Category: Year

2025-26, Cellular and Molecular Science

Mechanical Stress on Acral Melanomas Induces DNA Damage

By Julian Namerow, Class of 2026 Melanomas are deadly skin cancers, with certain subtypes carrying an 80% mortality rate because they respond poorly to immune-, radio-, and chemotherapy treatments. Sun-exposed melanomas are a highly prevalent melanoma variant that cause DNA damage and mutation. However, acral melanomas are genetically diverse and occur in areas with low sun exposure and high mechanical loads due to physical pressure. … Continue reading Mechanical Stress on Acral Melanomas Induces DNA Damage

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2025-26, Cellular and Molecular Science

Turning Human Tissue Clear

By Julian Namerow, Class of 2026 The human body is composed of organ systems that span far, intricately, and seamlessly to perform essential biological functions, such as the neurons that span to the tips of one’s toes and trace all the way back through the spinal cord to the brain. Current methods for understanding large-scale tissue architecture at microstructural resolutions are challenging. They involve tissue … Continue reading Turning Human Tissue Clear

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2025-26, Cellular and Molecular Science

Creation of Instant Collagen

By Julian Namerow, Class of 2026 Collagen I is a vital protein found in the extracellular matrix—the structural scaffold between cells—where it provides physical support to tissues. Collagen provides structure at micro and macro scales, and plays a key role in governing biophysical cues that regulate cell behavior. Recently, self-assembled collagen hydrogels have been widely used as tissue models; they have very limited versatility in … Continue reading Creation of Instant Collagen

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2025-26, Health and Medicine

The use of Probiotics can Mitigate the Damage Done by Microplastics in the Gut

By Julian Namerow, Class of 2026 Figure 1:The most commonly found microplastics in food are from the clear plastic wrapping surrounding this red tomato and all other vegetables. Micro- and nanoplastics are now present in human gastrointestinal tracts, derived primarily from food packaging materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET is essentially what all meat, fruits, and vegetables are wrapped in at grocery stores: the … Continue reading The use of Probiotics can Mitigate the Damage Done by Microplastics in the Gut

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2025-26, Natural World

Light, Darkness, and the Evolution of Deep-Sea Sight

By Ilian Medarov, Class of 2028 Figure 1: Oplophoridae, Deep-Sea Shrimp In the deep sea, sunlight fails to penetrate water at depths past a kilometer, and bioluminescence becomes a primary source of illumination. This leaves the organisms living down here to rely on highly specialized visual systems to navigate the dark environments. Researchers decided to investigate how differences in light exposure due to environmental factors … Continue reading Light, Darkness, and the Evolution of Deep-Sea Sight

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2025-26, Natural World

Spatial Segregation and Bycatch Risk in Wandering Albatross Populations

By Ilian Medarov, Class of 2028 Figure 1:Wandering Albatross Seabirds are important members of our ocean’s ecosystem, and when foraging, they exhibit spatial segregation that can expose them to environmental threats. Understanding these segregation patterns is vital for conservation, especially in endangered populations or those that are on the decline. V. Warwick-Evans and colleagues aimed to figure out if the differences in the population decline … Continue reading Spatial Segregation and Bycatch Risk in Wandering Albatross Populations

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2025-26, Natural World

Seeing the Invisible: How Viewing Conditions Shape the Colors Birds Display

By Ilian Medarov, Class of 2028 Birds are some of the most colorful members of the animal kingdom, flaunting their colors to attract mates, communicate, and avoid predators. However, scientists are still figuring out how the different environments they evolved in brought about these colors over time. Researchers Jamie Dunning, Catherine Sheard, and John A. Endler decided to investigate this in a 2025 study that … Continue reading Seeing the Invisible: How Viewing Conditions Shape the Colors Birds Display

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2025-26, Natural World

Fishing Pressure and the Shrinking Fish of Lake Turkana

By Ilian Medarov, Class of 2028 Figure 1: Lates niloticus, AKA the Nile perch In Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake, fish have been shrinking for a century. Madison F. Muehl and colleagues from Stony Brook University have set out to determine if growing commercial fishing pressure has impacted the biology of the fish species residing in the lake. Commercial fishing can drastically change the … Continue reading Fishing Pressure and the Shrinking Fish of Lake Turkana

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Chemistry, 2025-26

Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Red Dye from Water

By Samantha Libbey, Class of 2027 Figure 1: Polluted body of water. A major source of water pollution is industrial waste. One of the major contributors to this waste is the textile industry, where synthetic dyes are widely used and are not easily broken down in the environment. In response, researchers from the Kermanshah University of Technology set out to find a new method of … Continue reading Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Red Dye from Water

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2025-26, Natural World

What the Frontal Sinus Reveals About Human Evolution in Sub-Saharan Africa

By Samantha Libbey, Class of 2027 Figure 1: Map of Africa highlighting in blue the region inhabited by the Khoe-San population. Human fossils have long been used to study evolution and human diversity by comparing anatomical features across populations. One feature of interest among anthropologists is the frontal sinus, an air-filled space found in the forehead. While its exact function is still debated, it is … Continue reading What the Frontal Sinus Reveals About Human Evolution in Sub-Saharan Africa

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2025-26, General Psychology

The Sound of Color: How Timbre Influences Our Color Association

By Samantha Libbey, Class of 2027 Figure 1: Woman listening to music. Have you ever described a song as “bright”, or the sound of a violin as “warm”? These are words typically associated with color; however, in some cases they are used to describe sound. But what do these words and their usage reveal about the connection between color and sound? Researchers from  the Herberger … Continue reading The Sound of Color: How Timbre Influences Our Color Association

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2025-26, Physics and Technology

Bridging Communication: How SpellRing Improves ASL Fingerspelling Recognition

By Samantha Libbey, Class of 2027 Figure 1: Conversation in sign language. In American Sign Language (ASL), certain words, including proper nouns and names, have to be manually spelled out in a technique known as fingerspelling. In conversation, fingerspelling can comprise up to 35% of signed language, driving research on technology that could improve accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals. Prior technological … Continue reading Bridging Communication: How SpellRing Improves ASL Fingerspelling Recognition

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