Cell Biology

microsporidia harpooning a cell

Microsporidia: tiny parasites with big impacts

A vessel is harpooned and infiltrated by an enemy, then robbed of its precious cargo – this imagery may call to mind Long John Silver or other fictional marauders, but these events happen every day, all around us, on a scale so small we cannot see it. I'm referring to microsporidia, a group of real-life,

a woman with grey hair walks by a business shut by COVID-19 restrictions

The unexpected silver lining: stress and premature greying

The process of hair going grey is a topic that has always fascinated me. Mainly because I cannot remember a time in my life where my Dad's hair was entirely dark. In my earliest memories, where he was a young thirty-something-year-old, I can recall giggling at what he vehemently swore were little droplets of wisdom

mitochondial DNA is inherited from the mother, versus nuclear DNA which comes from both parents

What your mama (mostly) gave you

Anyone who knows me knows that mitochondria are pretty much my life. My Ph.D. focuses on making these little cellular power plants more efficient at producing energy so that they can help muscles heal faster after traumatic injury. More than that, though, I want to teach people that mitochondria are more than just “the powerhouse

The stranger within: the story of mitochondria

Suppose you stop someone on the street to ask them a question. You offer them three words: what are mitochondria? Chances are, they will reply “the powerhouse of the cell” as a near-Pavlovian reflex. It's amazing to think that almost everyone who went through high school-level biology or life sciences can remember this factoid, regardless

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