Speaker: Dr. Maria Luise Simoes Title: CTL-4 gene knockout to block Plasmodium infection in mosquitoes BACKGROUND: When the Anopheles mosquito becomes infected with malaria parasites, it attempts to use its innate immune response via a process known as melanization to kill the parasites. The process of melanization in a mosquito is regulated by what are…
Month: November 2019
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygeine (ASMTH) Day 1:
This week I am attending the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygeine (ASTMH) conference in National Harbor, MD. The conference features many of the most recognized scientists in infectious disease, and offers an opportunity to present novel data, establish scientific collaborations, and networking opportunities with exhibitions. I will be giving a presentation about my…
What happens to your body during an Ultramarathon?
Earlier in the week I introduced the two main muscle fiber types so eloquently labeled as Type-1 and Type-2 that are utilized for aerobic and anaerobic activities, respectively. As I mentioned in the post, I ran a 50 mile ultramarathon last Saturday and pondered that my muscle composition most likely became a Type-1 biased system…
The Main Muscle Fibers in Your Body and How They Differ
Last weekend I ran a 50 mile ultramarathon. It took me just over 9 hours to complete. Leading up to the race, I switched my training from competitive CrossFit to more endurance, long run training sessions. During this time, I lost 15lb over 4 months, most of which was muscle (my pants and shirts are…
Ted Talks Part 1: Nanorobots
Last week I was fortunate to attend the TED talks at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. It was the first ever TED event with exclusively science-related talks. Over the coming weeks, I am going to discuss some of the topics presented by the speakers. Today’s post, will be about nanorobots. Dr. Paul…
Ranked-Choice Voting: What is it and is it good for America?
New York City became the latest city to pass ranked-choice voting (RCV). Over 20 other cities, including other major metropolises like San Francisco and Minneapolis, have adopted the voting reform. So what exactly is it and how does it work? RCV works as it sounds, a voter ranks candidates in order of their preference to…
Peeling boiled eggs! How to do it the easy way.
Continuing from the recent post about refrigerating eggs in the U.S. versus Mexico, I wanted to briefly share my non-scientific protocol on how to make the perfect boiled egg! Specifically, how to make sure the eggshell is easy to peel! How may times have you tried to peel and egg and its absolutely terrible? The…