When Wild Avocados Roamed the Earth

If you've ventured outdoors in the southeast over the last couple weeks, then you may have noticed that things are looking distinctly…yellow. Everywhere you turn, cars and sidewalks are covered in a fine layer of yellow ‘dust'. The hazy quality to the air, as any sufferer of seasonal allergies will be happy to inform you,

Big Science, Small Satellites

Is it a star? A moon? A comet even? No, it's a satellite! NASA broadly defines a satellite as a moon, planet, or machine that orbits a planet or star. More specifically, “natural” satellites include the Earth, which revolves around the Sun, and the moon which revolves around the Earth. On the other hand, there

Pooper Snooper: Four-legged conservation heroes at work

From hunting to detection of drugs and bombs to search and rescue, it seems there is no limit to the ways we can take advantage of the keen sense of smell possessed by man’s best friend. What is less known is that the same qualities that enable dogs to find drugs and track down animals

Science Behind Bars: A Bioethics Case Study

The “salt wars” have been raging for decades, with medical science still embroiled over whether there is a direct link between sodium consumption and heart disease. Last year, a group of researchers published an editorial in an American Heart Association journal proposing a way to finally get to the bottom of this; in the process,

Not so Flushable Wipes

Today, we live in a world of convenience where we have manufactured products to make everyday tasks easier. I save a lot of time using a washing machine, buying premade clothing, and traveling in a car. But, the world has begun to realize that convenience comes with economic and environmental costs. Using wash cloths to

Cancer and Us – Are You Safe?

On February 4th, we celebrated World Cancer Day to remember those affected by cancer, standing by them in their fight against it. Known as the big “C,” cancer is a dreaded disease. There were 18.1 million new cases worldwide in 2018, of which 9.6 million were fatal. Being a leading cause of mortality, it has

The Sugar Code: Representing Glycans

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

Oil Wells in the River of Grass

“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

The Tiny Wiggly Molecular World of Medicine

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

The Cold Truth About Cryopreservation

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

How to Build a Better Brain: Failing to Follow Through?

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

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