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.
2017-18

Weight of Rising Sea Levels Causes Ocean Floor to Sink

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ’21 Over the past few decades, global climate change has become a widely debated issue. Its believability, however, is no longer relevant as we are living through its effects across the globe; whether it be through melting glaciers in the Arctic, droughts and wildfires in California, or decreased rainfall in Ethiopia, the effects of climate change are prominent and devastating. A new … Continue reading Weight of Rising Sea Levels Causes Ocean Floor to Sink

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2017-18

Brain Cells Live and Die in the Process of Learning

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ’21 For over a century, researchers have pondered the question of how the brain intakes, processes, and retains new information. Researcher Elisabeth Wenger and her team at the Max Plank Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany probed deeper into this process by examining the volumetric changes in human grey matter and linking them to the process of skill acquisition in humans. … Continue reading Brain Cells Live and Die in the Process of Learning

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Figure 1. Researchers tested the reduction of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients in response to a cognitive therapy where patients interact with digital simulations of their hallucinogenic voices.
2017-18

New Therapy for Hallucination Caused by Psychotic Disorders

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ‘19 Sixty to seventy percent of schizophrenic patients and twenty-five percent of patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders struggle with both visual and auditory hallucinations. Drug and long-term cognitive therapies have been developed to conquer this, but they are often ineffective or only effective for a very select group of patients. Researchers led by Dr. Tom KJ Craig tested the effectiveness of a … Continue reading New Therapy for Hallucination Caused by Psychotic Disorders

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Figure 1. Researchers investigate a new way of preventing the spread of antibiotic resistant genes among bacteria to slow their rapid increase.
2017-18

Stopping the Transfer of Antibiotic Resistant Genes

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ‘19 The overuse of antibiotics is causing rapid increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Through a type IV secretion system, bacteria that aren’t killed by the antibiotics share their antibiotic resistant genes with other bacterial cells via bacterial conjugation. Researchers have been looking for a way to slow down the growing resistance. A study led by Dr. Bastien Casu from Université de Montréal … Continue reading Stopping the Transfer of Antibiotic Resistant Genes

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Figure 1. Researchers found that it is possible for speciation to occur in finches in the Galapagos Islands within a couple of generations.
2017-18

New Species of Finch Developed After Three Generations

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ‘19 Darwin’s finches from the Galapagos Islands are one of the hallmarks of the scientific field of evolution studies. Species classification between two organisms is determined by the ability to successfully reproduce a nonsterile progeny. Several factors such as physical, behavioral, and biological differences can cause reproductive isolation, or prevention of two organisms from reproducing. Reproductive isolation can cause speciation, or the … Continue reading New Species of Finch Developed After Three Generations

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Figure 1. Dogs produced isolated facial expressions that did not resemble human emotions.
2017-18

Facial Expressions Of Humans And Dogs Are Not The Same

By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Mammalian facial expressions are known to correlate with animals’ internal states. Substantial similarities have been previously identified between chimpanzees and humans, but facial expression similarities between more distant mammalian species is unknown. Caeiro Cátia and researchers from the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom investigated whether domestic dogs produced certain facial expressions in response to different external emotional stimuli. Furthermore, … Continue reading Facial Expressions Of Humans And Dogs Are Not The Same

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Figure 1. White participants took more time to mentally connect a black hand with a white body schema.
2017-18

The Effects Of Implicit Racial Bias On Hand Ownership Experience

By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Rubber hand visual-tactile illusion (RHI) experiments involve multisensory exposure, allowing participants to experience ownership over realistic rubber hands. Precise stimulation technique and positioning induce people to believe that a rubber hand is an integral part of their body. Marilia Lira and researchers from the Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Brazil investigated skin color’s effects on the time to onset of RHI in … Continue reading The Effects Of Implicit Racial Bias On Hand Ownership Experience

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2017-18, Interview

Student Researcher Interview with Amna Haider

Interviewer: Benjamin Kerner Interviewed: Amna Haider B: So, to start, what’s your name, major, and department? A: Right, so my name is Amna Haider. I am in the biomedical engineering department and I am a biomedical engineering major, with a chemistry minor.   B: Alright so how did you get into research, and what inspired you to do so? A: So, I got into research … Continue reading Student Researcher Interview with Amna Haider

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Figure 1. Older students were more successful at university curriculum than their younger peers.
2017-18

Age Is No Barrier For Academic Success

By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Many studies have explored academic success predictors in young adults. In recent years, however, more people over the age of 60 have undertaken university educations. Abbie-Rose Imlach and researchers from the University of Tasmania in Australia hoped to identify cognitive, psychological, social, and genetic factors that influenced academic performance in older adults. The researchers hypothesized that factors such as genetic polymorphism, … Continue reading Age Is No Barrier For Academic Success

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Figure 1. New research suggests that the long-term effects of high intensity exercise extend to memory.
2017-18

High Intensity Exercise Stimulates Memory

By Meenu Johnkutty ‘21 New research suggests that the long-term effects of high intensity exercise may prove to be more beneficial than previously thought. Many studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise improves the structure and function of the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Scientists posit that neurotrophic factors like insulin growth factor (IGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are … Continue reading High Intensity Exercise Stimulates Memory

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Figure 1. Researchers have found that higher global temperatures directly contributed to the increase in methane, setting in place a vicious positive feedback cycle.
2017-18

Positive Feedback Loop Implicated in Methane Emissions from Aquatic Environments

By Meenu Johnkutty ‘21 Scientists have long forewarned of the detrimental effects of climate change on the planet. Rising global temperatures coupled with the lack of due diligence in handling the environmental crisis have scores of ecologists worried about the many fragile ecosystems on the brink of a biodiversity crisis. A recent study conducted by researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands provides new … Continue reading Positive Feedback Loop Implicated in Methane Emissions from Aquatic Environments

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Figure 1. Finnish researchers recently explored the link between oxytocin and dogs’ emotional response to human facial expressions.
2017-18

The Role of Oxytocin in Dogs’ Emotional Responses to Human Facial Expressions

By Meenu Johnkutty ‘21 Dogs are our friendly companions, our trusted partners in crime, and our constant cuddle buddies. Past studies have found that our facial expressions significantly affect dogs’ emotional responses, and that the “affection hormone” oxytocin is crucial in dogs’ regulation of social behavior and emotions. In a recent study, Finnish researchers at the University of Helsinki chose to research the effects of … Continue reading The Role of Oxytocin in Dogs’ Emotional Responses to Human Facial Expressions

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