Min Ya
My name is Min Ya, or Ya Min, but I go by Minya. I was born and raised in China. Heavily influenced by my botany-enthusiast father, I have been a plant lover since I was very little. Before grad school, I finished my undergrad in China and Japan, and obtained dual Master’s Degree in Sweden and France. Although the subfields of biology varied between my … Continue reading Min Ya
Diamonds in the Leaf
This cross section of an oleander (Nerium oleander) leaf reveals two beautiful mineral crystals inside. Leaf cells are stained red. Adapted to dry conditions, this leaf possess three epidermal layers to prevent water loss, below which there are tightly packed palisade mesophyll cells that are specialized for harvesting light and loosely packed spongy mesophyll cells allowing efficient gas exchange. These calcium oxalate crystals are deposited by specialized … Continue reading Diamonds in the Leaf
How to be a Socially Conscious Scientist
by Katherine Wu My freshman year of college, I was given a choice: techie or fuzzy? And, before you ask, no, it wasn’t about creepy role-play. It was worse: my major. At Stanford, there were two kinds of people: those who studied the technical, hard science, and mathematics-based majors were “techie,” and those pursuing the humanities, arts, and social sciences were “fuzzy.” I chose biology … Continue reading How to be a Socially Conscious Scientist
Unexpected Lessons Learned from Mid-Century Atomic Bomb Explosions
by Paris Bentley figures by Michael MacArthur The immediate environmental effects of nuclear bomb testing during the Cold War era were undoubtedly devastating. Having left enormous negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts all over the world, it is hard to imagine that any sort of silver lining to these tests could exist. But despite all the destruction that these tests caused, their remnants are now being … Continue reading Unexpected Lessons Learned from Mid-Century Atomic Bomb Explosions
The Splice of Life: Cutting and pasting RNA in medicine and disease
The intricate process of reading genes in our DNA to make proteins is arguably the most fundamental part of life. In this talk, we will dive into one critical step within this process, called RNA splicing. We will discuss what RNA splicing is, how splicing alternative forms of RNA leads to more protein diversity, and what happens when RNA splicing goes wrong. Continue reading The Splice of Life: Cutting and pasting RNA in medicine and disease
Mosquitos: Friend or Foe? Possible use of mosquitos in modern epidemiology
With the warm weather of summer quickly approaching, a common enemy known as the mosquito will soon make a reappearance. Mosquitoes are more than just an irritation. In many areas of the world, mosquitoes are also carriers of infectious diseases such as malaria and the Zika virus. While the mosquito is a major problem to many, scientists at Microsoft Research are attempting to exploit some … Continue reading Mosquitos: Friend or Foe? Possible use of mosquitos in modern epidemiology
Heart Disease Drug Faces Biggest Test Yet
We just learned a lot more about a drug called Repatha, one of the newest weapons in the war against heart disease. Heart-related diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for over 30% of global deaths. One of the major physiological warning signs of heart disease is “bad” cholesterol (LDL), which can clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. … Continue reading Heart Disease Drug Faces Biggest Test Yet
Cancer Immunotherapy: Fighting fire with fire
by Kimberly Hagel figures by Alexandra Was We, as humans, tend to idealize that which is bigger, better, faster, and stronger. It is in our nature to strive towards the best. To improve. To win. Indeed, the penetrance of this mentality reaches to our very core, even to the individual cells of which we are composed. A prime example of this: cancer. Today, cancer is … Continue reading Cancer Immunotherapy: Fighting fire with fire
TRAPPIST-1 and Earth’s distant cousins
The recent discovery of Earth-like planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system has been a major headline for the past few weeks. A team led by Michael Gillon found three planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system in 2016, and recently reported at least 4 more which may contain the appropriate elements for life. One of the strongest indicators that a planet could harbor life is if a planet’s … Continue reading TRAPPIST-1 and Earth’s distant cousins
Spectrum
These colorful fractions were obtained upon purifying a synthetic small-molecule through flash column chromatography. Though most of these were impurities (bright colors in organic chemistry is usually not a great sign), it served as a reminder to appreciate the beauty in the mundane and seemingly unimportant. Contributed by Carmen Sivakumaren, a graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program at Harvard Medical School. Continue reading Spectrum