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What your nose can tell you about mental health
Lately, our noses have been getting a lot more attention. COVID-19 changed the way our noses interact with the outside world, from covering them up with a mask to experiencing diminished sense of smell...
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How mRNA Opens the Cell Door—the Janitor Holds the Key
The game is starting any minute. He sprints to the gym door, grabs the handle to throw it open, and—his heart sinks. The door is locked. He pounds on the door, but no one can hear him over the pep...
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Aquatic Invaders Threaten the Great Lakes
If you live near the Great Lakes, there is a good chance you’ve heard of the fish menace known as the Asian Carp. In the past several years, tens of millions of dollars have been spent to keep these...
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Why is insulin so expensive in the United States?
This year, 2021, is the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting, James B. Collip, Charles Best, and John J.R. Macleod. The patent for the hormone, which was extracted...
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How Climate Change Affects Our Forests
You may remember from science class that plants take up water and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis to make glucose for food, releasing oxygen in the process. Since trees can grow to be very large...
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Five Myths About Exercise
Exercise is a topic that’s muddied with mainstream misconceptions. Here are five common exercise myths, debunked by science. Myth: Muscle soreness is caused by lactic acid. Glycolysis is a reaction...
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If I didn’t HAB you: how bacteria work together in harmful algal blooms
Lake Erie is one of several Midwestern lakes that is plagued by harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the summer months. If you live near one, you may have seen the green “pond scum” floating on the surface...
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From Geysers to COVID Testing: The Crucial Contributions of Basic Research
On my walks around Chicago, I pass dozens of COVID-19 testing sites drawing people inside with sandwich boards that read “PCR testing”. While PCR’s gold-star status in scientific research was...
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Mitochondria Are More Than Just the Powerhouse of the Cell
The extent of the average American’s knowledge regarding mitochondria is that seemingly-ubiquitous adage from high school biology class: mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. But not everyone...
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Room for Dessert: Why We Crave Sweets Even When We’re Full
We’ve all experienced that feeling of being completely full after a meal, yet still having room for dessert… maybe even craving a little something sweet. While you may have heard family members and...
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Lagrange points: A lesson in gravity and a path to space exploration
Years ago, I parked my car and dashed into a neighborhood shop, only to find that that my car had rolled downhill. Fortunately the slope was not too steep, and the car was stopped by a steep curb...
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You are WHEN you eat: How feeding schedules can synchronize the body’s...
In recent years, a type of intermittent fasting called Time-Restricted Eating/Feeding (TRE/TRF) has received unprecedented attention in the wellness world. This diet involves only eating during a...
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What your nose can tell you about mental health
Lately, our noses have been getting a lot more attention. COVID-19 changed the way our noses interact with the outside world, from covering them up with a mask to experiencing diminished sense of...
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Sonoluminescence: Where sound and light meet
A solar cell turns light from the sun into electricity. A car’s engine turns the heat of burning gasoline into mechanical motion. A battery turns electrochemical reactions into power. There are many...
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Shedding Light on Lampenflora
Deep inside Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave, I discovered a pallid seedling on the bank of a subterranean river. It had failed to develop past its embryonic stage, naked except for its...
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Genetic Leapfrog: How Zoonotic Viruses Jump Species
Eating a porkchop. Getting a mosquito bite. Playing with your dog. Interactions with animals are a common yet significant part of the human experience. While most animal encounters are harmless, some...
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What’s the Difference Between a Harmless Cosmetic Procedure and the Deadliest...
Every year, millions of Botox® procedures are done, usually in the form of non-invasive injections. In many cases, these injections are used for cosmetic purposes, such as eliminating wrinkles from...
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Air conditioning: a global contradiction
At the turn of the century, printing books and newspapers in the New York area during the hot and humid summers was near impossible. The pages would become warped and shriveled, and the ink would...
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Ancient DNA Helps Us Understand Pathogens of the Past
Herpes simplex virus, the microbe that causes pesky cold sores, has been around for centuries. More than 2,500 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher first used the word “herpes,” a term derived...
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Minerals: The Valuable Gifts of Nature
Early in its 4.5 billion years of history, a molten Earth began to solidify its rocky surface, creating an atmosphere, developing the blue oceans and land where huge varieties of life forms evolved...
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