By Rebecca Fleeman You, a critical thinker and curious person, hear about a recent scientific discovery or therapeutic that you want to learn more about. Rather than becoming an armchair expert by watching the latest unqualified YouTube video on the topic or queueing up a biased celebrity's podcast, you intelligently seek out peer-reviewed scientific studies … Continue reading The Pandora’s Box of Scientific Publishing
Author: lionstalkscience
Navigating Conversations with Vaccine-Hesitant Family and Friends
By Julia Simpson One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, members of my extended family began reaching out to me with questions about the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that the FDA had approved under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) just a month prior1, 2. Anti-vaccine rhetoric rang through their social circles and media, and they hoped that, … Continue reading Navigating Conversations with Vaccine-Hesitant Family and Friends
A Tribute to African Americans Who Impacted STEM
By Savanna Ledford February has been designated as Black History Month since 1976 and is a time to honor the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have shaped the United States.1,2 In the words of former President Barack Obama, Black History Month is about “… the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high … Continue reading A Tribute to African Americans Who Impacted STEM
Tackling HIV Prevention, One Shot At A Time
By Chris Kendra Fighting the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has become easier than ever with newly developed therapeutics. In addition to current once-daily pills, new tools in the fight against the HIV epidemic have come in the form of two types of long-lasting injectable HIV medications, one as a first line prophylactic and … Continue reading Tackling HIV Prevention, One Shot At A Time
Alcohol Increases Excitability in The Central Amygdala Through Neuroinflammation
By Mariam Melkumyan Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly prevalent, affecting around 15 million individuals annually in the United States1. The harmful effects of excessive alcohol use on the liver and other organs are well known, however, the exact effect of alcohol on the activity of the different regions and function of the brain is … Continue reading Alcohol Increases Excitability in The Central Amygdala Through Neuroinflammation
Diverse Scientists and Their Impact on Science Today
By Stephanie Baringer Historically, science was a white man’s club; women and minorities need not apply. Since its creation in 1901, only 58 of the 609 Nobel Prizes awarded have been given to women, more than half of which were given in the past 20 years1. While minority representation in science has improved over time, … Continue reading Diverse Scientists and Their Impact on Science Today
Winner of Fall 2021 LTS Best Blog Post
Thank you to everyone who voted for Lions Talk Science’s Best Blog Post of the Fall 2021 semester! The results are all in, and your favorite LTS article was "The Most Contagious Non-Disease: Yawning" written by Mariam Melkumyan! For her winning article, Mariam will receive a $25 gift card! Additionally, our randomly chosen voter to win a $10 gift card is Jordan Chang! Congrats to … Continue reading Winner of Fall 2021 LTS Best Blog Post
New Developments in Dengue Fever Treatment
By Hannah Johnson Figure 1: Heat map of the world showcasing the suitability of Dengue transmission1 Dengue fever is a severe viral disease that affects nearly 100 million people worldwide each year. Currently, the only treatment available for this disease is in symptom management; however, recently advances to treat disease etiology have been made2,5. In … Continue reading New Developments in Dengue Fever Treatment
Does your brain know all your secrets?
By Victoria Vernail In 1986, geneticist Alec Jeffreys was the first to use DNA profiling techniques in a murder investigation. The use of DNA resulted in the release of an innocent suspect and eventual identification of the culprit.1 In the coming decades, DNA would become the backbone of forensic science, serving as evidence in over … Continue reading Does your brain know all your secrets?
From Bakery to Bench: How Scientists use Yeast for Biomedical Research
By Gaelyn Lyons Yeast has been an essential tool to our society since the beginning of time. Beer, bread, and wine all use yeast due to their ability to undergo fermentation.1 Not only does yeast contribute to creating yummy food, but it also plays an important role in biomedical research. Many scientists, including some at … Continue reading From Bakery to Bench: How Scientists use Yeast for Biomedical Research
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