Do Math Skills predict English Skills?
By Ramanjot Singh ’20 Previous studies have been performed that detail the predictive power that mathematic assessments of children at an early age has on their future literacy skills and vice versa. However, the body of research primarily focuses on the progression of literacy skill development rather than assessing them at a specific time point later into the children’s’ lives. This study performed by Dr. … Continue reading Do Math Skills predict English Skills?
Micro RNA Protect Tumor Cells by Suppressing the Immune System
By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ‘19 Cancer can thrive and spread because of its ability to inactivate immune cells and prevent the production of molecules that help in tumor recognition and suppression. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is a molecule that would typically be produced in order to signal an immune response in the presence of a tumor. Under the low oxygen microenvironment of a tumor, however, there … Continue reading Micro RNA Protect Tumor Cells by Suppressing the Immune System
Safety of Tattoo Pigment
By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ‘19 The safety of tattoo pigments and its pathways in the body has rarely been investigated. Researchers, led by Dr. Ines Schreiver from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to explore the biokinetics involved in tattoo pigments in the human skin at the micro and nano scale. Tattoo pigments can be comprised of organic compounds, heavy metals … Continue reading Safety of Tattoo Pigment
Long Non-Coding RNA’s Role in Drought Resistance
By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 With the changing environment due to Global Climate Change, sustaining renewable resources such as crops is more important than ever. The changing climate affects the frequency of droughts and high salinity in fertile lands. These issues motivated researchers to investigate methods of increasing plant resistance to these stresses. Researchers from the Texas A&M Research Center, led by Dr. Qin, were able … Continue reading Long Non-Coding RNA’s Role in Drought Resistance
Poison Frogs: Evolution of Epibatidine Resistance
Gene Yang ‘19 Animals that use toxins as anti-predator defense usually evolve a method of resistance, often at a high physiological cost, to prevent self-intoxication. Poisonous frogs, a broad polyphyletic group within the order Anura, often use one such method known as target site insensitivity, which is the alteration of the molecular target of the toxin to disallow the toxin from binding. Researchers from University … Continue reading Poison Frogs: Evolution of Epibatidine Resistance
An Alternative Method to Understanding Nucleus Structure and Gene Expression
Gene Yang ‘19 Rapid growth of DNA sequencing technology in recent years has led to a wealth of data and the ability to easily identify genes and regulatory regions. However, our understanding of gene expression control, especially through long distances of several kilobases or megabases, remains limited. As a result, the 4D Nucleome Project, an ongoing research initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health … Continue reading An Alternative Method to Understanding Nucleus Structure and Gene Expression
Free-Living Blind Bird Population Observed for the First Time
Gene Yang ‘19 Researchers of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with New Zealand ornithologists, have observed multiple blind, healthy birds existing in a free-living avian population. These organisms from the genus Apteryx, commonly known as kiwis, are flightless birds native to New Zealand. Although kiwis are predominantly nocturnal, unlike most nocturnal bird species, they do not possess the notable characteristics in their … Continue reading Free-Living Blind Bird Population Observed for the First Time
Reduced Insulin Levels Can Prolong Neuron Longevity
By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Reduced insulin-like signaling (IIS) can lead to diabetes and damage of neuronal function in metabolism. However, chronically lowered insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) may improve neurodegenerative disease defects. Hrvoje Augustin and researchers at University College London analyzed the escape response mechanism of the fly Drosophila melanogaster and the effects of genetically weakened insulin signaling on this model. This was done to explore … Continue reading Reduced Insulin Levels Can Prolong Neuron Longevity
What Affects Human Viability?
By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Human viability is the survival of individuals after birth, and more research is needed to understand how associated genetic factors affect human survival and life expectancy. Dr. Hakhamanesh Mostafavi and researchers at Columbia University in New York developed a method to recognize genetic variants that influence human survival. The proposed method would provide information about human fitness in the environment and … Continue reading What Affects Human Viability?
The Role of Plant RNA in Honeybee Caste Development and Evolution
By Maryna Mullerman ’20 Doctor Kegan Zhu and researchers from Nanjing University in China investigated the effects of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) on larval development and differentiation in honeybees. The study’s results provide another approach to the understanding of co-evolution of different species and cross-kingdom interactions. The researchers hypothesized that miRNAs from different sources affected larval development. They recognized that plant miRNAs could be ingested by … Continue reading The Role of Plant RNA in Honeybee Caste Development and Evolution
The Effect of Expressive Writing on Brain Activity in Chronic Worriers
By Meenu Johnkutty ’21 Chronic worriers may have one less reason to worry. A research study conducted by Michigan State University recently revealed positive effects of expressive writing, or writing down one’s deepest worries and fears, on brain activity in worriers. In order to observe whether a correlation exists between expressive writing and chronic worrying, MSU researchers relied upon measurements of error-related negativity (ERN). ERN … Continue reading The Effect of Expressive Writing on Brain Activity in Chronic Worriers
Using Biointelligence to Combat the Effects of Climate Change on Coffee Agriculture
By Meenu Johnkutty ’21 For a number of years, many scientific models predicted a decline in bee populations due to the increase in the use of bee-killing pesticides in industrial agriculture. As global temperatures continue to rise, it is expected that biodiversity among bees will also continue to decrease, jeopardizing the pollination of many crops. As pollinators are essential to the pollination of the coffea … Continue reading Using Biointelligence to Combat the Effects of Climate Change on Coffee Agriculture
