The Complicated Evolutionary History of Spicy Chili Peppers

— For over 6,000 years, humans have used chili peppers to add a spicy kick to their meals [1]. Not only does chili spice add heat and flavor, it keeps food from spoiling. We’ve all seen mold growing in wet, humid places like bathrooms, and in hot and humid tropical regions this is especially a problem. Native peoples in the Americas have been breeding chilies for their flavor and spice long before the invention of refrigerators [1]. We have now cultivated five very different species of chilies, and even pinpointed the substance responsible for spice, a long compound called capsaicin (cap-SAY-sin). Humans eat capsaicin in abundance, and even synthesize it for topical creams to relieve the symptoms of psoriasis and arthritis. Capsaicin is very useful to people, but it begs the question: why did chilies start making it in the first place, or, from an evolutionary perspective, what advantage does spice offer the chilies that created it? Continue reading The Complicated Evolutionary History of Spicy Chili Peppers

Mind the Gap: Uncovering Gender Bias in the Sciences

— In the second presidential debate, Mitt Romney lamented the fact that all the applicants for his gubernatorial cabinet were men. “Gosh, can’t we find some women that are also qualified?” he asked, requesting what he described as “binders full of women.” This remark generated significant controversy during the campaign, but also brought the “gender gap” back into the national conversation. The term “gender gap” refers to the disproportionate difference in the number of men and women at top level positions of many professions, including government. If this were 1952, we could easily point to overt sexism as the sinister force behind the gap, but in 2012, sexism and gender-based discrimination in the workplace are, supposedly, a thing of the past. Unfortunately, data show that the proverbial glass ceiling is still firmly in place, with men outnumbering women in high level positions in government, business, science, technology, and many other career paths (6, 7). So despite decades of activism, anti-discrimination lawsuits, and legislation to prevent biased hiring practices, why can’t we close the gender gap – particularly in the sciences, which are supposed to be a pure meritocracy based on research output? Continue reading Mind the Gap: Uncovering Gender Bias in the Sciences

DNA Damage and Skin Cancer: It’s Not All About the Sun

— A search for “DNA repair” in Amazon’s “beauty” category results in 71 hits that range in price from $15-$700, all claiming to prevent DNA damage or even to repair your DNA. Both scientists and the beauty industry know that as we grow older, our cells accumulate DNA damage while their ability to correctly repair it declines, leading to changes in appearance associated with aging, and the beauty industry is taking advantage of this fact. Whether you have commercially defined symptoms of aging or not, the cells in your body have to repair up to one million DNA lesions per day from both environmental and cellular sources. Continue reading DNA Damage and Skin Cancer: It’s Not All About the Sun

Thinking About Thinking: the science of decision-making from an economics and neurobiology perspective

Presented by Jessica Laird, Brenna Krieger, and Philip Shiu Decision-making is part of our daily routine, but what is really going on in our heads? This lecture will explore the science of decision-making from the perspectives of Economics and Neurobiology. First, we’ll learn how economists examine decision-making when there is a tradeoff between immediate and future happiness. For example, how do people compare the present … Continue reading Thinking About Thinking: the science of decision-making from an economics and neurobiology perspective