By Ian Hayman Charles Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, famously said “A carnivorous plant is against the order of nature as willed by god” when he was presented with specimens and engravings of Dionaea muscipula 1. D. muscipula, the scientific name of the Venus Flytrap, was first exported to Europe in 1768 and became … Continue reading Feed Me Seymour! The Real-life Plants that Eat Meat
biology
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: The Role of Maternal Nutrition
By Kaitlin Carson Are alterations in diet during pregnancy enough to change the course of offspring development? Insights from the Dutch Hunger Winter, a famine that occurred near the end of World War II in which food supplies were severely restricted for a period of 5 months, have helped us address the effects of diet … Continue reading The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: The Role of Maternal Nutrition
What’s Diss? Explaining my (diss)ertation titled “Investigating the Wnt/MYC axis in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease”
By Stephen Matthews, Ph.D. This article is based on the dissertation of Dr. Stephen Matthews who defended his thesis at PSCOM on June 2, 2021. TL;DR: Genetic variants can be linked to diseases through genome-wide association studies. While some variants are found in protein coding genes, many are found in non-coding regions of the genome, … Continue reading What’s Diss? Explaining my (diss)ertation titled “Investigating the Wnt/MYC axis in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease”
Controlling Outbreaks Before They Happen – Targeting Emerging Diseases at the Source
By Ian Hayman Bird Flu. Ebola. Hantavirus. Dengue. Zika. SARS-CoV2. Bubonic Plague. West Nile. Malaria. These pathogens are often cast as the central antagonist, the great evil in many books, movies, and in real life. Even hearing their names can produce a visceral response, a sense of dread in the back of the head about … Continue reading Controlling Outbreaks Before They Happen – Targeting Emerging Diseases at the Source
Buffet for Bacteria: How Diet Can Affect Your Microbiome
By Victoria Silvis From childhood we are taught to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables while taking it easy on the sweets. Everyone knows these healthy foods are rich in important vitamins and nutrients, whereas sugary foods are often labeled as “empty calories” as they have no nutritional benefit. I find that while most are … Continue reading Buffet for Bacteria: How Diet Can Affect Your Microbiome
The Search for Blue No. 1
By Hannah Johnson Photo Credit: Rebecca Robbins, Mars Wrigley Global Innovation Center from https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/new-natural-blue-food-coloring Have you ever wondered about the industry behind the color of your food? So much of what we eat is transformed into more vibrant and distinguishable colors and this is especially true for manufactured foods, such as candy, cereal, and jelly. … Continue reading The Search for Blue No. 1
Chasing the Dream of the Dermal Regenerator
By Julia Simpson Adventures exploring the Final Frontier make for entertaining television – the enduring success of Star Trek since the original series’ airing (1966-1969)1 testifies to that – but for the characters navigating often tumultuous interspecies politics, adventure can be a dangerous business. Fortunately for those characters, by the time Star Trek: The Next … Continue reading Chasing the Dream of the Dermal Regenerator
Natural Athleticism: Slam Dunk or Foul?
By Rebecca Fleeman March Madness, the annual American college basketball tournament of the top 68 Division 1 teams, and arguably the best form of entertainment all year, came to a close on Monday. Full of single-elimination games that have fans jumping out of their seats, the seven-round tournament is laden with legendary athletes who will … Continue reading Natural Athleticism: Slam Dunk or Foul?
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: Generational Trauma
By Brianna Evans Dr. Joy DeGruy coined the theory Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS) and defines it as, “a condition that exists when a population has experienced multigenerational trauma resulting from centuries of slavery and continues to experience oppression and institutionalized racism today.”1 Is it possible that trauma can be passed down generations? Many diseases … Continue reading Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: Generational Trauma
A Neuroscientific Perspective of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Nicole Lookfong The COVID-19 pandemic has created psychological consequences within the population, such as an increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by way of chronic stress, increased perception of threats, rising mortality rate, and limited resources1. Normally, the prevalence of PTSD in the United States is 7-8%, with individuals experiencing symptoms such … Continue reading A Neuroscientific Perspective of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lions Talk Science 