Author: Gina Misra

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry have no standard definitions in medicine Researchers surveyed clinical genetics professionals to ask them how they use the terms "race," "ethnicity," and "ancestry" in their daily practice, and found that these terms are used inconsistently.

Posted on May 2, 2022May 3, 2022 by Nicole Origenes and Gina Misra 171 views

Terms such as “race”, “ethnicity”, and “ancestry” are concepts that define human diversity and help to categorize patients in…

What if plastic could detect light or clean wastewater? This is precisely the principle behind the idea of bioengineered living, “functional” materials. This clever study used the kombucha technique to grow a starchy material (similar to ingredients of biodegradable plastic) that can detect light, remove hormones from wastewater, and more.

Posted on April 25, 2022April 20, 2022 by Madeleyn Cajamarca and Gina Misra 488 views

Engineered living materials are composed of both synthetic materials and living cells. They are made in a lab to do things, like respond to…

Conspiracy theorists with science knowledge less likely believe Flat Earth A small survey study on 402 Youtube users provides some evidence that science knowledge, even when combined with conspiracy thinking, predicts a lower acceptance of the Flat Earth Hypothesis.

Posted on March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 by Gina Misra 520 views

A group of scientists who study science communication at Texas Tech University wanted to understand more about the people who accept the…

How do we reduce toxic byproducts of washing lettuce? Chlorine sanitizers used in the produce industry makes some byproducts in spent wash water that are not super healthy for us. These researchers are still searching for the best strategy to reduce toxic byproducts of chlorinated lettuce sanitizers using a technique called pre-oxidation.

Posted on February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 by Gina Misra 373 views

Chlorine sanitizers used in the produce industry makes some byproducts in spent wash water that are not super healthy for us. These…

Building the molecules of life in the lab A team of scientists developed a method for making self-replicating molecules in the lab to study how life might have emerged on Earth.

Posted on January 3, 2022November 29, 2021 by Josué Solórzano and Gina Misra 477 views

The hyperbranched polymer scaffold could have been the early primitive base for the emergence of life. @t_z_jia @CerberaOdollam…

How do climate scientists make regional projections? A small team of researchers have challenged a long-held assumption about how scientists have been applying global climate models to specific regions.

Posted on October 7, 2021October 5, 2021 by Chirantan Ganguly and Gina Misra 1k views

A small team of researchers have challenged a long-held assumption about how scientists have been applying global climate models to specific…

First real-life trial of monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 A large trial of COVID-19 positive patients at increased risk of severe illness showed that two types of monoclonal antibody infusions did reduce the severity of their infection compared to controls.

Posted on September 13, 2021September 13, 2021 by Gina Misra 990 views

A large trial of COVID-19 positive patients at increased risk of severe illness showed that two types of monoclonal antibody infusions did…

Giant dinosaur tracks found in a cave in France Sauropods were previously thought to have had their heyday in the Late Jurassic period. Recent fossil evidence says it was probably much earlier than that.

Posted on March 15, 2021April 2, 2021 by Dilara Kılıçarslan and Gina Misra 1k views

Sauropods were previously thought to have had their heyday in the Late Jurassic period. Recent fossil evidence says it was probably much…

Hand Sanitizer squirting into hand, by Kelly Sikkema

Do hand sanitizers work on the coronavirus? Two companies got together to test Purell hand sanitizers in gel and foam format using a suspension experiment and found both sanitizers to be effective in reducing viable virus by 1000 times.

Posted on March 4, 2021April 1, 2021 by Gina Misra 565 views

Do commercial hand sanitizers work on coronavirus? In the lab, yes. Studies are needed using real human hands, which come with ethical…

Laboratory methods behind the polio vaccine discovery In 1949, Harvard scientists established a few tissue culture tricks that not only allowed Jonas Salk to develop the polio vaccine, but also became standard practice when growing polio in the lab. His team was awarded a Nobel Prize.

Posted on September 24, 2020January 15, 2021 by Gina Misra 928 views

Poliomyelitis is the name of the disease caused by the poliovirus, and it mostly affects children under the age of 5, causing paralysis in a…

1
2
3
…
5