securitymeetsscience

[securitymeetsscience]

So much has gone on within the past month. So many changes to my career path. I can’t even list them all but I’m very annoyed with covid and I really want it to end immediately.

On the other hand, I’m taking a terror techniques course starting tomorrow. That’s going to be fun

#science #security #national security #studyblr #black people study #black students #black studyblr #security meets science #minorities

[securitymeetsscience]

Professor: I think for you, MLA would be best.

Me: I’ve already submitted everything in APA as requested.

Professor: MLA please.

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

#studyblr #black people study #black students #black studyblr #security meets science

[securitymeetsscience]

This was a great read. Especially for those who love science and knows someone who suffers from glaucoma and/or dementia. For me, it runs in my family.

I’ve always reveled in the idea of gene therapy to stave off memory loss and cognitive decline. I never thought about how it could repair damage caused by such an irreversible disease such as dementia. I’m also loving the idea of using it for eye conditions.

I wonder if it could possibly repair damage to individuals suffering from coloboma and cataracts as well. These complex eye diseases can cause some serious damage. My sister just so happens to have all three (coloboma, cataracts, and glaucoma) in both eyes.

#science #studyblr #research #glaucoma #cataracts #coloboma #complexed eye diseases #dementia #Alzheimer’s disease #university of Cambridge #scientists #medical #gene therapy

[securitymeetsscience]

This is super cool. 😊

A QUIZ ON GRAM STAINING TECHNIQUE | BACTERIOLOGY QUIZ Check out the quiz on Gram staining technique and enhance your knowledge about the concept… who developed Gram staining technique???

#science #microbiology #studyblr #bacteriology

[securitymeetsscience]

Becoming a nerve cell: timing is of the essence

Our brains are made up of billions of incredibly diverse neurons. They first arise in the developing brain when stem cells stop self-renewing and differentiate into a particular type of neuron. This process, called neurogenesis, is precisely regulated to give rise to the enormous complex structure that is our brain. It is thought that small differences in the way neural stem cells generate neurons are at the origin of the dramatic increase in the size and complexity of our brain.

To gain insight in this complex process, prof. Pierre Vanderhaeghen (VIB-KU Leuven, ULB) and his colleagues examined the mitochondria, small organelles that provide energy in every cell in the body, including the developing brain.

“Diseases caused by defects in mitochondria lead to developmental problems in many organs, in particular the brain,” explains Vanderhaeghen, a specialist in stem cell and developmental neurobiology. “We used to think that this was related to the crucial function of mitochondria to provide energy to the cells, but this is only part of the story: recent work in stem cells suggests that mitochondria have a direct influence on organ development. We have tested whether and how this could be the case in the brain.”

(Image caption: Human progenitor cells with their DNA-containing nucleus colored red after cell division and their mitochondria labeled in green. Human cells with fragmented mitochondria (top) became neurons (top), whereas those with tubular mitochondria (bottom) remained progenitors. Progenitor cells have their DNA-containing nucleus marked with blue while new born neurons are marked in white. Credit: VIB – Ryohei Iwata)

Fission and fusion

Together with his team, he explored whether and how mitochondrial remodeling is coupled with neuronal fate commitment during neurogenesis. “Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles, that can join together (fusion) or split up (fission), and we know these dynamics are associated with fate changes in various types of stem cells,” says Vanderhaeghen.

Ryohei Iwata, a postdoctoral researcher in the Vanderhaeghen lab, developed a new method to watch mitochondria in great detail as the neural stem cells are ‘caught in the act’ to become neurons. “We found that shortly after stem cells divide, the mitochondria in daughter cells destined to self-renew will fuse, while those in daughter cells that become neurons show high levels of fission instead,” says Ryohei Iwata.

But this was not just a coincidence: indeed, the researchers could show that increased mitochondrial fission in fact promotes differentiation to a neuronal fate, while mitochondrial fusion after mitosis redirects daughter cells towards self-renewal.

Time window

So mitochondrial dynamics are important to become a neuron—but there is more.

“We found that the influence of mitochondrial dynamics on cell fate choice is limited to a very specific time window, right after cell division,” says Pierre Casimir, a PhD student in Vanderhaeghen’s lab. “Interestingly, the restricted time window is twice as long in humans compared to mice.”

“Previous findings were primarily focused on fate decision of neural stem cells before they divide, but our data reveal that cell fate can be influenced for a much longer period, even after neural stem cell division,” says Vanderhaeghen. This may have interesting implications in the emerging field of cell reprogramming, where scientists try to convert non-neuronal cells directly in neuronal cells for therapeutic purposes for instance.

