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.
General Psychology, Health, Sociology

Short-term relationships with violent men make women more prone to gender violence

Joyce Chen ‘23 Violence against women is a common occurence worldwide. In many countries, women are sexually abused or suffer from human trafficking. However, more research is needed to uncover the underlying factors that predispose women to such violence. Researchers under Lídia Puigvert utilized the ‘Free Teen Desire’ experimental project to study the link between females’ attractions to males and future gender violence as a … Continue reading Short-term relationships with violent men make women more prone to gender violence

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Brain, Cognition, General Neuroscience

The Relationship Between Inflammation and Mental Sluggishness

Ellie Teng ‘21 Mental sluggishness or ‘brain fog’ is often comorbid with inflammation, the body’s response to  an illness. Previous research has shown the negative impact of inflammation on the brain’s alert state. Although it is still unclear as to how inflammation impacts specific processes of the brain, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham evaluated the impact of mild acute inflammation … Continue reading The Relationship Between Inflammation and Mental Sluggishness

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Disease, Health, Health and Medicine

The Role of A Recently Discovered Protein in Obesity

Ellie Teng ‘21 Progesterone receptor membrane component 2 (PGRMC2) is a signaling protein found in various parts of the body including the uterus and liver. While it is highly expressed in fat tissue, it is also found in especially high levels in brown fat and is required for thermogenesis, the conversion of food into body heat. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute took this knowledge … Continue reading The Role of A Recently Discovered Protein in Obesity

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Environment, Evolution, Natural World

CRISPR Editing in Fruit Flies to Mimic Monarch Butterflies

Ellie Teng ‘21 Monarch butterflies can consume toxic milkweed plants due to mutations in their genome. Both the caterpillar and the butterfly store the consumed toxins to defend against predators. Eating a monarch would cause a predator to regurgitate. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have utilized the CRISPR-Cas9 tool to genetically modified harmless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to have the ability to eat … Continue reading CRISPR Editing in Fruit Flies to Mimic Monarch Butterflies

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Disease, Health, Health and Medicine, Natural World

Viruses in Koalas Can Be Models for Genome Immunity

Ellie Teng ‘21 Retroviruses such as HIV are viruses that take genes from host cells and incorporate them into their own genomes. Transposons are DNA elements that can change positions in the genome, increasing the potential for mutations and genome instability. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) guide the immune system towards silencing the transposons during germline development. Koalas infected by the retrovirus KoRV-A virus are immunodeficient and … Continue reading Viruses in Koalas Can Be Models for Genome Immunity

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Health, Health and Medicine, Technology

All Eyes and Ears: How Visual Deprivation Enhances Auditory Learning in Adult Mice

Mariam Malik ‘22 Past research and work has proven the interconnectedness of all senses and their corresponding cortices in the brain. For example, it has been scientifically proven that those lacking in one sense possess advanced abilities in others. Cross-modal learning, or the manipulation of one sense to cause alterations in another, is a key feature of further research. Researchers at the University of Maryland … Continue reading All Eyes and Ears: How Visual Deprivation Enhances Auditory Learning in Adult Mice

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Environment, Evolution, Natural World

Big-Hearted: Arrhythmia in the World’s Largest Living Animal

Mariam Malik ‘22 Bradycardia is a slower-than-normal heart rate, and can vary depending on age and physical condition. According to the American Heart Association, a heart rate lower than sixty beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia. Tachycardia, on the other hand, is a heartbeat that is too fast, specifically one that beats over a hundred times per minute. Both conditions vary by age and … Continue reading Big-Hearted: Arrhythmia in the World’s Largest Living Animal

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Biology, Evolution, Health, Health and Medicine

21st Century Mind: The Effects of Blue-Light on the Brain, Retinas, and Rate of Aging

Mariam Malik ‘22 Blue light from electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops, is of shorter wavelength on the light spectrum, thereby giving off higher amounts of energy. The harmful effects of absorbing too many light rays, such as UV and micro, have been researched and known. However, a recent study at Oregon State University on Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, shows the damaging … Continue reading 21st Century Mind: The Effects of Blue-Light on the Brain, Retinas, and Rate of Aging

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Health, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Study Reveals Ability of Human Cartilage to Regenerate

Mariam Malik ‘22 Cartilage is malleable soft tissue meant to prevent excess friction from joints rubbing against one another. Located in numerous parts of the body, such as the larynx, respiratory tract, and the septum, human cartilage is the most malleable and widespread at birth, eventually being replaced by bone. For a long time, scientists believed that cartilage in joints could not be regrown; however, … Continue reading Study Reveals Ability of Human Cartilage to Regenerate

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Health, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Cannabis as a Beneficial Alternative for Frequent Opioid Users with Chronic Pain

Priyanshi Patel ’22 The number of opioid-related deaths has continued to rise in  the United States and Canada. In regions where drug overdoses were declared a public health emergency, synthetic opioids in drug markets had caused large increases in death. Many people who use drugs lack access to adequate pain management through their healthcare system, thereby experiencing high rates of pain. More research is needed … Continue reading Cannabis as a Beneficial Alternative for Frequent Opioid Users with Chronic Pain

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Cancer, Disease, Health and Medicine, Pharmacology

Improved Body Composition After Testosterone Treatment in Young Male Cancer Survivors

Priyanshi Patel ’22 Young male cancer survivors have low testosterone levels compared to those of  healthy populations. Long term effects of low testosterone involve endocrine disorders that affect up to 50% of adult childhood cancer survivors, and younger survivors are often unsure as to whether they would benefit from testosterone treatment. A study was conducted in the United Kingdom on secondary hospital outpatients.. The study … Continue reading Improved Body Composition After Testosterone Treatment in Young Male Cancer Survivors

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Disease, Genetics, Health and Medicine

Growth Factor Induces Methylation Changes in Lung Fibroblasts

Priyanshi Patel ’22 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible, chronic, and lethal disease of unknown etiology. IPF is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which is secreted mainly by activated fibroblasts under certain stimuli. Recent studies have evaluated alterations with DNA methylation as a collective driver of IPF. Few studies explore global DNA methylation in lung fibrosis, but none focused on transforming … Continue reading Growth Factor Induces Methylation Changes in Lung Fibroblasts

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