If you are an undergraduate student, you probably share some attributes with other readers of this blog. You are likely a millennial, meaning that you may not remember the fall of the Berlin wall, and to you, the space race is a distant past. Federal funding for “fundamental” or “basic” science research was at the all-time… Read more »
Cutting-Edge Science at IU
Chemical keys to brain function
According to both popular science and drug commercials, the brain is a mess of chemicals. Imbalances in these chemicals are responsible for a variety of ailments from depression to addiction. However, there’s rarely any mention of how these chemicals are related to neural activity. For instance, why is dopamine often rewarding, and why is serotonin… Read more »
A short interview with Dr. Jonathan Schlebach
This past August Indiana University welcomed a new addition to its chemical biology research faculty, Dr. Jonathan Schlebach. Dr. Schlebach came to IU following a post-doctoral position at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to begin setting up his own research program and teaching graduate and undergraduate courses. He offers some insight on what his research… Read more »
A moving target: How reliable are dementia assessments?
“We’re going to do a few tests to see whether your mother is showing typical signs of dementia.” The word conjures chilling images of loved ones’ lives reduced to confusion and fear as memories and independence slip away. While loss of physical independence is unfortunate, it can be more devastating to lose a loved one’s… Read more »
Single molecule magnets: The data storage of the future
The storage capability of hard drives has been increasing exponentially over the past 60 years. The IBM 350 RAMAC disk released in 1956 was able to store 2000 bits (a unit used to measure storage ability) of information per square inch. In 2014, Seagate Technology released a hard drive that could store 1 billion bits… Read more »
Feeling stressed? Researchers at IU are studying how stress reshapes the brain
This post is part 1 of a two part series. Check out part 2 here. Imagine it’s 9:45 am. You have a meeting across town in 15 minutes and you just realized that you overslept your alarm! You throw on some clothes, grab a cup of yesterday’s coffee, and rush out the door, only to… Read more »
For a hybrid species of ribbon worm, it only takes one to tango
Along the eastern Atlantic coasts of France, at some point in the last 100,000 years, two ribbon worms of different species engaged in worm intercourse (do not fear, I will not discuss the mechanics here). The two species were Lineus sanguineus and L. lacteus. Interspecies sex is uncommon in itself, but what’s especially surprising in this case… Read more »
The social lives of bacteria
“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” —- Aristotle This famous quote by Aristotle gets at the heart of what is considered the most human quality – being social. However, biologists have long known that ‘social behaviors’… Read more »
Branching out with interdisciplinary science
A theoretical chemist and a biochemist walk into a bar. They both speak the same language, yet it’s difficult for them to have a conversation about each other’s research. They’re both intelligent, educated scientists who have at least a basic understanding of the other’s field, so what’s the problem? The first post from the ScIU… Read more »
Fuel for the future: The evolving process of making hydrogen
Hydrogen gas (H2), which is currently used in world-wide production of ammonia, is also being considered as an alternative fuel. But how is hydrogen gas made? Carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O) can be combined to form hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a process known as the water-gas shift reaction. The water-gas… Read more »