“Since this period of plasticity is much longer in human cells compared to mouse cells, it is tempting to speculate that it contributes to the increased self-renewal capacity of human progenitor cells, and thus to the uniquely developed brain and cognitive abilities of our species. It is fascinating to think that mitochondria, small organelles that have evolved in cells more than a billion years ago, might have contributed to the recent evolution of the human brain.”

#neurogenesis #mitochondria #progenitor cells #neurons #neuroscience #science

[securitymeetsscience]

What it’s like being a parent in college...

Learning how to navigate courses and completing schoolwork with a toddler asleep in your lap.

#black people study #black students #black studyblr #security meets science #studyblr

[securitymeetsscience]

This is pretty cool!

HIV-AIDS QUIZ | HIV MCQs | MICROBIOLOGY QUIZ | VIROLOGY QUIZ Check out the quiz on HIV-AIDS, the human immunodeficiency virus, and Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome…. HIV-AIDS Quiz…

Read More -…

[securitymeetsscience]

Glossary of Molecular Biology Terms | Book Publisher International

More than 1500 technical terms from the fields of molecular biology are described in this glossary, allowing the consumer to locate and comprehend terms and concepts contained in books and articles about molecular biology. The need to publish this lexicon, which has become more than a necessity in the sense of the evolution of this scientific field, which has been marked by rapid growth over the last 20 years, in my opinion. This glossary is intended for a broad audience, including students of molecular biology, biotechnology, genetic engineering, microbiology, and agronomy, as well as anyone interested in learning more about this area. Author(s) Details Setti Benali Agronomy and Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences (FSNV), Chlef University, Algeria. View Book:- https://stm.bookpi.org/GMBT/issue/view/49

[securitymeetsscience]

I’ve been SUPER lazy all weekend. Three computers in this house yet I chose to complete classwork on my tablet instead.

Not the best idea but I finished it!

#black students #black people study #black studyblr #security meets science #studyblr #humanities

[securitymeetsscience]

When the "leader" sets the narrative without conducting simple research, it creates chaos. First of all, shots distributed to counties shouldn't be administered to people outside of those county lines. Second of all, vaccines should be distributed equally. Third of all, send vaccines to the areas that are hardest hit.

Some people want the title yet are undeserving of that leadership role.

#people of color #racial disparities #covid 19 #coronavirus #vaccine #maryland #black people #hispanic people #minorities #governor Hogan #black residents #black community #prince george's county

[securitymeetsscience]

Microbiology side of tumblr just stepped in the room. I just woke up and the first thing I see is this on my feed. There's one thing NOT wrong with this. Doxycycline IS used to treat severe acne rosacea BUT as an as need basis only. What IS wrong with this is the fact that this company is advertising it like "hey you got a few bumps on your face? Get some doxycycline pills. It'll go away!" WRONG!

Doxy is an antibiotic that treats various diseases and infections. It also contains anti-inflammatory effects. The side effects are indeed awful. The long-term effects are even worse. If you have moderate to severe inflammatory acne, like and on your back or body, most dermatologists will prescribe this for you. The doxycycline is there to treat acne-causing bacteria on the skin. It also helps for pus-cilled cysts that appears on the skin. Again, it kills the bacteria and reduces the inflammation. Usually the dosage is low and it's prescribed for a short period of time. So yeah, it's not uncommon to use Doxy to treat acne.

Also, I'm so sorry you had malaria. I'm glad you've recovered.

So this just showed up as an ad for me. Don't know what algorithm put it there, but wtf.

Doxycycline?!?!?! To treat acne?!?!

Buckle up, because a member of the microbiology side of Tumblr is about to go off.

Do yall know what this stuff is. It's an antibiotic. I (and many others) was prescribed this for the first 90 days I was in Afghanistan to prevent malaria. Other times I've seen it used was for when people were exposed to highly pathogenic bacteria while necropsying sick animals. Other uses, to treat venereal diseases caused by bacteria.

What I'm saying is, this stuff will mess you up. It doesn't target a specific single bacteria, it indiscriminately wipes out many bacteria it comes in contact with.

Now, that may seem good right, kill the bacteria causing whatever, but there's a reason antibiotics are for a relatively short term and require a prescription. Not only will it kill the "bad" bacteria, but it will also kill off a lot of your "good" gut microbes, which is really bad in the long-term. We're in a pretty symbiotic relationship with our own microbiota. If you've ever been prescribed antibiotics, you've probably experienced the effects of killing off all the bacteria in your GI tract i.e. diarrhea, malaise, maybe some depression, and a whole host of other side effects. That's because you don't have the "good" bacteria helping you with your digesta. You're not getting all of the nutrients you'd normally get because your ingesta isn't getting fully broken down before passing through you.

