Novel delivery system enables CRISPR-based genome editing therapy to kill cancer cells in mouse models. Continue reading The Gift that Keeps on Giving: CRISPR Therapy Destroys Cancer Cells
Xiaomeng Han is a graduate student in the Harvard Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience. She uses electron microscopy to study neuronal connectivity. Cover image by Angelo Rosa from Pixabay This biography is part of our “Picture a Scientist” initiative. To learn more about the amazing men and women who paved the way for modern scientific discovery, check out our homepage. Continue reading Youyou Tu — An Exceptional Nobel Laureate
by Xiaomeng Han Malaria has been a life-threatening infectious disease since ancient times. It is transmitted through the bite of mosquitos, making it widespread in tropical and subtropical areas of our planet. The world saw countless deaths caused by malaria until a Chinese pharmaceutical scientist, Youyou Tu, discovered a very effective drug called Qinghaosu (aka artemisinin) from the plant Qinghao (aka artemisia). Youyou’s work won … Continue reading Youyou Tu — An Exceptional Nobel Laureate
We can fight antibiotic resistance using phages that detach hair-like structures from bacterial cells to slow the spread of antibiotic resistance DNA. Continue reading Phages Can Help Slow the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance
by Paige Haukefigures by Paige Hauke and Catherine Ding As the pandemic rages on and strict social distancing guidelines remain in place for much of the United States, COVID-19, for good reason, takes up most of the medical limelight. But as someone who works at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and walks past our clinical buildings each day, I find myself wondering what this means for other … Continue reading Cancer in the Time of COVID: One oncologist’s look into how the pandemic is impacting the larger medical world
How do you introduce yourself, scientifically? My name is Daniel Arias and I am a public health scientist specializing in health systems and health financing. I think the inclusion of ‘scientist’ after public health is valuable—our work is grounded in theory, relies on systematic observation of the world, and is conducted with methodological rigor, yet many researchers who work in public health have to push … Continue reading What Does a Public Health Scientist Do?
How do you introduce yourself, scientifically? My name is Mia Miyagi, and I’m an evolutionary biologist, which means that I study how the process of evolution works and how that process has generated the incredible biodiversity that we have today. More specifically, I’m a theoretical population geneticist. Population genetics is how we think about evolution and variation across entire populations. In other words, how individuals … Continue reading What Does an Evolutionary Biologist Do?
Bacteria in our gut may be responsible for degrading toxins that would otherwise contribute to altered neuron function in autism. Continue reading People with Autism are Missing Certain Bacteria
Dinosaurs rose and fell, but one foot-long scaly creature — the tuatara — persisted. Recently, the first tuatara genome was sequenced, unlocking insights into the evolution of other reptiles, birds, dinosaurs, and even our own mammalian lineage. Continue reading Not Just Your Ordinary Lizard: The Unique Genome of the Tuatara
by Valentina Lagomarsinofigures by Olivia K. Foster Rhoades Brain development takes a long time. In fact, the human brain isn’t considered fully developed until after 25 years of life! To ultimately develop a healthy brain architecture, the foundation has to be sturdy. Scientists have found that events that happen during childhood are the most indicative of how one’s brain develops. There are many childhood events … Continue reading Racism, Toxic Stress, and Education Policy