By Bailey Keller and Angela Snyder Declining mental health among graduate students is a silent epidemic. According to a recent Nature survey of 6,300 PhD students worldwide, ~36% report seeking help for anxiety or depression due to their PhD studies1. Commonly cited reasons for the PhD environment contributing to poor mental health were bullying and … Continue reading The Challenge of Mental Health in Graduate School

By Elizabeth Lesko There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic to pique the public’s interest in medical science. COVID-19 has been a prime example, with individuals around the globe demanding immediate answers to a complicated problem and wondering why scientists don’t seem to have this whole “communicable diseases” concept figured out. The modern media cycle … Continue reading Lessons from Plagues Past

By Ryan Hylton Only one science topic has rivaled the Coronavirus pandemic in recent news cycles: the “Murder Hornet”. Although this nickname is a bit sensational, it does not fall far from the truth. Vespa mandarinia, or the Asian giant hornet, is the largest hornet species in the world and is known for its ability … Continue reading What’s with all the hype? The “Murder Hornet” problem explained

Thank you to everyone who voted for Lions Talk Science’s best blog post of the Spring 2020 semester! The results are all in, and your favorite LTS article from the spring semester was "When the Science Stops: A Series of Interviews" written by Stephanie Baringer. For her winning article, Stephanie will receive a $25 gift card! … Continue reading The Spring 2020 best blog post votes are in!

By Mariam Melkumyan While certain levels of stress present in our lives is a good thing, sometimes it can be too much. Now is a very stressful time for graduate students; in addition to qualifying and comprehensive exams and dissertations, we are constantly reminded of threats to our health and normal lives due to the … Continue reading What is going on in your brain when you’re stressed

By Stephanie Baringer Photo Credit: Picpedia Are you curious about how different areas of science are handling the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders? We are trained that science never stops, but what happens when it does? Below are mini-interviews with researchers in four different areas of the scientific field: industry, government, medical affairs, and academia … Continue reading When the Science Stops: A Series of Interviews

Photo Credit: OpenClipart By Indira Purushothaman Taking breaks in grad school often makes you feel like you’re falling behind. We give more attention to the life span and battery percentage of our devices than to ourselves. Taking breaks helps you recharge. Recent studies show that the average American works approximately 9.2 hours a day, often … Continue reading The Art of Mastering Your Breaks

By Ryan Hylton Basic concept of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Photo Credit: Vox/Javier Zarracina At least 6,000 human diseases are caused by heritable genetic mutations1. A long-time dream of physicians and patients alike has been to specifically treat these diseases by manipulating the genetic code in affected patients. This dream became one step closer to reality … Continue reading The First Use of CRISPR to Treat a Genetic Disease in a Live Patient

By Raquel Buj, PhD (@BioYupi) Photo Credit: PxHere “just setting up my twttr”, was the first tweet in history and how Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, changed the world on March 21, 2006. Twitter has shaken the world by modifying how we interact, communicate, and consume news. Twitter attracts a significant number of politicians, journalists, … Continue reading “Just setting up my twttr”