Last year’s International Symposium of Human Identification (ISHI) covered a span of topics during various workshops, sessions, and poster presentations. Topics ranged from investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to customary updates about CODIS and DNA testing standards to mobilizing DNA analysis labs. However, one topic particularly stood out to attendees—Ashley Spence’s powerful testimony on pursuing justice for victims.
Continue reading “Pursuing Justice For Victims: DNA Forensics”How do Scientists Connect Extreme Weather Events to Climate Change?
This year ushered in a series of intense weather events that impacted communities across the globe: record-breaking heat waves; super-charged cyclones; intense flooding; coastal waters hitting a balmy 38°C (1–4). Attributing extreme weather to climate change has become the norm when reporting on these seemingly more frequent and intense events. But beyond simply acknowledging weather to be more violent or destructive than it was in the past, how is it that climate experts are able to determine if increasing greenhouse gas levels are the culprit behind these extreme weather events? The answers can be found in climate attribution science.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Microblogging for Science Communication
Microblogging is a form of blogging characterized by a shortened format and frequent posting schedule. Instead of personal websites, microblogs reside on social media platforms or apps, making them accessible to interact with and post on smartphones. Microblogs focus on interacting with audiences directly. With the ability to reply to or repost content, microblogging is more conversational and collaborative with audiences than long- form writing.
After its founding in 2006, Twitter (recently renamed “X” by its new owner) quickly became the face of microblogging platforms. Users publish content to the platform in posts of 280 characters that can include images, gifs, videos, and what the platform is most known for: hashtags. Hashtags enable users to search the platform by topic to connect with or follow other users who are writing about those topics. Users can also interact with each other by liking or retweeting tweets, which posts them to their own account. The open forum discussion style makes it possible for individuals to share their stories, offering first-hand accounts of breaking news and fueling political movements such as the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter.
Continue reading “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Microblogging for Science Communication”Cancer Preventing Vaccines: Unleashing the Potential of Tumor Antigens
It has been more than 100 years since Dr. William B. Coley, known today as the “Father of Immunotherapy,” made the first recorded attempt to mobilize the immune system as a means of treating cancer (9). Decades later, the discovery of T cells and the vital role they play in the immune system set the groundwork for many new immunotherapy treatments, such as those involving monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, CAR T cells, and checkpoint inhibitors.
Continue reading “Cancer Preventing Vaccines: Unleashing the Potential of Tumor Antigens”Octopuses Use RNA Editing to Transiently Change Their Proteins When They Get Cold
In the murky depths of the ocean live some of the smartest and most unusual creatures to inhabit the earth. Octopuses are known for their sucker covered tentacles and chameleon-like abilities to change color, pattern and shape to blend it with their environment. The changes aren’t limited to just their appearance. A new study published in Cell reveals that they can change their brains as well (1). The study found that octopuses recode their brain in response to environmental temperature changes using RNA editing.
Continue reading “Octopuses Use RNA Editing to Transiently Change Their Proteins When They Get Cold”From D.O.O.R.S. Scholar to Promega Scientist
What do you wear to a job interview at a biotechnology company? How should your resume be formatted? What questions do you ask to ensure the role is a good fit?
“My mentor guided me through job applications, including helping me identify the things that were important to me in a job,” says Jazmin Santiesteban. “While we were talking about those things, she asked if I would be interested in applying to Promega.”
Jazmin received the D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship in 2021, before her senior year at Lawrence University. That scholarship program helped Jazmin develop new skills and cultivate connections that eventually led her to a job at Promega after graduation.
“I love it so far,” she says. “I don’t know where my career may take me, but right now I want to build a longer future at Promega.”
Continue reading “From D.O.O.R.S. Scholar to Promega Scientist”Insects and Science: Optimizing Work with Sf9 Insect Cells
Insects are a keystone species in the animal kingdom, often providing invaluable benefits to terrestrial ecosystems and useful services to mankind. While many of them are seen as pests (think mosquitos), others are important for pollination, waste management, and even scientific research.
Insect biotechnology, or the use of insect-derived molecules and cells to develop products, is applied in a diverse set of scientific fields including agricultural, industrial, and medical biotechnology. Insect cells have been central to many scientific advances, being utilized in recombinant protein, baculovirus, and vaccine and viral pesticide production, among other applications (5).
Therefore, as the use of insect cells becomes more widespread, understanding how they are produced, their research applications, and the scientific products that can be used with them is crucial to fostering further scientific advancements.
Primary Cell Cultures and Cell Lines
In general, experimentation with individual cells, rather than full animal models, is advantageous due to improved reproducibility, decreased space requirements, less ethical concerns, and a reduction in expense. This makes primary cell cultures and cell lines essential contributors to basic scientific research.
Continue reading “Insects and Science: Optimizing Work with Sf9 Insect Cells”How Does Ozempic Work? The Mechanism of Action of Semaglutide and Other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
In early 2023, a type 2 diabetes medication, semaglutide (brand names Ozempic, Rybelsus), drew huge amounts of attention on social media and in popular culture. The reason? People were getting off-label (that is, not for treating type 2 diabetes) prescriptions of Ozempic to take advantage of one of its common side effects—measurable weight loss.
How does semaglutide and other drugs of its type manage diabetes on a molecular level, and what drives the weight loss effects?
Synthetic Biology: Minimal Cell, Maximal Opportunity
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, synthetic biology is “a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities”. Synthetic biology has a broad range of applications, from manufacturing pharmaceuticals and other biologically active chemicals and biofuels, to accelerating the adoption of plant-based burgers (1).
At the heart of the synthetic biology revolution is the rapid technological advancement—and accompanying drop in costs—of DNA oligonucleotide synthesis. Typically, synthetic biology researchers use oligonucleotides as building blocks to assemble genes of interest that are then introduced into, and expressed by, a different organism. For example, to create the plant-based Impossible Burger, the soy leghemoglobin gene (normally found in the root nodules of leguminous plants) was synthesized and expressed in yeast cells (1). This component gives the burger its meaty flavor and appearance of “bleeding” when cooked.
Continue reading “Synthetic Biology: Minimal Cell, Maximal Opportunity”
Exploring Instrumentation for Your Lab: Particle Movers vs. Liquid Handlers
Some laboratory processes are time-consuming and tedious. Automation highly manual processes such as nucleic acid extraction can increase your lab’s throughput and improve the overall consistency of your results. Unfortunately choosing and implementing one of these systems can seem overwhelming. As you begin to evaluate the automation needs of your lab, one of the first decision points is the type of platform you need. Do you need a liquid handler or a magnetic particle mover?
Continue reading “Exploring Instrumentation for Your Lab: Particle Movers vs. Liquid Handlers”