Tag: Biology

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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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Seminars

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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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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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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Total recall: using light to create and erase memories

The fundamental nature of memory has eluded philosophers and scientists for over two millennia.  As early as 350 B.C., Aristotle conjectured that the mind was like a blank wax tablet, or tabula rasa, imprinted with one’s experiences but only made decipherable by associations between the distinct ideas etched into the tablet [1].  As modern neuroscience emerged in the 20th century, doctors learned more about how … Continue reading Total recall: using light to create and erase memories

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Why the West African Ebola Outbreak Is the Deadliest Ever

The current Ebola outbreak in the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone has received a lot of media attention, with terrifying news headlines such as “Deadliest Ever Outbreak of Ebola” appearing across the globe [1]. And this is indeed the largest outbreak recorded to date, with approximately 1,093 people infected and 660 deaths as of July 29, 2014 [7]. But how exactly … Continue reading Why the West African Ebola Outbreak Is the Deadliest Ever

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CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

Have you heard? A revolution has seized the scientific community. Within only a few years, research labs worldwide have adopted a new technology that facilitates making specific changes in the DNA of humans, other animals, and plants. Compared to previous techniques for modifying DNA, this new approach is much faster and easier. This technology is referred to as “CRISPR,” and it has changed not only … Continue reading CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

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Removing Threat from Invasive Species with Genetic Engineering?

A recent publication from Harvard scientists outlines the potential of a cutting-edge technology, CRISPR, to improve on an old technology called Gene Drives in order to solve the enormous problems caused by invasive species. However, attempts to control harmful species with this technology may just be another way to introduce potentially destructive foreign elements into an ecosystem. Furthermore, relying on genetic sequences of wild organisms … Continue reading Removing Threat from Invasive Species with Genetic Engineering?

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