Author: Young Investigators Review

The Young Investigators Review is Stony Brook University's undergraduate-oriented, all-inclusive science journal. Founded in 2008, our mission is to provide the student community with a way to learn more about the research currently being done on-campus by their faculty and fellow peers. We feature articles that span all fields, from Physics to Neuroscience, as well as original student research reports straight from the campus laboratories. Our journal offers aspiring talented future researchers and physicians a way to hone their science writing skills and spread word of their experiences to inspire incoming students to think about devoting their futures to the various fields of science.
Neuroscience

Priming of long-term memory from initial experience alters future learning

Joyce Chen ’23 One of the most fascinating things about the brain is its malleability. When humans learn, whether it be in the classroom or from an experience, the brain produces new neurons so that the information can be recalled in the future. This is a process known as neuronal plasticity. Although there is plenty of research surrounding this area, there is still much more … Continue reading Priming of long-term memory from initial experience alters future learning

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Health

Biodiversity loss, emerging pathogens and human health risks

Thumyat Noe ’21 Research suggests that the number of zoonoses, diseases transmitted from humans to animals, has been increasing across the planet. This implies that the frequency of epidemics and pandemics may rise in the future. Zoonotic pathogens have an animal origin and have always existed, but their prevalence and geographic spread are increasing at an alarming rate. Wildlife pathogen epidemics are also on the … Continue reading Biodiversity loss, emerging pathogens and human health risks

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Uncategorized

The Earliest Human Appearances in the Americas

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Humans have been populating Earth for hundreds of thousands of years, mainly inhabiting areas in East and South Africa. It was thought that humans had first arrived in the Americas around 15,000 years ago. However, new findings from excavations at Chiquihuite Cave in central-northern Mexico provide evidence that humans could have been present thousands of years earlier than originally predicted, an estimation … Continue reading The Earliest Human Appearances in the Americas

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Cognition

Ethnic Diversity and Recall: Is there a connection?

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 People spend thirteen years of their lives, from around five to eighteen years old, in school, where they learn both academic content and social etiquette. They may then go on to university and reinforce these skills and knowledge. Thus, students require not only a good memory, but also the ability to collaborate with others. However, not all students benefit equally from working … Continue reading Ethnic Diversity and Recall: Is there a connection?

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Uncategorized

X-ray diffraction provides new gateway to analyze mummies

Sooraj Shah ’24 Since the 20th century discovery of the tomb of King Tutankamun, the excitement around discovering mummies has been a topic of controversy, particularly regarding how the mummies are handled once they are discovered. Unwrapping and disrupting the mummies’ final resting place is considered to be invasive. A study by Dr. Stuart Stock, a professor within the cell and molecular biology department at … Continue reading X-ray diffraction provides new gateway to analyze mummies

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Evolution

The preservation of proteins and lipids in mammoth rib bones

Joyce Chen ’23 Despite significant technological advances in the past decade, a great deal of mystery still surrounds the ancient animals that once roamed the earth. In order to learn about these organisms, biologists study the biomolecules that are found within fossils. Biomolecules include proteins and lipids, and their preservation allows scientists to understand and trace evolution. Due to a lack of research on the … Continue reading The preservation of proteins and lipids in mammoth rib bones

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General Psychology

Dramatic pretend play games uniquely improve Emotional Control in young children

Thumyat Noe ’23 Social-emotional development is important in preschool children as these skills can predict children’s school readiness, school adjustment, and social functioning in the future. Furthermore, lack of social-emotional skills is often associated with aggression, low achievement, bullying, and substance abuse during adolescence. In an effort to prevent such associations, many schools have created programs that focus on fostering positive social-emotional development in children. … Continue reading Dramatic pretend play games uniquely improve Emotional Control in young children

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Medicine and Physiology

Overexpression of FABP3 contributive to Aging Skeletal Muscle via ER stress

Sooraj Shah ’24 Sarcopenia is a disease which leads to the loss of muscle mass and function by skeletal muscle. According to Dr. Stephan von Haehling (2), a professor at Charité Medical School, the disease affects nearly 5-13% of adults 60-70 years of age, and rises to 11-50% of adults 80 years of age and older. While Sarcopenia is known to be caused by factors … Continue reading Overexpression of FABP3 contributive to Aging Skeletal Muscle via ER stress

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Health

Hyposalivation and its effect on oral health in elders

Panayiota Siskos ’23 The co-existence of systemic diseases and multiple medications causes elders to be more vulnerable to oral issues. Lower salivary flow (hyposalivation) is a common issue and may be due to xerostomia (when there is the feeling of having a dry mouth). Even though saliva production and composition are mostly age-dependent, medications can also influence salivary flow. Decrease of salivary flow may disrupt … Continue reading Hyposalivation and its effect on oral health in elders

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Announcements

Spring 2021 Journal Theme: Mysterious, Lost, and Hidden Science

During the 4.6 billion years since its formation, Earth has undergone constant change that has been accompanied by the evolution and extinction of several species and civilizations. Many scientists have dedicated their lives to studying the loss of biodiversity, the hidden secrets of mummies and archeology, or even the lost remedies and scientific knowledge of past civilizations. Hidden science is not just historical or buried … Continue reading Spring 2021 Journal Theme: Mysterious, Lost, and Hidden Science

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Neuroscience

Differences of Cognitive Offloading Usage among Individuals Performing Short Term Memory Tasks

Sooraj Shah ’24 Recalling a lot of information at one time is possible, but not feasible. Writing information down on a paper during a class or in the grocery store, for instance, are ways to reduce the strain of memorization within an individual. This concept is further defined as cognitive offloading, which can assist in overcoming the cognitive restraints in mentally retaining information. A study … Continue reading Differences of Cognitive Offloading Usage among Individuals Performing Short Term Memory Tasks

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General Neuroscience

Neural Population Code Organization in Mouse Visual System

Panayiota Siskos ’23 While mice are useful for investigating components of visual perception, this research is limited by insufficient knowledge of the organization of the visual cortex of the mice. Visual information is processed via computations while traveling from the retina to lateral geniculated nucleus and visual cortices. The early visual system processes complex visual stimuli by encoding various stimulus attributes by individual neurons while … Continue reading Neural Population Code Organization in Mouse Visual System

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