Category: BSJ Features

How old is our Galaxy, and when did Milky Way-like galaxies start to form? The answer to how we got here may be written in the cosmos, in galaxies that mirror our own and perhaps carry the same potential. 

The chemical messenger of a neuron, a neurotransmitter, is only 0.5-5 nanometers in size. They don’t look like much, but these miniscule molecules are responsible for a cascade of signals that lead to a neuron firing in the brain. However, visualizing such small structures is no easy feat.

Depression is an increasing health concern, affecting an estimated 280 million people worldwide. Fortunately, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, offers hope for those diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression

Your gums do not regenerate after gum disease—it is impossible. For people who don’t brush and floss two times a day, periodontitis (advanced gum disease) quickly forms. Without proper intervention, this disease can cause gum recession, tooth loss, and the destruction of the jawbone.

Breast cancer is the world’s most common cancer, with over 300,000 new cases diagnosed yearly in the United States alone. However, due to non-optimal cancer visualization techniques during surgery, the invasive e-excision rates for breast cancer (the need for a second surgery) are around 20-30%.

In the chemical sciences, there is an enduring fascination with the art of manipulating matter. Numerous visionary chemists have embarked on a mission to improve the way new molecules are designed with a groundbreaking approach known as skeletal editing.

In an era where global challenges like climate change, economic instability, and public health crises transcend borders, international cooperation is paramount. However, cooperation on a smaller scale is as important in reaching our environmental goals. It is through these small changes that the general population is able to contribute to goals for a better environment.

Highly resistant to most antibiotics, intricately-structured Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae are the cause of some of the world’s most rampant infections. These bacteria continuously develop powerful antibiotic resistance mechanisms, making common antibiotics increasingly ineffective.

Pain is an alarm system which rings at any indication of damaged tissue, flushing electrophysiological signals towards our brain like fire through weeds. Humans then learn to avoid any future actions that could stimulate the same reaction or cause the same wounds. Sometimes, however, there is no wound, and yet the alarm system still rings.

While dopamine is best known as the chemical responsible for the satisfying feeling from rewards like ice cream, it is also critical for the function of many parts of the brain, from mood to motion.