Hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers and blue moons, pots of golden rainbows and me red balloons! If you've ever eaten Lucky Charms cereal, you probably know this jingle and the tiny shapes of marshmallows it references. Interestingly enough, glycobiologists, or biologists who study the sugars that make up those tasty mallows, have their own Lucky Charm
On my walk home from work, I almost always encounter what I affectionately call “trash creaturesâ€: squirrels that pop out of dumpsters carrying slices of pizza or crows pulling apart garbage bags to get at the tasty morsels inside. While undoubtedly amusing, these incidents may have more cryptic, and sinister, consequences to the health of
“Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes
Medicine has been important to humans since our earliest days, but for the majority of our history, we've had very little idea of how medicine works. We used to attribute medicinal effects to magic or to balancing the fluids of the body (bloodletting, anyone?), but thankfully we've come a long way since then. With the
It's that time of year again, where we resolve to make better choices for our bodies. Maybe one of these decisions is to try and boost our brain health as well, so we incorporate good “brain foods†in our diets like walnuts or salmon. These foods are labeled as such because they're rich in omega-3
Recently, I was in the lab doing some routine work with cells. In order to start growing my own stock of cells I took a small vial out of a tank of liquid nitrogen, where it is stored at around -150°C (-238°F). Then I quickly thawed it to body temperature (37°C, or 98.6°F) and transferred
It's officially February, the groundhog predicted an early Spring, and I'm still staying up past 2am every night, despite my resolution to get more sleep. We are a month into 2019, and it's around the time when people start dropping their resolutions like a serious game of hot potato. Why is this? Why do we
Sometimes plants make it seem like nature was intended for our benefit. From the wood in our coffee tables to the rubber in our erasers – plants are so entwined with our lives that we often forget that our products were once towering elms and flowering poppies. The relationship we have with plants seems more
Bumblebees. What comes to your mind when that word is uttered? To some, it's pure fear of its vicious sting. To others, it's the image of their toddler dressed up for Halloween. But to researchers who study bees, it's awe at the ability of such a small creature to have immense intellectual potential. Bee communities
Disease alters lives in permanent and often heartbreaking ways. Most people have a story about how they have been affected by disease, either firsthand, through a family member, or looking from the outside in on another person's life. In a world where tragedy is at the forefront of our personal lives via news stories, gofundme
Better posture. Better sex. Better poop? If these happen to be part of your New Year's resolutions (and if they aren't, they should be), did you realize that working on your pelvic floor can help improve all three of these areas? If your answer is no, or if you're wondering what the heck is my
