Category: Cellular and Molecular Science

Genetics

Neuroanatomical Variation in Dogs

Panayiota Siskos ’23 The selective breeding of dogs by humans has led to variation in the brain across different breeds. Selectively breeding dogs for traits and abilities has been a recent occurrence  in evolution, and genetic research shows behavioral variation is heritable. Behavioral specializations depend on neural specializations, and strong selection pressure exhibits that brain differences between dog breeds correlate with differences in behavior. Selection … Continue reading Neuroanatomical Variation in Dogs

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Natural World

The EMS Project

Wendy Wu ’22 Microbial life is usually associated with bacteria and archaea, often overlooking the existence of protists, eukaryotic microbes. Recent research has shown protists to play vital roles in their environment, especially in driving marine biogeochemical cycles and food webs. The ocean, which spans 70% of Earth’s surface, is home to a variety of microbial life. Despite this fact, there is a lack of … Continue reading The EMS Project

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Cellular and Molecular Science

Live Imaging of Cell Cycle State in Metazoa

Gaurav Sharma ’22 An important part of development of any organism is differential regulation of the cell cycle since it leads to cell specification and differentiation. The cell cycle states and their coordination are already well-studied, but the mechanistic connection between the cell cycle and differentiated cell behavior is still to be determined. The challenge is finding a reliable live cell imaging tool that can … Continue reading Live Imaging of Cell Cycle State in Metazoa

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Genetics, Health and Medicine

Activating the Enzyme of Youth

Ashley Goland ’23 The cause of aging has long been one of mankind’s favorite mysteries to entertain, and as science advances, its secrets are gradually being stripped away. Studying chromosome structure revealed sections called telomeres, sequences of repeated nucleotides on the ends of a chromosome that serve to prevent its deterioration, and from this discovery came a revelation about age. Aging-related diseases such as dementia, … Continue reading Activating the Enzyme of Youth

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Cellular and Molecular Science

Anchor-Cell Invasion Regulation Network Discovered

Gaurav Sharma ’22 Invasion through the basement membrane is essential to many cellular and biological processes such as embryonic development, immune response, tissue development, and metastasis. The components and mechanism of basement membrane invasion is known. There are four transcription factors that regulate anchor-cell invasion; fos-1, hlh-2, nhr-67, and egl-43. The Matus Lab at Stony Brook University sought to answer the question of how all … Continue reading Anchor-Cell Invasion Regulation Network Discovered

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Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science

Inactivated Gene Linked to Kidney Cancer and Tumor Development in Mice

Gaurav Sharma ’22 The epigenetic components pertaining to the onset of cancer have been of interest for many years due to the hope of developing approaches to delay the onset of cancer in the future for an individual. Recently, a tumor suppressor family has been discovered, called Ras-Association Domain Family (RASSF) which epigenetically inactivated breast, lung, skin, and thyroid cancers. Neither RASSF10’s in-vivo function nor … Continue reading Inactivated Gene Linked to Kidney Cancer and Tumor Development in Mice

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine

The Disappearance of the Y Chromosome (And Other Chromosomes)

Wendy Wu ’22 The Y-chromosome is quite unlike its homologue, the X-chromosome. With a relatively lacking number of genes, the Y-chromosome is the only chromosome inessential for life; its major function is to determine the sex of offspring. How did this come to be the case? A part of the reason is that the Y-chromosome does not occur as a pair; it does not have … Continue reading The Disappearance of the Y Chromosome (And Other Chromosomes)

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Disease, Health, Health and Medicine

Genetic factors may be involved in disease risk of early-onset autoimmune thyroid disease

Panayiota Siskos ’23 Autoimmune thyroid diseases, such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease, are often characterized by the infiltration of T cells and B cells in the thyroid as well as the production of antibodies specific to thyroid antigens. Genes including human leukocyte antigen (HLA), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated factor 4 (CTLA-4), CD40, and protein tyrosine phosphatase-22 (PTPN-22) have been previously associated with susceptibility to autoimmune … Continue reading Genetic factors may be involved in disease risk of early-onset autoimmune thyroid disease

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Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Different Types of Anesthesia can Impact Breast Cancer Metastasis.

Priyanshi Patel ‘22 Metastasis refers to the surgical removal of solid tumors and metastasis is the main cause of cancer death. Previously, not much was known about the role anesthetics play in cancer metastasis. Complete surgical removal of solid tumors offers the possibility of a cure and is the basic treatment provided. Despite surgery, recurrent metastasis in vital organs does reoccur and is a major … Continue reading Different Types of Anesthesia can Impact Breast Cancer Metastasis.

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General Psychology, Genetics, Natural World, Psychology

Examining the Benefits of Unique Coloration for Male Trinidad Guppies

Fatin Chowdhury ’20 The predisposition of organisms in seeking certain phenotypic traits in mates is an oft-observed aspect of the natural world, with sexual selection being a well-studied phenomenon. However, unique coloration specifically often seems to be more linked to lessened survivability (due to an inability to camouflage in environments), or phenomena such as aposematism, where unique colors serve as a warning for predators. In … Continue reading Examining the Benefits of Unique Coloration for Male Trinidad Guppies

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Brain, Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Sociology

Genetics and the Brain

Ayesha Azeem ‘23 Our society currently witnesses an underrepresentation of females in most ‘heavy’ science and mathematics fields, including technology and engineering. Though some may argue that the unfair proportions are due to biological differences, little evidence supports this claim. Scientists study biological differences in the brain, and the brains of males and females are more similar than not. Though behavioral studies often find no … Continue reading Genetics and the Brain

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Cell Cycle, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health

Bacteriophages as Therapeutic Targets in the Alleviation of Alcoholic Liver Disease Symptoms

Simran Kaur ‘20 The acute form of alcohol-induced liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, has a high mortality rate, and therapy is insufficiently effective. It is known to be promoted by gut microbiota. Cytolysin, a cell-destroying substance secreted by Enterococcus faecalis, is a major cause of hepatocyte apoptosis, consequent liver injury, and progression of hepatic disease. Patients diagnosed with alcohol-dependence present with significantly higher concentrations of E. … Continue reading Bacteriophages as Therapeutic Targets in the Alleviation of Alcoholic Liver Disease Symptoms

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