Recently, researchers at Washington University, St. Louis made a significant breakthrough in developing a blood test for early indications of Alzheimer’s disease. But what exactly is Alzheimer’s disease, how prevalent is it, and why do we seem to be so far away from a treatment or cure? In this post, I provide an overview of(...)
Perspectives in Research
A Primer on Platelets — Tiny but Mighty
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchWhen I tell people I study platelets, I am not often met with excitement. Most people know platelets as those tiny things that form clots, and if they have a fully functional clotting cascade, they aren’t bothered that much about them. When I mention that I study how platelets play a role in the immune(...)
50 Years Since Humankind’s Giant Leap
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchOn July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle touched down on the surface of the moon. Approximately 650 million people around the world watched in awe as Neil Armstrong took his historic first steps on the moon on national television. Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had set out on an eight-day-long(...)
Their DNA Will Remember: The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Detention
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchOne of the hottest topics debated in the 2020 presidential race so far has been immigration reform. There has been widespread outrage centered on the separation of families and the horrible conditions and long stays in detention centers along our southern borders. Detainees hope they’ll be released as soon as possible, but for the children(...)
The Dengue Vaccine Controversy Explained
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchDengue, a virus endemic to Latin America and Southeast Asia, infects about 400 million people and causes about 25,000 deaths each year by dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). To date there is no cure for dengue, and its toll hits hardest in areas with poorly developed medical systems. Due to the deadly consequences of this virus,(...)
The ‘GRExit’: Cause and Effect
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchWithin the past few years, a growing number of biomedical Ph.D. programs across the country have been ditching the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as an admissions requirement and moving toward a more holistic approach. With arguably little information about each applicant to use for admissions decisions, admissions committees rely on GRE scores as part of(...)
Responsibility Without Blame: An Interview with Philosopher Hanna Pickard
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchHanna Pickard, D.Phil., is a professor and chair of philosophy of psychology at the University of Birmingham, and is a recently announced Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Distinguished Professor. Her work focuses on philosophy of mind, moral psychology and clinical ethics. Her philosophy is grounded in real-world issues, informed by her clinical experience and biomedical research, and(...)
Left- vs. Right-Brained: Why the Brain Laterality Myth Persists
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchYou might have heard artists say they’re right-brained or mathematicians say they’re left-brained. Maybe when you were a kid someone noticed you were left-handed and told you that meant you were creative. The idea that some of us are “left-brained” and others are “right-brained” is extremely popular. But, like so many other appealing ideas, the(...)
Tales of Dinosaurs Past
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchDo you remember sitting in your first or second grade class learning about dinosaurs? I distinctly remember being taught that a huge rock hit the Earth, causing a tumultuous series of events that ultimately lead to their demise. What I didn’t know is that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to suggest that the asteroid hitting the(...)
It’s a Twin Thing
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchIn NASA’s most comprehensive study ever on the physiological and molecular consequences of living in space for a prolonged period of time, scientists from across the country collaborated to investigate various aspects of human biology using samples from famous twin astronauts, Scott and Mark Kelly. Though a handful of astronauts had previously lived in space(...)