July
05
Where does Alzheimer’s disease begin?
posted by Seraphina Solders
Sometimes I forget what day of the week it is, where I put my keys, or when a friend’s birthday is- but I never stop to wonder if these brief moments of forgetfulness are normal or a sign of something more serious. For many, occasional short-term memory loss is a normal part of getting older, […]
June
28
Zika: Predicting the long-term effects of an unrelenting virus
posted by Samantha Jones, PhD
Summer is upon us, and with that comes much-anticipated vacation travel. As you pack your bag with sunblock, clothes that haven’t seen the light of day since your trip last year, and that sci-fi novel that has been sitting on your nightstand since February, don’t forget what might be the most important item: bug spray. […]
June
21
Apply now for ComSciCon-SD 2018!
posted by Catie Profaci
In many ways, science is like a foreign language. While the technical words that scientists use often mean very little to those not daily immersed in science, science is–at its heart–a logical process of asking questions and searching for answers. This journey of asking and answering does not require any extraordinary intelligence. It instead necessitates […]
June
14
Does imagination make us human?
posted by Catie Profaci
Do you take your coffee with milk? Would you like a slice of pizza? Oh hold on, that pizza will have to wait—someone is calling on the plastic phone on the kitchen wall. Who? Obviously my best friend Phoebe from down the street. Uh oh, now the coffee is cold. I’ll put on a fresh […]
June
07
We Shall not Repeat the Evil: The Destructive Power of the Atomic Bomb
posted by Christian Cazares
A Memorial to Peace Every August 5th at 8:15 A.M., a resonant bell loudly rings throughout Peace Memorial Park to mark the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. As the bell rings, thousands of plaintive guests sit and reflect upon the proof of mankind’s inhumanity, and for a minute a siren booms across the healing […]
May
31
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Genetic Memory
posted by James R. Howe VI
We are all products of our past, for better or for worse. At first glance, such a statement seems so obvious it hardly bears mentioning; our earlier experiences, both our successes and our failures, shape our current behavior. But dig just a bit deeper, and it becomes far murkier. What can you call your past? […]
May
24
Baby I Swear it’s Déjà Vu
posted by megkirch
It’s one of the most bizarre sensations in the world: feeling like you’ve entered some sort of time loop and are re-experiencing something that’s already happened before. The rational part of you knows that this is a new experience, and yet, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re somehow reliving a brief moment of your […]
May
17
Stop, You’re Making Me Blush
posted by UCSDNeuro
I want to take you back to the most embarrassing moment of your life. Come on, you know what that was. For some people it was giving a presentation in front of a large audience. For some it involved saying or doing something really stupid, perhaps in front of someone you were attracted to; it […]
May
10
A Bright Idea: Illuminating the Brain with GCaMP
posted by Drew Schreiner
You might’ve read stories about some brain region “lighting up” in response to some stimulus. But what does “lighting up” actually mean? Oftentimes it refers to scientists using a fMRI machine that applies sophisticated technology to translate changes in blood flow into pixels on a computer screen. Sometimes though the brain can literally light up, […]
