The world we live in is full of both seen and unseen wonders, filled with unique human beings, organisms, and communities. From the hundreds and thousands of bacteria that make up the microbiomes we interact with on a daily basis, to the efforts made to conserve and increase biodiversity, to saving endangered species, scientific research has enabled us to uncover and preserve more and more of the diversity that life offers. Even in us humans, we have an incredibly intricate network of cells and molecular instructions that govern how organs, like our brain, are developed. We are also humbled by the complex nature of genetics and epigenetics, and how these can help with understanding various disease indications such as autism spectrum disorder and cancer. As scientists continue to tackle these problems from all levels, we value asking diverse questions from multiple angles to fuel problem-solving and innovation — such as with the decades-long work that ultimately led to the discovery and implementation of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. As we continue to search for answers, we present to you a series of insights into our wildly diverse world.
Sincerely,
Tess, Kristin, and the SITN editorial staff
September 30, 2022
Assisted Colonization  Isle Bastille | Reproduction Technology  Arianna Lord | Cancer  Jackson Weir | Brain Development  Olubusola Olukoya |
Zoonotic Diseases  Sanjana Kulkarni | Neurodiversity  Rachel Davis | Microbiomes  Wei Li | mRNA Vaccines  Piyush Nanda |
Special thanks to:
The editing team: Anastasia Repouliou, Simon Axelrod, Ya’el Courtney, Izzy Grabski, Elise Valkanas, Michelle Chalupnik, Tugce Tunalilar, Ninad Kumbhojkar, Susi Jakob, Lisa Situ, Steven Cheng, Sarah Steele, Wei Li, Ziqi Chen, Victoria DiTomasso, Courtney Coleman, Emily Pass, Manasvi Verma, Aleks Prochera, Noah Jacobs, & Garrett Dunlap
The graphic editors: Abby Knecht, Xiaomeng Han, Allie Elchert, Jasmin Joseph-Chazan, MacKenzie Mauger, Corena Loeb, & Shreya Mantri