Another downside of killing off all of these bacteria, they provide provide an immunologic barrier for you, meaning they have established populations that require resources to sustain themselves. Having an established microbiota makes it harder for a new "bad" bacteria to establish itself before the immune system can mount a strong response because they have to compete for limited resources with a strong well-established gut population. This is one of the main reasons yogurt is a suggested post antibiotic food, it has those good bacteria in it and it helps to reestablish a good gut microbiota. If you wipe everything out though, this provides the bad bacteria with a chance to take up residence and potentially make you VERY sick or even kill you.

Finally, this seems like it'd be a pretty unsupervised deal. We already have a problem with antibiotic resistance from people not following through with a complete antibiotic regiment. Can you imagine what can happen if a bunch of people are taking this, experience the side effects, and then stop taking it. It'll make stronger, more pathogenic bacteria that will cause a lot of harm.

What I'm saying with this is, the purported benefit of getting rid of "acne causing bacteria" (I honestly don't know the validity of this claim, but I am going to be in the literature after I make this post to followup) is definitely not worth the side effects of taking this.

TL;DR version: doxycycline is a strong antibiotic that's used for a lot more than just acne.

Taking it without first consulting a doctor can and will lead to much more harmful effects than clearing up acne.

I'm begging anyone who follows me to please reblog this because word needs to be spread about why this is a REALLY BAD IDEA.

#microbiology #doxycycline #antibiotics #acne #bacteria #medicine #health #science #dermatology

[securitymeetsscience]

How Do Microorganisms Pee? | Journey To The Microcosmos

I didn’t know that Hank Green talking about microbe pee was what I needed to hear, but it was

#microbiology #microbes #microorganisms #science

[securitymeetsscience]

So many of these kids simply need help. It takes a community/village.

If you are a low income and/or minority student in need of help writing college essays, filling out college applications, applying for FAFSA, grants, or other scholarships

PLEASE

PLEASE

PLEASE

reach out to me.

[Please reblog]

#students of color #low income #low income students #poc students #black people study #studyblr #black studyblr #black students #minorities #minority students #schools #college tips #college student #high school student #college applications #fafsa

[securitymeetsscience]

Awhile back, my sister asked me if I’d ever be interested in being a criminal profiler.

A. Yes, I have.

B. But I don’t have the time nor the energy.

C. They don’t make enough for me.

I had the pleasure of taking an FBI Experience webinar for an entire month. The webinar featured FBI employees, that worked within various areas of the agency, who discussed their roles, high profiled cases they were a part of, and what it’s like going through the potential employment process.

As soon as they mentioned polygraphed, I immediately said no. For one, with me suffering from anxiety, I’ll fail immediately. If you fail a poly with the FBI, that’s it. There are no 2nd chances and will cost you that job as a potential employee of the agency forever and will also follow you for the rest of your life. Not a risk I’m willing to take.

It’s insane to me how many great applicants are turned away because of failed polygraphs. From a scientific perspective, I think the continued use of polygraphs for employment is concerning. Polygraphs measure physiological reactions. Not deceit or lies being the determining factor. In 2002, The National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a 19-month study concerning the effectiveness of polygraphs and deemed it insufficient to use.

So, yeah... Issa no for me. Very informative webinar. However, I’m refuse to subject myself to that type of torture.

#polygraph #criminal minds #profiler #criminal profiling #FBI #security meets science #security #black studyblr #black students

[securitymeetsscience]

“This is how science actually works. It’s less the parade of decisive blockbuster discoveries that the press often portrays, and more a slow, erratic stumble toward ever less uncertainty. “Our understanding oscillates at first, but converges on an answer,” says Natalie Dean, a statistician at the University of Florida. “That’s the normal scientific process, but it looks jarring to people who aren’t used to it.””

—

Ed Yong in The Atlantic. Why the Coronavirus Is So Confusing

A guide to making sense of a problem that is now too big for any one person to fully comprehend

[securitymeetsscience]

This is one of my favorite TedTalk links. I’ve watched this playlist a few times. The talks explore how exploratory and fantastic science is.

#a love letter to science #ted talks #science #academia #black scientists #scholars #scientists #biology #women in stem #security meets science

[securitymeetsscience]

Spent today for a new mini-semester. This Notion app is a lifesaver.