Category: Biology

2024-25, Biology, Health

Food Fairness: The Impacts of Nutritional Health Disparities on Pregnant Populations

Jaenai Tercius, Class of 2028 Access to healthy food is important for maintaining good health. Among pregnant women, this helps ensure proper fetal development. Health issues from poor nutrition during pregnancy can also have long-term consequences for the baby’s health. For example, malnutrition during pregnancy can lead to complications such as low birth weight. In 2024, a study conducted by researcher Jamie Murkey and his … Continue reading Food Fairness: The Impacts of Nutritional Health Disparities on Pregnant Populations

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2024-25, Biology, Fluid Mechanics, Medicine and Physiology

The Heart-The Clock of the Human Body

Author: Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Accurate measurements of a fluid model are critical to the development of medical device design. The vessels in the heart work like the hands of a clock. Sometimes the vessels become impacted, like a clock with a depleted battery. Patients with cardiovascular disease often fear the blood clotting mechanism called thrombosis because it can induce vascular injury … Continue reading The Heart-The Clock of the Human Body

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2024-25, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Chemistry, Embryonic Development, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Novel Insights Into the Mechanism of DSB Repair During Meiosis Crossover Events

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Image of cells at various stages of meiosis. Meiosis is a key process underlying sexual reproduction and is responsible for the production of gametes, sperm, and eggs, which are necessary for fertilization. One important aspect of meiosis is that it contributes to the process of genetic diversification through genetic recombination, which involves the crossing over and independent … Continue reading Novel Insights Into the Mechanism of DSB Repair During Meiosis Crossover Events

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2024-25, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Psychology

Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

Author: Luis Caseñas, Class of 2026 Figure 1: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that triggers the degeneration of one’s Central Nervous System. Specifically, ALS targets motor neurons (pictured above) essential to muscle control and coordination. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that targets motor neurons in the Central Nervous System. This degeneration inevitably leads to gradual loss of muscle control … Continue reading Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

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2024-25, Biology, Genetics, Health

Unraveling Chronological Age: Epigenetic Modifications as Indicators of Cognitive Decline

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A visualization of epigenetic modifications that shape gene expression without changing the genetic code. DNA methylation-derived epigenetic clocks are powerful tools for assessing biological aging and age acceleration–the difference between biological and chronological age. Unlike chronological age, which fails to capture the impact of biological and environmental influences, age acceleration explains individual differences in cognitive functions such … Continue reading Unraveling Chronological Age: Epigenetic Modifications as Indicators of Cognitive Decline

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2024-25, Biology, Brain, General Neuroscience, Health, Health and Medicine

Innovations in our Understanding of Glaucoma

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Research into glaucoma yields promising insights into the future of optics and disease at Stony Brook University Glaucoma, a condition characterized by optic nerve degeneration and the cell death of retinal ganglion neurons, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The retina’s health is critical for vision, and understanding the blood flow (BF) of many regions … Continue reading Innovations in our Understanding of Glaucoma

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Biology, Immunology

Age Affects Lethality of Powassan Virus

Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 The Powassan virus (POWV) is a member of the Flavivirus genus, an enveloped, positive-strand RNA virus transmitted by arthropod vectors, such as ticks. POWS is present in tick saliva and initially causes an asymptomatic infection. However, it can progress to cause encephalitis, brain inflammation, and neuronal cell depletion, among other central nervous system (CNS) damage. The study aims to examine … Continue reading Age Affects Lethality of Powassan Virus

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Biology, Cancer, Drug Discovery, Health and Medicine

Battlefront: The Nano DLC

By Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 On the battlefield, the adjacent role of nanocarriers is logistical. They provide munitions support and focused attention to the battlefield. In the body, the focus is on how these nanocarriers can improve the fight against cancer–specificity, reduce toxicity, and sustain the efficacy of immunological agents–all by modulating the antitumor immune response. In prior wars with cancer, the body’s arsenal … Continue reading Battlefront: The Nano DLC

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2024-25, Biology, education, Health, Health and Medicine, mental health, well-being

EEG Research in Maternal Health – Implications and Resolutions of Racial Disparities

Author: Luis Caseñas, Class of 2026 Figure 1: EEG cap and electrodes placed on the head of a participant; the blunt nature of these electrodes works better with hair types from a white population rather than black. Maternal health refers to mothers’ physical and mental well-being during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. In the study of maternal health, electroencephalography (EEG), which generates event-related potentials (ERPs), is … Continue reading EEG Research in Maternal Health – Implications and Resolutions of Racial Disparities

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2024-25, Biology, Computer Science, Physics and Technology, Technology

Harnessing the Attention-Grabbing Power of Video Games for Scientific Progress

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Oil painting visualization of a video game player. Citizen science is a common strategy employed by researchers across many specializations to harness the input of the public to further scientific research. The billions of video game players worldwide posed an opportunity for scientists using citizen science and, from there, emerged Citizen Science Games (CSGs). However, converting scientific … Continue reading Harnessing the Attention-Grabbing Power of Video Games for Scientific Progress

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2024-25, Biology, Cancer, Cell Cycle, Cellular and Molecular Science, Chemistry, Health and Medicine, Molecular Biology

Understanding the Mechanisms of the Leading Cause of Death in Cancer Patients

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Animated representation of the release of cytokines in the extracellular environment. Cancer is a disease that wreaks devastation on the bodies of the patients it afflicts. Cancerous tumor cells lead to the sickness observed in cancer patients in a variety of ways, but one of the primary causes of cancer-related sickness and death is referred to as … Continue reading Understanding the Mechanisms of the Leading Cause of Death in Cancer Patients

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2024-25, Biology, Brain, General Neuroscience, Health, Technology, well-being

Skill Issue: The Effect of FPS Games on Cortical Activity

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure 1: The FPS genre of gaming has widespread connections around the world, demonstrating its popularity The FPS, or first-person shooter, genre of gaming has a controversial history. In the 1990s, there was a scare regarding the impact such games would have on children. Some worries included, but were not limited to: increased levels of aggression, poor emotional and … Continue reading Skill Issue: The Effect of FPS Games on Cortical Activity

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