By: Jordan Gaines Lewis, 4th year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program Penn State College of Medicine is located in Hershey, the "Sweetest Place on Earth." We're surrounded by references to chocolate everyday—from the smell of it in the air to Kiss-shaped streetlamps to chocolate-brown paved roads. It’s a pretty sweet life. So when The Hershey … Continue reading Why Does Hershey’s New Logo Look Like the Poo Emoji? Neuroscience Explains.
Why You Should Care about Auditory Myosin
By: Lina Jamis, 2nd year student in the Anatomy Graduate Program As much as we may enjoy denying it, our hearing is slowly, but surely, leaving us. In fact, considering how we often may follow the adage “louder is better,” we’re probably headed for hearing aids sooner than we think. (That goes doubly for you, Skillrex fans). … Continue reading Why You Should Care about Auditory Myosin
Smells Ring Bells: How Smells Can Trigger Emotions and Memories
By: Amanda White, Research Technologist in the Department of Psychiatry Autumn has arrived, bringing with it some of my favorite scents: bonfire smoke, pumpkin spice (DON’T JUDGE!), and, most of all, crisp autumn air. Stepping outside on an October morning and breathing instantly transports me back in time. I’m at Penn State. It’s a cool, … Continue reading Smells Ring Bells: How Smells Can Trigger Emotions and Memories
War on Cancer: Tumors as Ecological Systems
By: Ross Keller, 4th year PhD candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program The War on Cancer series has so far covered: How Can We Win?, Targeted Therapy, and Tumor Relapse. In this fourth part of the War on Cancer, I will discuss a phenomenon that has only recently been pushed to the forefront of cancer biology, and … Continue reading War on Cancer: Tumors as Ecological Systems
Why Graduate Students Should Meditate
By: Caitlin Millett, 3rd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” ― Aristotle Meditation is an ancient practice dating back at least three millennia. It’s a fundamental component of many Eastern religious traditions and belief systems including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism, to name just a … Continue reading Why Graduate Students Should Meditate
NFL Players Sue over Painkillers—Because They’re Addicted
By: Andrew Huhn, 4th year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program America loves football. Brutal, high-flying, smash-mouth football. The players seem like gladiators from another era. Chiseled out of stone, they feel no pain as they run, jump, and catch with a grace that appears super-human. The reality is, however, that they do feel pain—and often … Continue reading NFL Players Sue over Painkillers—Because They’re Addicted
A Prosthesis to Fix Broken Memories
By: Daniel Hass, 2nd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been a major funding source for the development of unique and innovative technologies under its motto of “driving technological surprise.” Some of DARPA’s current projects include designing bullets that can adjust their course in-flight, novel techniques to … Continue reading A Prosthesis to Fix Broken Memories
Did Harry Potter Have Psychosocial Short Stature?
By: Jordan Gaines Lewis, 4th year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program “Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age…[he] had a thin face, knobbly knees…and wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the … Continue reading Did Harry Potter Have Psychosocial Short Stature?
Congratulations to Winners of the 1st Annual Lions Talk Science Blog Award!
The judges' scores have been tabulated, and we're thrilled to announce the winners of our inaugural blog award! 1st Place: Caitlin Millett (The Danger of "I'm SO OCD!") 2nd Place: Lina Jamis (Exploring the Gene Myth) 3rd Place: Sang-Min Lee (Phospholipase C Activation Might Not Be Dopamine D1 Receptor Signaling) Thanks to everyone for participating. … Continue reading Congratulations to Winners of the 1st Annual Lions Talk Science Blog Award!
Phospholipase C Activation May not be Dopamine D1 Receptor Signaling
The following post is the third in our series of entries submitted for the 1st Annual Lions Talk Science Blog Award. This piece is by Sang-Min Lee, a 5th year PhD candidate in Pharmacology. The concept of receptor-drug interaction has been the main mechanism for how drugs develop their clinical benefits. Drugs generally have target molecules and … Continue reading Phospholipase C Activation May not be Dopamine D1 Receptor Signaling
Lions Talk Science 