Early embryonic hearts are the first functioning organ in embryos, playing a critical role in development, but don’t resemble the mature four-chambered organ we might imagine. Some anti-abortion legislation hinges on the term ‘fetal heartbeat’ to describe early cardiac activity when neither a fetus nor a chambered heart exist.
Continue ReadingDuring the hard part of the night, listening to the hooting owl outside the window, have you ever wondered: What is love?
Continue ReadingFake spider webs cover suburban lawns every October, but did you know that scientists have recently created glowing spider silk sutures that dim if they encounter an infection in the host tissue?
Continue ReadingWhat do giraffes, angelfish, and seashells all have in common? Their surface patterns, from the patches on giraffe coats to the stripes on the angelfish, are formed through the reaction-diffusion process, a mathematical model describing the interplay between an activator and inhibitor.
Continue ReadingSelf-healing buildings and compostable bricks are astonishing architectural feats brought to you by fungi.
Continue ReadingThis article first gives a background on Lyme Disease; what it is caused by, the symptoms of Lyme Disease infection and how it is treated, and “Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome” (PTLDS). It then goes into the research that has been done to better understand Lyme Disease transmissibility and explore ways to better treat infection or prevent infection entirely.
Continue ReadingIn theory, a protein’s structure could be computationally predicted using only its unique sequence of amino acids. But for the last half century, accurate structural predictions of proteins have remained one of the great puzzles of modern biology.
Continue ReadingIntermittent fasting is gaining popularity as a diet and wellness trend. Are there any real benefits to it?
Continue ReadingOf all the creatures on earth, octopuses might be the most alien. They could not be more different from us, with powerful tentacles, three hearts, blue blood, and neurons spread…
Continue ReadingSalt is used to season virtually everything – from the simple scrambled eggs made five minutes before your first Zoom meeting, to an entire pot roast that took the whole…
Continue ReadingCitizen science enables non-scientists to get involved in the scientific process. Keep reading to find out how you could contribute to a research project!
Continue ReadingWhat classifies an organism as living? New classes of viruses may blur the line between what is living and what is not.
Continue ReadingNew technology is coming to UTI diagnosis and may lead to big improvements in the lives of millions of patients, But are these new tests worth the hype (and cost)?
Continue ReadingImagine you are working on a project with a large group of people, all with different personalities and responsibilities. Your group was just informed that something important to the progress…
Continue ReadingOne of the most controversial aspects of biomedical research is the use of animals to benefit humans. Scientists use animals to test new treatments for human diseases and to understand…
Continue ReadingIf you’ve ever been lost in an unfamiliar city or tried to walk around in the dark, then you may have found yourself wishing you had the eyes of a…
Continue ReadingDyeing hair is a common, but not recent, beauty practice. Hair dyeing (coloring) has been around for thousands of years, using plant-based dyes such as indigo and turmeric before synthetic…
Continue ReadingDog is man’s best friend. Man is dog’s…predictor for allergies? A recent study showed dogs with owners that suffer from allergies are more likely to suffer from allergies themselves. Researchers…
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