By Karis Tutuska ’18 A goodnight’s sleep is crucial not only for cognitive function, but for long-term physical health as well, which is why so much effort has gone into studying the mechanisms of sleep. While scientists have long known the key brain circuits that control NREM sleep (non rapid eye movement, associated with light sleep) and REM sleep (rapid eye movement, associated with deep sleep … Continue reading The Brain Circuit that Wakes You Up
By Karis Tutuska ’18 Cancer is a scary word, but what is even more frightening is the concept of a contagious cancer. Sarcophilus harrisii, commonly known as Tasmanian devils, are large carnivorous marsupials, savage screechers, and voracious eaters. These organisms are plagued by deadly, fast-acting facial tumors that grow until they prevent the animal from eating and force starvation until death. What is unusual about these … Continue reading New Strain of Infectious Cancer Found in Sarcophilus Harrisii
By Karis Tutuska ’18 It is widely accepted that loneliness can damage mental health. However, a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health suggested that isolation affects physical health as well. Researchers studied 141 adults aged 50-68 and found that the feeling of loneliness a phenomenon known as “conserved transcriptional response to adversity”(CTRA). CTRA has two major physiological consequences: it inhibits genetic expression … Continue reading New Study Suggests Loneliness Destroys Physical Health
By Karis Tutuska As bloodsuckers and disease-carriers, ticks are many people’s worst nightmares. However, a recent study conducted by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has shown that the rapid spreading of an aggressively-biting, disease-carrying tick species may be a blessing in disguise. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an often-deadly disease carried by American dog ticks. Since 2012, the number of reported cases has … Continue reading Amblyomma americanum and a New Disease
By Karis Tutuska Image Acquired from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Children_marbles.jpg Figure Caption: Study tests altruism in children with religious and non-religious upbringings Many assume that religion plays a crucial role in a child’s moral development. However, a recent study at the University of Chicago suggests that children raised with a religious background are less altruistic than those who are were raised secularly. The experiment was conducted on children aged … Continue reading Study Suggests Children with Religious Upbringing are Less Altruistic
By Karis Tutuska Image Acquired from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internexin#/media/File:Microglia_and_neurons.jpg Figure Caption: Neurons predisposed to joining networks that take place in learning may provide a visual of the memory mechanism Have you ever wondered what memories look like? A group of neuroscientists at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science have captured a visual of the memory mechanism by studying the swim motor program of Tritonia, a genus … Continue reading A Snapshot of the Memory Mechanism
Young Investigators Review 
