The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside

Credit: Pete Linforth from Pixabay Many young scientists imagine themselves curing a disease, dreaming that their thesis work will uncover a disease mechanism and lead to the development of novel therapeutics to help improve patient health. People with loved ones suffering from diseases hope for a cure, too. However, most people do not understand the … Continue reading The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside

Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!

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!

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

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

By Rebecca Fleeman 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 … 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?