Why You Laugh When It’s Not Even Funny
Research shows laughter may be more of a social tool than a sign of enjoyment in conversations with strangers.
Would You Rather?
“Would you rather live forever or die in the next five seconds?” This question was posed to me recently and...
God’s Imperfect Red Pencil
From the perspective of noise, CRISPR systems are modern biology’s closest approximation to Beyonce’s Lemonade or Game of Thrones: buzz-worthy...
The Machines Amidst the Minestrone
When I lie on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach and focus my vision softly on the undulating water, I imagine the...
Zika Outbreak Prompts Emergency Research at UCSF
The recent outbreak of Zika virus in Central and South America correlates with a spike in birth defects, the first...
The Militarization of Cells
Once every academic quarter, the UCSF Mission Bay campus takes on a new character. Normally unlocked buildings are barricaded and...
Cellular Corporations and the Importance of Cooperation
Cells are more like corporations than they are like people. Uncountable tasks need be accomplished, and each protein is specialized...
The Chess Game of Chemotherapy Resistance
The fight against cancer is a fight against a living thing, with its own intelligence. Our bodies are smarter than...
The Next Generation in Cancer Immunotherapy
Scientists and clinicians have developed and used immune-based therapies, or more simply immunotherapies, to attack cancer in multiple ways. Immunotherapies...
How the brain forms
The human brain can process a picture in just 13 milliseconds. The cellular functions underlying this incredible processing speed involve...