Author: Aggie Transcript

Solving the Organ Shortage

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Genetics, Health and Medicine: General

By Sofie Bates Author’s Note: At the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting this year, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Pablo Ross from UC Davis present in a panel discussion on gene editing to create xenogeneic organs. I wrote this article to highlight interesting research that is being done by researchers around the country and right here at UC Davis. I hope that this article will explain xenogeneic organ production—a revolutionary development in the future of medicine—and push readers to think about related bioethical issues and future directions.

Odontoblasts’ Secondary Mechano-sensory Role

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Health and Medicine: General

By Michael Mears, Biological Sciences, ‘17 Author’s Note: I am interested in studying dentistry in future graduate studies, and have always wanted to learn more about the topics it has to offer. After taking a class focusing on neurons, it made me curious as to how the sensory abilities of teeth play out. I was surprised to read online a specific type of cell is involved with tooth sensitivity, and delved into research articles from there. I also wanted to highlight the future implications these studies help shed light on, such that future research will help clarify our understanding on topics like this.

Monocarboxylate Transporter 1’s Facilitation of Cancer Cell Activity

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Health and Medicine: General

By Rachel Hull, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ’19 Author’s note I originally wrote this paper for my Biological Systems class, the instructor of which was interested in researching the physiological role of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1). He instructed his students to write an essay exploring this role in any way they wanted, and I chose to focus on the link between MCT1 and cancer. I enjoyed sifting through multiple strands of evidence for the reasons behind this link — strands that oftentimes were not in agreement with one another.

Organization and Localization of Septins Changes After Autophagy Induction in Yeast

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in News, Undergraduate Research

by Bukre Coskun, Cell Biology ‘18 Authors Note: I wrote this mini journal article for my MCB 140L class. The class focused on the role and structure of septins, a group of proteins that are associated with several biological pathways, like autophagy. I chose to write about a set of experiments we did using yeast-two hybrid assays and fluorescence microscopy to understand the organization and interactions of septins.   Read More

Understanding the Tumultuous Trajectory of a Concept in The Gene

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Book Review, Genetics

By Daniel Erenstein, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, ‘19 Author’s Note: In my Writing in Science (UWP 104E) course, Dr. Brenda Rinard assigned us a review of a classic book in science. My interests in social history and the genetics of disease inspired me to read Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene: An Intimate History. The following book review of The Gene is intended for undergraduate biology majors at UC Davis and beyond. I wrote this review to persuade my peers of the book’s instructional and thought-provoking value. My hope, too, is that readers of this review are encouraged by the pursuit of knowledge presented in The Gene’s stories to transform their passion for science into future innovations.

A Conversation with Dr. Kate Scow: “I just totally lost my heart to soil”

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Biology, Environment, Special Report

By Sara Ludwick, Environmental Science and Management, 2019 Author’s note: I read about Dr. Scow’s research while looking for a faculty member to interview for a class assignment. She is a professor of Soil Science and Microbial Ecology at UC Davis, and her research emphasizes microorganisms’ roles in providing ecosystems services. Dr. Scow was featured in an article on a UC Davis website about carbon sequestration as a tactic to address climate change, and from there I discovered Russell Ranch, where she serves as Director (1). I immediately became interested in the variety of experiments conducted on the experimental farm, and began to learn more about Dr. Scow’s work. Her work is extensive; in addition to directing Russell Ranch, she […]

Shouldering the Pain

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Case Report

By: Cathy Guo, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ‘18   Author’s Note: “This is a reflective case study I wrote for UWP104F (Writing in the Health Profession) about a patient’s illness experience with chronic pain. After conducting an interview with the patient, I became intrigued by the controversial aspects of her ailment, and drew on research to better understand the scientific context of chronic pain. I hope that my reflection at the end raises questions that readers are also thinking, and that these questions could spur readers to learn more about the subject.”

The Effect of Aging On Our Immune System: A Review

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Health and Medicine: Literature Reviews

by Bukre Coskun, Cell Biology ‘18 Author’s Note: I became interested in the immune system and the role of the thymus after taking an immunology class where I learned about how T-cells are distributed throughout our body. I wanted to explore this subject more after learning that the thymus, an organ that is integral to the production of T-cells, atrophies after puberty and eventually becomes inactive.  Here, I review a publication that describes how the concentration of T-cells in our body changes as we age.

Cofactor Effects in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Metabolism

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in News

  By Madison Dougherty, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ‘18   Author’s Note: After taking FST 3, Introduction to Brewing, I was intrigued by the brewing process and how yeast are such an important factor to the quality of beer that is produced. I have since looked deeper into yeast and the fermentation process, gaining a special interest in yeast-related research. I wrote this paper in order to discover more about the unique qualities of yeast and fermentation while informing others about this microorganism’s relevance to humans and other scientific processes.

Cell-free DNA Testing as the Next Generation of Cancer Screening

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Genetics

By: Anna Kirillova, Cell Biology, ‘19   Author’s Note: “This article was brought to my attention in my Human Genetics class (MCB 162) when we were discussing novel methodologies for diagnosis of fetal trisomies (Down Syndrome). The purpose of this review is to highlight how basic biology can translate into significant advancements in disease diagnosis. I hope that the reader will be intrigued by the new genetic technologies and will proceed onto reading the original research article using this review as a guide.”