in a plethora of ways but it’s … Continue reading Impostor Syndrome is 100% Real
A Scary Side of Drinking: Alcohol Use Disorder
Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Turning 21 is a rite of passage—your first (legal) drink! Drinking is typically seen as a reward for something great (like getting a grant!), something to take the edge off (like when you don’t get that grant…), or a way to loosen up in social situations. On occasion and in … Continue reading A Scary Side of Drinking: Alcohol Use Disorder
Newly identified gene variant may render hormonal birth control less effective
Credit: Gabriela Sanda from Pixabay Temperatures are getting cooler and days are getting shorter—fall is definitely here. With the dawn of October, many are ready for the month-long campaign devoted to raising awareness for women’s health. While pink ribbons and highlights in advancements in breast cancer research may abound in the coming weeks, a recent … Continue reading Newly identified gene variant may render hormonal birth control less effective
One Year After Gene-Edited Babies
Credit: PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Almost one year ago, Dr. He Jiankui at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China announced to the world he had used gene editing on human embryos resulting in the birth of a set of twins: “Lulu” and “Nana”. Jiankui claimed to have used CRISPR, a gene editing … Continue reading One Year After Gene-Edited Babies
A Post-Doc is NOT your only career option
Credit: Arek Socha from Pixabay You’ve spent hours on grad school applications, GRE’s, and now you’ve made it. Graduate school is a whirlpool of emotions, ups, downs, successes, and failures. It can be research intensive, teaching intensive, or maybe even both. In the end, everyone in graduate school has their own journey. Despite the long … Continue reading A Post-Doc is NOT your only career option
Teaching old neurons new tricks: the implications of regenerating brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease
Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Over 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and even more alarmingly, there are no medications to stop or slow the progression of the disease. Alzheimer’s is characterized by a loss of neurons resulting in symptoms of … Continue reading Teaching old neurons new tricks: the implications of regenerating brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease
Trust in Science on the rise! Why are we concerned?
A recent post from Nature Magazine highlighted that the United States trust in scientists is now on par with trust in the United States military. The trust in science is on the rise according to a survey released on August 2nd with more than 4,000 participants. The survey was conducted through the PEW Research Center … Continue reading Trust in Science on the rise! Why are we concerned?
Correlation between the motility of the proximal antrum and the high-frequency power of heart rate variability in freely moving rats
Credit: Darko Djurin from Pixabay Upset stomach? Diarrhea? Unexplained abdominal pain? These symptoms may be telling of a larger problem—a Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder (FGID). FGID are estimated to affect 25-40% of people living in the United States. This group of disorders is characterized not by structural or biochemical (i.e. tumors or masses) abnormalities, but rather … Continue reading Correlation between the motility of the proximal antrum and the high-frequency power of heart rate variability in freely moving rats
Lost in Translation
Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Anyone that’s taken a high school biology class is probably familiar with the central dogma of biology—DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is translated into protein. Central Dogma of Biology As the basis for general biology, transcription and translation are fundamental to understanding the living systems scientists study. Despite the … Continue reading Lost in Translation
