Biomedical Beat Blog – National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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“What we’re trying to do is support the students’ attachment to being a scientist, to becoming part of the community,” says Douglas McMahon, Ph.D., the Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a co-director of Vanderbilt’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program. MARC focuses on undergraduates from diverse backgrounds …
To get a look at cell components that are too small to see with a normal light microscope, scientists often use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). As the prefix cryo- means “cold” or “freezing,” cryo-EM involves rapidly freezing a cell, virus, molecular complex, or other structure to prevent water molecules from forming crystals. This preserves the sample …
Continue reading “Freezing a Moment in Time: Snapshots of Cryo-EM Research”
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”
In the 13 years since the sequencing of the human genome, the list of “omes” has proliferated. Drop us a comment with your favorite ome—we may feature it in a follow-up post next month. Have you ever collected coins, cards, toy trains, stuffed animals? Did you feel the need to complete the set? If so, …
Credit: Mark Hanson. Rebecca Heald Grew up in: Greenville, Pennsylvania Studied at: Hamilton College, Rice University, Harvard Medical School Job site: University of California, Berkeley Favorite hobby: Cycling A 50-pound frog isn’t some freak of nature or a creepy Halloween prank. It’s a thought experiment conceived by Rebecca Heald, a cell biologist at the University …
Continue reading “The Science of Size: Rebecca Heald Explores Size Control in Amphibians”