Evidence of a respiratory infection was discovered in a 150 million year old dinosaur providing further understanding of prehistoric disease acquisition Continue reading Even Dinosaurs Get Sick: Discovery of the Oldest Lung Infection in a Dinosaur
by Molly Sargen Antibiotics are drugs that kill or inhibit the growth of microbes, including bacteria and fungi. These drugs work by blocking essential processes like protein production, DNA replication, and cell division. After Alexander Fleming’s serendipitous discovery of Penicillin, antibiotics became a central feature of medical care. Today, antibiotics are used to treat a wide variety of infections and prevent new infections during invasive … Continue reading Antibiotic Persistence and Resistance
by Ryan Camirefigures by Shreya Mantri Many of us exercise and push ourselves to new limits without a specific goal; we lace up our sneakers and don our neon running shorts for the purest of intentions – to ‘stay healthy’. But what exactly does this mean? Most of us think only of the physical benefits reaped by our hardworking muscles. Exercise can help improve heart … Continue reading Exercise in a bottle? How transferable exercise factors may promote brain health
by Insa Mohrfigures by Jovana Andrejevic Reading about cultured meat can be confusing. While many major companies claim to have found the holy grail, some academic experts go to the lengths of calling it a scam. But what does the science and market reality really tell us about the progress and potential of cultured meat? A review. Introduction It has been almost 10 years since … Continue reading (Meat) pie in the sky? – When will our appetite for lab-grown meat be satisfied?
by Sophia Swartzfigures by Jasmin Joseph-Chazan If you put all of the living things on Earth in a box–from humans to anteaters to teeny-tiny tardigrades–and then plucked one of these organisms out at random, it is very, very likely that you just found yourself a microbe. Microbes, although too small to be seen with the naked eye, are some of the most common forms of … Continue reading Mapping Individual Microbes among the Multitudes 
Scientists discover the largest fish breeding colony to date in the Antarctic and explore how the nests affect the surrounding ecosystem. Continue reading Huge Icefish Nesting Site Shapes the Local Ecosystem
Wildfires are contributing to increases in urban ozone pollution a potential health risk for those with respiratory conditions. Continue reading A Deadly Mix: Wildfires and Urban Air Pollution Create Toxic Ozone
Scientists recently discovered a ‘dancing molecule’ that is able to treat mice with spinal cord injury. Continue reading New Molecule Repairs Spinal Cord Injury, Helping Paralyzed Mice Walk Again
by Beatrice Awasthifigures by Allie Elchert Millions of Americans struggle with chronic pain. While the pain sometimes has a clear source—for instance, an arthritic joint or a damaged tendon—oftentimes, people feel pain without any obvious signs of damage at all. This can be extremely distressing, as such patients may deal with stigmatization or invalidation of their pain by others who suggest that the pain is … Continue reading Sensitization: Why everything might hurt when it looks like nothing is wrong
by Garrett Dunlapfigures by Xiaomeng Han What do a homemade sweater, a new laundry detergent, and a mosquito all have in common? All of these things have the potential to cause the uncomfortable, and sometimes maddening, sensation of itch. In fact, itching can be the result of many different things, including allergies, insect bites, illness, medication, and dry skin. But what exactly is an itch, … Continue reading Life as We Know Itch: How our body creates this irritating sensation