Biomedical Beat Blog – National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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Students from Connecticut to Washington State and points in between peppered our experts with questions during the recent live Cell Day web chat. They fielded questions about cell structures, microscopes and other tools, life as a scientist, and whether there are still discoveries to be made in cell biology. One of the Cell Day moderators, Jessica Faupel-Badger, …
Continue reading “You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got Answers: Cell Day 2016”
We asked the heads of our scientific divisions to tell us about some of the big questions in fundamental biomedical science that researchers are investigating with NIGMS support. This article is the third in an occasional series that explores these questions and explains how pursuing the answers could advance understanding of important biological processes. Ubiquitin …
We asked the heads of our scientific divisions to tell us about some of the big questions in fundamental biomedical science that researchers are investigating with NIGMS support. This article is the second in an occasional series that explores these questions and explains how pursuing the answers could advance understanding of important biological processes. The …
We asked the heads of our scientific divisions to tell us about some of the big questions in fundamental biomedical science that researchers are investigating with NIGMS support. This article is the first in an occasional series that will explore these questions and explain how pursuing the answers could advance understanding of important biological processes. …
DNA, with its double-helix shape, is the stuff of genes. But genes themselves are only “recipes” for protein molecules, which are molecules that do the real heavy lifting (or do much of the work) inside cells. Artist interpretation of RNAP grasping and unwinding a DNA double helix. Credit: Wei Lin and Richard H. Ebright. Here’s …
Continue reading “RNA Polymerase: A Target for New Antibiotic Drugs?”
Charmaine N. Nganje, PREP scholar at Tufts University in Boston. Credit: Katherine Suarez. Charmaine N. Nganje Hometown: Montgomery Village, Maryland Influential book : The Harry Potter series (not exactly influential, but they’re my favorite) Favorite movie/TV show: The Pursuit of Happyness/The Flash Languages: English (and a bit of Patois) Unusual fact: I’m the biggest Philadelphia …
Continue reading “PREP Scholar’s Passion for Understanding Body’s Defenses”
The human petrous bone in the skull protects the inner ear structures. Though it is one of the hardest, densest bones in the body, some portions (such as the area in orange, protecting the cochlea) are denser than others. Possibly because the petrous bone is so dense, DNA within the petrous bone is better preserved …
This is the fourth post in a new series highlighting NIGMS’ efforts toward developing a robust, diverse and well-trained scientific workforce. Marina Z. Nakhla Hometown: West Los Angeles, California Blogs For: Ottobock “Life in Motion,” a forum for the amputee community, where she’s covered topics ranging from medical insurance to dating. Influential Book: The Catcher in the …
Continue reading “RISE-ing Above: Embracing Physical Disability in the Lab”
Firefly. Credit: Stock photo. The yellow-green glow from this summer’s fireflies teased my kids across the yard. Max and Stella zigzagged the grass, occasionally jumping into the air to cup a firefly in their hands and then proudly shouting, “I got one!” Chasing fireflies on a summer night is a childhood rite of passage for …
Continue reading “Chasing Fireflies—and Better Cellular Imaging Techniques”
Leafing through my favorite biology textbook from a handful of years ago, I was struck by the relative brevity of the chapter on human evolution. While other fields of biological research have enjoyed a steady gallop of productivity over the last few decades due in part to advances in computing power, imaging technology and experimental …
Continue reading “Field Focus: High-Quality Genome Sequences Inform the Study of Human Evolution”