By Lindsey Ramirez, PhD, C2ST Correspondent

There’s nothing worse than an unwanted houseguest who eats your food and takes over your living space. Plants experience a similar invasion of their environment. 

Invasive plants are commonly non-native to a region and force out native species or have a negative impact on the functioning of that ecosystem. At first, the new species may provide food, a habitat for animals, and improve the soil quality. But what starts off as a symbiotic relationship can quickly change. Sometimes the new species has traits that are better suited for that environment, so it flourishes and eventually becomes invasive.

Continue reading “Science of Everything: Invasive Species”

By Lauren Chan, PhD, RD, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

At the beginning of the year, I always hear about friends or family doing “Dry January”, or choosing not to drink alcohol for the month of January. This trend does not stop with January, also spanning to “Sober October” or other months. Some people are even exploring the Sober Curious movement and experimenting with abstaining from alcohol entirely. But are people actually changing their drinking habits, and how does alcohol intake impact health? 

Continue reading “Sober Curious: How Alcohol Impacts Your Health”

By Stephanie Sorich, C2ST Correspondent

Nervous laughter, or laughing when we feel uncomfortable, is likely not a behavior you think of when you think of successful socialization. It often slips out without us realizing it, a half-hearted “heh” disguised as social agreeability that we later shake our heads at on the drive home. So why do we do it?

Dr. Esther Yoon— or just Esther, as she prefers— is a licensed clinical psychologist at Northwestern Medicine who specializes in behavioral medicine. When asked about nervous laughter, she was quick to emphasize just how normal it actually is.

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By Alexian Heynez, C2ST Intern, Waubonsee Community College

When gene editing comes up, most people probably think about Marvel super soldiers like Captain America or the way that Jurassic Park brought back dinosaurs. Although these are some theoretical applications of gene editing and quite outlandish compared to what gene editing actually can do, they reflect the general public’s perception of this technology as a powerful paradigm-shifting one. The ability to artificially modify the DNA of living beings has massive implications, which is why scientists are having many intense conversations about when, where, and if we should use it. Join me in an exploration of the current state of gene editing technology and the ethical conversation surrounding its use.

Continue reading “CRISPR: Genetic Scissors, Scientists are Editing Genes?”