Science

Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 09:19

New Treatment Extends Lives for AIDS Patients

By Lauren Shields
Today, HIV infection is no longer a death sentence for those with access to anti-retrovirals. These drugs suppress replication of the virus and keep viral levels low in patients. However, as HIV patients on anti-retrovirals age, they show higher rates of age-related diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Understanding HIV pathogenesis is the focus of the laboratory of Warner C. Greene MD PhD, HIV expert and Director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015 - 10:45

The Hottest (and Coldest) Trends This Thanksgiving

By Hanna Starobinets
Although it can be cooked in a separate pot, stuffing is traditionally cooked right inside the turkey, absorbing the bird’s flavorful juices and coming out moister than its stovetop counterpart.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - 12:47

Pictures of Living Things

By Maxwell Coyle

So much of science and medicine comes down to taking pictures. Biology, especially, has long been considered an observational enterprise.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 10:25

The Most Lethal Part of Cancer

By Lauren Shields

The most lethal part of cancer is that it spreads.

Stopping the spread of cancer, known as metastasis, would be a leap forward in treatment. However, first, we must better understand why and how metastasis happens.

Meat
Monday, November 9, 2015 - 11:41

The Science of Dietary Risks

By Hanna Starobinets

Red wine. Coffee. Dark chocolate. Epidemiologists, doctors, and nutrition scientists are constantly analyzing the good and bad consequences of different food and beverage components of our diets and reporting correlative data.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015 - 18:27

Unraveling Metastasis, the Lethal Agent of Cancer

By Maxwell Coyle

Cancer is not just one disease. Were it, we could imagine a single cure. Instead, we find that cancer is a mix of clinically separable diseases.

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 07:08

Biologically-Inspired Engineering

By Hanna Starobinets
The past few years have seen an increase in robotics inspired by the natural world. These robots are designed to look and move like animals, from flying like a bird to running and jumping like a cheetah. Aside from being intriguing engineering challenges, these types of robotics could also be used as a substitute for humans in dangerous or difficult situations.
Friday, October 23, 2015 - 07:03

mtDNA Recombination: O'Farrell Lab

By Lauren Shields

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. These organelles support cellular functions through ATP production and have been implicated in diseases ranging from cancer to Parkinson’s. Additionally, their function extends beyond energy.

Image of an elephant and baby elephant walking.
Thursday, October 15, 2015 - 16:18

This month in DNA repair: the elephant and the prize

By Hanna Starobinets
Increases in body size and lifespan should theoretically make an animal more prone to DNA replication errors that can produce cancer-causing mutations. African elephants, weighing up to 12,000 pounds and living up to 70 years, should be riddled with tumors, yet somehow they live long, cancer-free lives.
Image of neuron.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - 12:03

The Parts of the Brain

By Maxwell Coyle
Consider brains and computers. How are they similar? Both can perform complex, rational tasks. Both take inputs and make decisions. More generally, both occupy physical space, although computers increasingly less so. As part of their physical nature, both can be subdivided into parts, the organization and connectivity of which creates their function.