DNA Detectives: How scientists are using DNA from the environment to see the unseen

by Sanjana Kulkarnifigures by Swathy Karamchedu Forensic DNA testing has become crucial in criminal investigations and legal proceedings. DNA has linked people to crime scenes using hair or blood and exonerated wrongfully convicted individuals. This type of DNA is called environmental DNA (eDNA) because it is collected from the environment, rather than from a person. Scientists have also begun analyzing eDNA from non-human organisms. All … Continue reading DNA Detectives: How scientists are using DNA from the environment to see the unseen

Neuroinflammation, Itch, & Pain – A FREE EVENT – March 12 – Science by the Pint

Ever wondered about the connection between your brain, your need to scratch an itch, and the bacteria that grows on you and makes you sick? Harvard Immunologist Isaac Chiu and his lab are coming to Trident Booksellers and Café, this Tuesday, March 12th at 6:30 PM. Chat with them about how your brain talks to your immune system, responds to the bacteria in your body, … Continue reading Neuroinflammation, Itch, & Pain – A FREE EVENT – March 12 – Science by the Pint

A Sky Full of Data: Weather forecasting in the age of AI

by Rosella (Qian-Ze) Zhufigures by MacKenzie Mauger Have you ever meticulously planned a holiday around some pleasant weather, according to the weather forecasts, only to find yourself caught in relentless rain throughout your vacation? The challenge of predicting weather, with its inherent unpredictability, extends beyond mere inconvenience; it’s crucial for ensuring safety in scenarios like driving in heavy rain, avoiding areas prone to wildfires, or … Continue reading A Sky Full of Data: Weather forecasting in the age of AI

Access Denied: Opioid Medication-Assisted Treatment and the Urgent Call for Change in Opioid Recovery 

by Emma Dolenfigures by Allie Elchert Imagine a dystopia where a person with diabetes needs to drive a few hours every day to get their insulin at a special insulin clinic. Let’s pretend that they only need insulin once a day. They set their alarm for bright and early and get in the car to travel to the clinic before it closes for the day … Continue reading Access Denied: Opioid Medication-Assisted Treatment and the Urgent Call for Change in Opioid Recovery 

How Molecular Motors Harness the Power of Thermodynamic Fluctuations

By Mara Casebeer Just like a city has highways to transport goods and people from one area to another, your cells have their own set of highways to transport important components like proteins and genetic material. These cellular highways are called microtubules, and they are traversed not by trucks and cars, but by molecular motors – proteins that can carry cargo and step along microtubules … Continue reading How Molecular Motors Harness the Power of Thermodynamic Fluctuations

The Cat’s Out of the Bag! The biological reason why cats can’t get enough of catnip

by Whitney Liebermanfigures by Allie Elchert If you’re a feline enthusiast, you’ve almost certainly noticed the unusual behavior of cats in the presence of catnip. This plant, a member of the mint family, can be purchased at your local pet store or grown in your backyard. A sprinkle of catnip sends most cats into a frenzy characterized by behaviors such as chewing, rolling, and head-rubbing. … Continue reading The Cat’s Out of the Bag! The biological reason why cats can’t get enough of catnip

Vision you can’t see: How the brain senses the time of day

by Nicolai Penafigures by Jasmin Joseph-Chazan Toward the end of the 20th century, the intricate biology of how the eye produces visual information was thought to be well understood– a combination of sensors and circuits in the eye extract features of visual scenes. This information is conveyed from the eye to the brain by specialized neurons that physically connect the two structures (Figure 1, blue). … Continue reading Vision you can’t see: How the brain senses the time of day

Liquid-within-liquid compartments: a groundbreaking discovery in biology

by Hannah Blumefigures by Salvador Balkus In some ways, a living cell is like a shoreline, where some creatures build their homes on rocky, solid structures while others live in shifting and dynamic sands. This ecosystem needs both rigid and fluid structures to support life, and similarly, individual cells in our bodies use both structured and fluid compartments to carry out vital functions. The existence … Continue reading Liquid-within-liquid compartments: a groundbreaking discovery in biology

The Making of ChatGPT: From Data to Dialogue

by Shreya Johrifigures by Cynthia Moncada-Reid What if AI could design personalized workout plans, craft tailored travel itineraries, or even compose cover letters for job applications? With the advent of ChatGPT, it can. ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot that uses a cutting-edge machine learning architecture called GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) to generate responses that closely resemble those of a human. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is … Continue reading The Making of ChatGPT: From Data to Dialogue

Are microglia the hero or the villain in Alzheimer’s disease?

by Gizem Terzioglufigures by MJ Park Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, and despite years of research efforts, there is still no cure. However, recent studies have highlighted the crucial roles of microglia, the resident immune cells of our brain, in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. But the question remains: do microglia defend our brain against … Continue reading Are microglia the hero or the villain in Alzheimer’s disease?