By Keionna Newton
The brain is an endlessly fascinating organ, but let’s face it – it is also a complete enigma. One quick look into any introductory neuroscience textbook and…
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FIRST PLACE WINNER!
Policy Brief by Manaswini Kar, Keerthana Manikandan, and Jonathan Klonowski
With at least one-eighth of the entire global population living with mental illness, the world stands at…
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Op-Ed by Elissavet Chartampila
Climate change presents a formidable and urgent threat to human health. From the loss of life and illness caused by more frequent and severe extreme weather…
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Policy Brief by Katie Cooke
Introduction
The DSM-5 defines gender dysphoria (GD) as a prolonged incongruence between one’s assigned sex at birth and one’s gender identity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…
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Short Essay by Rachel Falleur
As an undergraduate student majoring in neuroscience, performing and participating in research is a key part of completion of the program. Participation in research and…
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Policy Brief by Kathleen Carmichael
Executive summary
Advances in neuroscience have the power to inform and improve many aspects of our legal system (Chorvat & McCabe, 2004). In the context…
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SECOND PLACE WINNER!
Policy Memo by Erin Morrow
INTRODUCTION
Within the last decade, consumer technologies have become increasingly capable at recording and analyzing physiological data. For instance, smartwatches can now…
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Policy Memo by Yug Yadava
Executive Summary
When a child is born at a hospital in the United States, he or she is tested for genetic, inherited, heart, and hearing…
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By Bar Yosef
Megan Chappell was in high school when her uncle was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She set out to learn more about the disease but had trouble…
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By Justin McMahon
Around 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point throughout their lives (World Health Organization, 2022), and unfortunately up to 60% of…
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By J. LaValley
Often, when we discuss medical practices of the past, we do so with a certain level of scorn, horror, and disgust. These aren’t unreasonable reactions when thinking…
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By Amy Than
As of 2023, the emojis that pop up on phone keyboards when the term “science” is searched for are limited to a lab coat, DNA molecule, microbe,…
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By Randall Eck
Every human has a unique collection of bacteria living in their gut, like a fingerprint. Collectively, these bacteria are called the gut microbiome. The exact number and…
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By Carolyn Amir
ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform designed to interface with humans, is the ultimate search engine and virtual conversation partner. The AI can improve your computer code,…
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By Keionna Newton
Microglia structure and function
As you go about each and every day, there are billions – yes, billions – of tiny little cells in your brain moving…
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In this infographic, KN Illustrator Melis Cakar discusses different disabilities people experience in the US. Check it out in celebration of Disability Pride Month!
Illustrated by Melis Cakar
Edited by…
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By Mary Bullock Cooper
Do you have a bedtime? If you answered no… I’m sorry, but everyone has a bedtime! This bedtime is unlike the one in childhood that is…
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By Paige Nicklas
As I sit watching a medical TV show with my sister, an imaging technologist, she critiques the accuracy of the procedures the characters are claiming to perform.…
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By Shiri Spitz Siddiqi
You’re standing at a railroad switch as a runaway trolley hurtles toward five innocent people lying trapped in its path. Out of harm’s way lies one…
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By Caitlin Goodpaster
TikTok, a video-sharing app that has taken the world by storm, was first introduced as Douyin in 2016 in China, where it gained 100 million users in…
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By Chris Gabriel
When you think of the person you love most in the world, you might imagine their face, their voice, and the memories you’ve shared together. Now, imagine…
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June is Aphasia Awareness Month! For this infographic, Sneha Chaturvedi explains the basics of aphasia, which is a neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to communicate or understand…
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By Elissavet Chartampila
June 29th, 2021, was the hottest day in history for British Columbia, Canada. As a heat wave swept across western Canada, temperatures soared to unprecedented heights, with…
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By Ayushe Sharma and Brandon Mitchell
As you walk down the street towards your favorite coffee shop, you experience countless odors. Trash. Stale fries. Wet dogs. Floral perfumes. Overbearing colognes.…
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by Vincent A. Medina
We have all experienced time flying when we are happy and having fun. Conversely, everyone knows how slowly time can drag on when we feel bored…
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by Johanna Popp
Stressed lately? Low in energy? Too exhausted to meet up with friends after a long workday? These feelings could indicate early signs of declining mental health. According…
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In this infographic, Kayla Lim discusses the basics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and intricacies related to long COVID!
Edited by Zoe Dobler, Vidya Saravanapandian, and Julia LaValley…
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By William Pollard
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, success rates for cessation remain low, with only 7.5% of smokers managing to quit smoking entirely. The need…
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By Courtney Kremler
It’s a classic cycle that we have all been through before: craving pizza, sugar, or junk food of any kind, feeding that craving, promptly feeling worse, and…
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By Andrew Bontemps
Original article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf0435
“Perspectives” article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg2989
Maxemiliano Vargas and colleagues from UC Davis and Medical College of Wisconsin recently released a paper describing some of the interesting…
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by Rebeka Popovic
To operate properly, each cell relies on thousands of proteins performing their function at the right time and place within the boundaries of its membrane. The function…
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What is a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)? For International Functional Neurological Disorder Awareness Day (April 13th), Sneha Chaturvedi explains the basics in Knowing Neurons’ new infographic. Click here to learn…
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By Anastasiia Gryshyna
Many of us have heard a common debate between the fields of biology and sociology. Are human traits, behavior, and personality influenced by nature, or by nurture?…
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By Sarah Wade
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating illness that gradually destroys the brain. This disease affects over 30 million people worldwide (Haque & Levey, 2019) and is the…
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By Amy Than
One of the critical stages of applying to graduate programs, research positions, fellowships, and beyond is asking for letters of recommendation (LORs). LORs are used by hiring…
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By Ebrahim Feghhi
Starting in 2011, a group of 270 scientists attempted to replicate 100 psychological studies. They found that out of these 100 studies, only 39 could be successfully…
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By Mary Bullock Cooper
Spring forward an hour in March or fall back an hour in November… you know the drill. It’s once again that time of year when everyone…
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By Vidya Saravanapandian
Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an annual event celebrated across the world to increase public awareness of brain research and to inspire the younger generation to pursue…
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By Honoreé Brewton
There are conflicting sources regarding the first usage of the term déjà vu, a French term meaning “already seen” (Merriam-Webster), but it can be traced back to…
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By Chris Gabriel
Rock climbing is as much a puzzle as it is a sport. Anyone could guess that climbing requires a unique combination of athletic skills: muscular power to…
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By Mariella Careaga
Just like any other emotion, love has more to do with the brain than you might think.
Among all emotions, love seems to have a special place…
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By Lauren Wagner
Thirteen years after the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, director James Cameron invites viewers to journey back to the faraway, lush exo-moon of Pandora with…
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