By Julia Simpson Dr. Daniela Zarnescu, the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Training here at Penn State College of Medicine, has artistic renderings of fruit flies pinned to a corkboard in her office, and a stuffed neuron – small, fuzzy, and blue – on her desk. Dr. Zarnescu finds herself pulled in a … Continue reading Using Fruit Flies to Fight Frontal-Temporal Dementia
biology
Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Rare Skin BlistERing Disease
By Coryn Hoffman The skin, or the epidermis, is the largest organ in your body, but have you ever thought about the structural components that allow your skin to stay intact? Cell-cell junctions are critical for maintaining the integrity of the epidermis, which protects your body from dehydration and external elements such as infection, physical … Continue reading Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Rare Skin BlistERing Disease
People Died and Nobody Paid Attention
By Rachel Kang Introduction The Castro District, known locally as The Castro, was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. It transformed from a predominately working-class neighborhood to a hotspot of LGBTQ+ activism in the 1970s. Gay men flooded the streets, dancing, smiling, and proud to be who they were and to … Continue reading People Died and Nobody Paid Attention
This is your brain on gluten
By Victoria Vernail Gluten is a class of proteins naturally found in wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten is present in many common foods, including beloved pastas and baked goods, because it helps ingredients stick together. Food that is gluten-free may have a dry and crumbly texture compared to gluten-containing foods because it is missing the … Continue reading This is your brain on gluten
Ironing Out the Details at the Blood-Brain Barrier: A Summary of My Dissertation
By Stephanie Baringer, Ph.D. The following is a synopsis of my Ph.D. thesis that I defended on July 17, 2023, titled Regulation of Brain Iron Acquisition and Misappropriation in Alzheimer's Disease. Thank you to LTS for the years of opportunity to write about my deep-dive interests and now for the chance to share this summary … Continue reading Ironing Out the Details at the Blood-Brain Barrier: A Summary of My Dissertation
SYK Might Make You Sick: New Discovery Could Lead to Better Therapies for Diabetes Patients
By Esma Yerlikaya Diabetes is a pandemic affecting over 500 million people globally1. By its simplest definition, diabetes is a condition that disrupts the utilization of sugar in the bloodstream. Due to its inability to enter the cells, sugar accumulates in the blood. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two distinct forms of diabetes. … Continue reading SYK Might Make You Sick: New Discovery Could Lead to Better Therapies for Diabetes Patients
Pain – an itch you just can’t scratch?
By Victoria Vernail I was sitting on the couch, watching Season 8, episode 14 of ABC’s ‘Bachelor in Paradise’, when an important scientific question was raised. Contestant Aaron commented to his girlfriend Genevieve that he thinks pain and itch are fundamentally the same – to which Genevieve disagreed – and a fight ensued (Figure 1). … Continue reading Pain – an itch you just can’t scratch?
The War Against the Spotted Lanternfly
By Coryn Hoffman The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper that is native to China, India, and Vietnam (Figure 1). These insects have become invasive in northeast America over the past decade, causing significant environmental damage. The first sighting of spotted lanternflies in the United States was in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. These … Continue reading The War Against the Spotted Lanternfly
Finding the missing piece of the puzzle: the discovery of the DNA double helix
By Carli King Seventy years ago, the discovery of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) double helix rocked the scientific world and is still, to this day, considered one of history’s greatest scientific achievements. Twenty years ago, The Human Genome Project was completed, marking the first generation of the human genome sequence, further propelling scientific research. These … Continue reading Finding the missing piece of the puzzle: the discovery of the DNA double helix
How Weevil Our Crops Recover?: The history of how Alabama farmers went (pea)nuts over an invasive pest
By Laura Odom It’s a tale as old as time: the farming of a crop supports the economy of a region until importation, human travel, or climate change introduces an invasive pest species that likes to snack on the aforementioned crop. Invasive species are often advantaged in new habitats, as they typically have no natural … Continue reading How Weevil Our Crops Recover?: The history of how Alabama farmers went (pea)nuts over an invasive pest
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