by: Sasha Nikitinska The human eye is deceiving, everything we see is not how it necessarily is. We’ve all seen one too many optical illusions to prove this. This is a known fact, but what does that entail? In the past, researchers have diverted their focus to 2-D eye error, creating mathematical models to explain […]
Genetically Engineered T-Cells: The Challenges and Possibilities of Treating Brain Tumors
by: Vimathi Gummalla Immunotherapy is a rising field in which treatment boosts the body’s own natural defenses to fight diseases like cancer. However, one specific area that continues to complicate the innovative treatment is the brain. To simplify the problem, scientists created T-cell therapy, where scientists genetically alter a patient’s T-cells to work in a […]
Using Technology to Prevent Injuries
by: Suhitha Kosuri For decades, long-distance running has been advocated for its fruitful health benefits. However, the injuries that arise from this strenuous activity are often overlooked. According to the research conducted by the EECS department at UC Berkeley, approximately 79% of long-distance runners are predicted to bear debilitating knee injuries (such as PFPS – […]
Surface Protein Expression of Circulating Tumor Cells
by: Samar Bhat Today, one of the most daunting challenges physicians face in treating cancer is containing its growth. If a cancerous tumor can be confined to a known region in the body, it would be much easier to treat with conventional methods. The problem is that most, if not all cancerous tissue, upon reaching […]
Size Matters: Protein Segregation at Membrane Interfaces
by: Niharika Desaraju Cells communicate with each other by sending and receiving signals. One way to receive a signal is by binding with a receptor on another cell. The ability of two membranes to interact with each other is highly dependent on the proteins that are located on the surface of the membranes. These proteins […]
Anxiety Neurons: Cells that Elicit Stress in the Brain
by: Ankita Chatterjee Shortness of breath and the terrible feeling of choking. An overwhelming fear of nearby danger. An uncontrollable heartbeat. Sudden nausea and dizziness. Any of these symptoms, with no previous warning. These are the ways sufferers of anxiety disorders describe the experience of having an anxiety attack. Although current treatments for anxiety do […]
Sleep Disorders: A New Perspective on Preterm Birth
by: Mathias Tevendale While there have been significant advancements in medicine in recent years, premature births remain an unsolved problem. Recent studies conducted at the University of California San Francisco suggest that sleep disorders could be the likely cause of this phenomena. Normal births typically occur at forty weeks of gestation. Premature births, also known […]
Understanding Emotions: it’s not always easy
By: Malika Saxena Human interactions are primarily based on our ability to understand and empathize with the words and actions of others. Often, our thoughts and feelings are conveyed without using words, and this is may be the result of a mirror neuron system (MNS). The job of the MNS is to reproduce tasks when […]
Olfaction and Metabolism: Your sense of smell directs how your body handles food
by: Rusheil Patel Can the perception of what you smell act as a biological mechanism for storing fat? Phrased simply, does your sense of smell influence weight gain? Researchers at UC Berkeley have found compelling information suggesting that the odor of what we eat may strongly affect how our body manages the incoming calories. For […]
More than Water Vapor: A Method to Quantify the Products of E-Cigarette Vaping
by: Sasha Narain A study conducted by the CDC, surveying high school students between the years 2011 and 2015, reported a 6.5 percent decrease in cigarette smoking. According to TobaccoFreeKids.org, this decrease reflects an overall trend in cigarette smoking amongst teens since the late 1990s. In contrast, in 2015 16 percent of high school students […]