Archive: 2020

What Does a Cognitive Neuroscientist Do?

How do you introduce yourself, scientifically?  My name is Dana Boebinger, and I’m an auditory cognitive neuroscientist. I study how the brain understands sound; I specifically study humans, and how the brain understands the kinds of sounds that…

What Does an Evolutionary Biologist Do?

How do you introduce yourself, scientifically? My name is Mia Miyagi, and I’m an evolutionary biologist, which means that I study how the process of evolution works and how that process has generated the incredible biodiversity that we have…

Not Just Your Ordinary Lizard: The Unique Genome of the Tuatara

Dinosaurs rose and fell, but one foot-long scaly creature -- the tuatara -- persisted. Recently, the first tuatara genome was sequenced, unlocking insights into the evolution of other reptiles, birds, dinosaurs, and even our own mammalian lineage.

Racism and Exploitation in Phase I Clinical Trials

By Mary May Many people regard participating in clinical trials as an altruistic act that could help save lives. Most people, however, are unaware of who actually participates in the earliest stage of trials performed in humans. The healthy people who…

Racial Disparities in COVID-19

by Wei Lifigures by Olivia Foster Rhoades The United States has the highest number COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, with over six million confirmed cases and over 189,000 total deaths in the country as of September 9, 2020. Within the US, the…

Racism, Toxic Stress, and Education Policy

by Valentina Lagomarsinofigures by Olivia K. Foster Rhoades Brain development takes a long time. In fact, the human brain isn’t considered fully developed until after 25 years of life! To ultimately develop a healthy brain architecture, the foundation…

Racial Discrimination in Face Recognition Technology

By Alex Najibi We unlock our iPhones with a glance and wonder how Facebook knew to tag us in that photo. But face recognition, the technology behind these features, is more than just a gimmick. It is employed for law enforcement surveillance, airport…