The human body is an impeccable machine made of tiny, living particles that compose every part of our physical existence – cells. Without our conscious thought, our cells produce the necessary proteins, enzymes, and hormonal responses that allow us to function normally on a daily basis. In comes the virus – a semi-alive being that…

In the post-genomic era, we are faced with the daunting challenge of translating all of this genomic information into cures for human diseases. One of the major bottlenecks for drug discovery is that much of the genome remains uncharacterized, hampering our efforts to uncover their biological or therapeutic functions. Another challenge is that many of the…

For a brief time, Hurricane Patricia had taken America by storm (pun definitely intended). On the night of Wednesday October 21st, Patricia was an under-the-radar tropical depression that drew little attention. Then, due to a combination of high ocean temperatures, low pressures, and low wind currents, Patricia began to grow at a rate that astounded…

  At this point in time, the study of the human microbiome is not a novelty. Quite a lot of time and money has gone into pursuing the promising field, hoping that collecting data from the trillions of microorganisms in and on our bodies will offer insights into how they affect health and diseases. While…

The 1,200 cm^3 mass of neurons inside our heads, more commonly known as the brain, has been frustratingly elusive in its nature for as long as we’ve known of its existence. How does it work? What does ours, as humans, do so differently from everyone else’s? What is it about the brain that even makes…