Month: September 2014

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Home is where the healthy reefs are: insights into coral recruitment

Of all the beautiful and varied natural ecosystems on earth, few have inspired awe like coral reefs. And rightly so – these colorful structures found on shallow ocean bottoms in tropical and subtropical regions of the world are not only pretty to look at (Figure 1), but also support an incredible diversity of life and are thus often called “rainforests of the sea” [1]. Some … Continue reading Home is where the healthy reefs are: insights into coral recruitment

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The (Internal) War on Cancer: Using the immune system to fight tumors

Presented by Jernej Godec, Ezana Demissie, and Vikram Juneja The immune system has evolved to recognize foreign invaders into our bodies, such as bacteria and viruses. In a similar fashion, it is able to recognize when healthy cells transform into cancer cells, and attempts to clear them. When patients come to the clinic with a tumor, the immune system has failed at this job, often … Continue reading The (Internal) War on Cancer: Using the immune system to fight tumors

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Common artificially-sweetened foods. Photograph by Graham Turner, The Guardian.
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Enough Diet Soda? Respect the Microbiota…

Intestinal microbes impact weight gain, dictate food allergies, and activate neural pathways that regulate stress and depression. They eat what we eat, whether it is a cheeseburger, a kale salad, or in today’s world, an extra large diet soda. A recent study published in Nature presents compelling data to suggest that artificial sweeteners might disrupt microbes in the gut and the body’s ability to control blood sugar, making consumers more prone to metabolic disorders. Continue reading Enough Diet Soda? Respect the Microbiota…

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Exploring the Quantum World: From Plants to Pulsars
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Exploring the Quantum World: From Plants to Pulsars

Presented by Mike Goldman, Joey Goodknight, and Tansu Daylan What do the interior of an atom, the bottom of a volcanic caldera, and the center of the sun have in common? Mike will begin with an introduction to quantum mechanics, which explores its relationship with our everyday world. Some aspects of the quantum world seem perfectly sensible but other concepts, like superposition, are deeply counterintuitive. … Continue reading Exploring the Quantum World: From Plants to Pulsars

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Marine Mercury Rising

Nearly 60 years ago a mysterious illness swept through families in fishing villages along Japan’s Minamata Bay. Those affected presented symptoms of a neurological disease: loss of feeling in the limbs, impaired vision, difficulty walking, and trouble speaking. Many with severe symptoms became paralyzed, and dozens died within weeks. Then, newborns in the region began to exhibit neurological disorders and crippling birth defects. The culprit … Continue reading Marine Mercury Rising

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The Risks of Control: Assessing the Link Between Birth Control Pills and Breast Cancer

More than 10 million women in the United States (almost 20% of women between the ages of 15 and 44) take birth control pills as a means of contraception []. In 2013, more than 2.9 million American women were living with breast cancer, almost 300,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and nearly 40,000 women lost their lives to breast cancer []. Troublingly, many studies … Continue reading The Risks of Control: Assessing the Link Between Birth Control Pills and Breast Cancer

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New Supermassive Dinosaur Species Discovered

From T. Rex times seven: New dinosaur species is discovered in Argentina (original article here) Recent news describes the uncovering in Argentina of a new dinosaur species that is seven times the size of a T. Rex and could have weighed as much as a dozen African elephants! What is impressive about this discovery is the amount of bones found intact that can be used … Continue reading New Supermassive Dinosaur Species Discovered

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Genes or Junk: Measuring the Functional Genome

In 2001, scientists published a (mostly) complete sequence of the human genome, the DNA that’s spread over our 23 chromosomes and contains the information that dictates the function of our cells and the development of our bodies [1].  Over a decade later, the public still wonders what all of that information means.  And so do scientists. The problem is that it’s far easier to read … Continue reading Genes or Junk: Measuring the Functional Genome

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Light-Powered Construction of Valuable Molecules from Simple Chemical Building Blocks

Two groups of researchers have recently reported a new light-powered method in which readily available chemical building blocks are coupled to produce useful complex molecules that cannot be easily found or made. Because these metal-catalyzed reactions require only visible light and mild conditions, they could be incredibly useful new methods for the cheap and environmentally friendly synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other valuable materials.  Introduction Everything … Continue reading Light-Powered Construction of Valuable Molecules from Simple Chemical Building Blocks

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