misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2023

Jody Puglisi: The Choreography of Translation Initiation

Live Blogger: Jennifer Baker 

Editor: Eilidh McClain

This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium, “From Molecules to Medicines,” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

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The “central dogma” of biology – that DNA is transcribed into RNA is translated into proteins – is a scientific tenet that haunts many American 10th graders during high school biology class. You might recall seeing diagrams like this one of an mRNA molecule sandwiched between the two halves of a ribosome as a new strand of amino acids unfurls from the exit site. 

However, it’s likely that your teacher didn’t spend much time on the how and why of this process – why does the ribosome bind to the mRNA? How does it find the start codon, the location on the mRNA that marks the spot where the ribosome starts translating? 

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misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2023

Steve Henikoff: Genome-Wide Mapping of Protein-DNA Interaction Dynamics

Live blogger: Eilidh McClain

Editors: Paul Dylag and Jennifer Baker

This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium: From Molecules to Medicines, hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

In response to multiple external factors, chromatin in chromosomes is able to dynamically shift in order to facilitate gene regulation. Gene expression is altered in part by the use of RNA-protein interactions within the chromatin. However, study of these interactions features many experimental requirements that are not optimized for studying chromatin dynamics as a whole and its role in gene regulation. Dr. Steve Henikoff and coworkers at the Basic Sciences Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have tackled this RNA-protein interaction problem by developing new and powerful tools for studying those interactions. Now that these tools have been developed, they can provide interesting insights to the role of chromatin dynamics in regulation of gene expression and silencing with relative ease compared with previous methodology.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Genetics: What Jurassic Park doesn’t tell you

Written & illustrated by: Mallika Venkatramani

Edited by: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Sheila Marte, Madison Fitzgerald, and Jennifer Baker

“Why don’t you use your genetics knowledge and do something crazy with our plants?”

A friend asked me this question while volunteering at a community garden a few months ago. When they found out I study genetics, they immediately got inquisitive. Did they think my genetics background meant I could create some sort of plant monster? Coolly, I replied that plant genetics is not my area of expertise.

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misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

Mejor sin Sal

Escrito en inglés por: Daniela Tapia Pitzzu

Editado en inglés por: Sarah Bassiouni, Olivia Alge, Peijin Han y Madeline Barron

Traducido al español por: Daniela Tapia Pitzzu

Editado en español por: Valeria Tapia Pitzzu, Neikelyn Burgos Tirado y Andrés Rivera Ruiz

Ilustrado por: Devon Hucek

Durante una clase de química de escuela secundaria, mi maestro le entregó a la clase un documento que describía los  peligros del monóxido de dihidrógeno (DHMO, por sus siglas en inglés). Había reportes de que si el DHMO se inhalaba, causaba asfixia. Esta parodia sobre el agua (cuyo nombre molecular es monóxido de dihidrógeno) se hizo para abogar por el alfabetismo científico. Sin embargo, había otro mensaje: incluso uno de los compuestos químicos más inofensivos puede ser peligroso si es utilizado inadecuadamente.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Taking risks and exploring new opportunities: An unpaved path to better mental health during the PhD

Written by: Michele Marenus

Edited by: Mena Davidson, Olivia Pifer Alge, Christian Greenhill

Illustrated by: Jessica Li

My Ph.D. journey began in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving from the big, vibrant city of Boston on the East Coast to Ann Arbor, a small college town in the Midwest, was different from what I expected. Making friends in a new city is always hard, but COVID added an extra challenge that left me reeling. The loneliness that I felt taking classes, assisting undergraduates, and launching my own research in a 100% virtual environment was overwhelming at times. I strongly reconsidered my decision to pursue a doctorate. Why am I living far away from my loved ones for a career that I’m not sure I want? I strongly considered leaving the Ph.D., but I first wanted to evaluate all other options before deciding which would be the right move. I actively explored more options for my career, leading me on a quest to learn about research opportunities outside of academia.

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misciwriterseditors blog

What’s in your water?

Written by: Kelley Dugan

Edited by: Ryan Schildcrout, Nick Janne, April Kriebel, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Jacquelyn Roberts

Have you ever wondered about the quality of your drinking water?

You’ve probably heard of the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan. The water crisis began on April 25, 2014, when Flint’s water supply was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Due to the switch, lead and other contaminants were leached from water distribution pipes into Flint’s municipal drinking water. While lead levels dropped below the federal limit in January of 2017𑁋years after the crisis began𑁋long-term effects of lead exposure and mental health impacts continue in 2022.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Elemental damage: When oxygen makes you short of breath

Written by: Jennifer Baker

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Jessica Li, and Andrew Alvarez

Illustrated by: Katie Bonefas

Take a deep breath in … (it’s okay, I’ll wait) … aaaannnnndddd release. Feel better? While breathing deeply is relaxing and has psychological benefits, it also has a fundamental physiological function.

Unless you are reading this atop Mount Everest where gas concentrations deviate from those at sea level (congrats on your successful ascent!), about 21% of the air you just inhaled is oxygen, a vital resource your cells need to survive. This oxygen is used by cells all over your body for chemical processes such as generating energy for cellular functions like building proteins, fixing cell membranes, and repairing DNA.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Cholesterol: A Rude Intrusion in Your Immune System’s Conversation With Cancer

Author: Amér Ghali

Editors: Jennifer Baker, Andrés Rivera Ruiz, and Madeline Barron

There is much to appreciate about the way our bodies keep themselves healthy through the array of different immune cell types and their related, yet distinct, methods of protecting us from sickness. From T cells conducting orchestrated attacks on foreign pathogens to B cells producing antibodies which stave off severe illness at the outset of an infection, these cells and their diverse functions resemble a set of chess pieces in the way that they each perform unique tasks in consort with one another to achieve a common objective. However, their goal is not necessarily victory over any one opponent, but rather against all challenges to the immune system, whether external viruses such as COVID-19, or from within, as is the case with cancer.

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misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

Biomanufactura: una conexión inesperada entre una estrella del fútbol y las vacunas contra el COVID-19

Escrito en inglés y traducido al español por: Franco Tavella

Editado en inglés por: Jennifer Baker, Kristen Loesel, Christian Greenhill y Madeline Barron

Editado en español por: Andrés Rivera Ruiz

Ilustrado por: Katie Bonefas

Leer en inglés aquí

Debido a que soy argentino, comparto un sueño con mi país desde hace 16 años: que la selección nacional gane un campeonato de fútbol con Lionel Messi como capitán del equipo. La mayoría de los argentinos, incluso aquellos que no siguen el fútbol atentamente, han compartido la frustración de nunca haber ganado un torneo, pese a tener uno de los mejores jugadores del mundo en nuestra selección. Finalmente, en el verano de 2021, logramos festejar cuando la selección nacional ganó la Copa América tras derrotar a nuestro mayor rival en el fútbol, Brasil, en la final. Una multitud celebró en el icónico Obelisco que demarca el centro de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y, a pesar de encontrarme en Estados Unidos, me sentí cerca de casa. Sin embargo, este momento de celebración y orgullo nacional quizás nunca hubiese ocurrido si no fuese gracias a la biomanufactura.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Can plants learn? A surprising academic debate

Author: Kate Giffin

Editors: Henry Ertl, Sarah Bassiouni, Sophie Hill and Jennifer Baker

The year was 1633, and Galileo Galilei was being placed under house arrest for a heretical idea: that the Earth revolves around the sun. While he is now considered one of the fathers of modern science, at the time the Roman Inquisition of the Catholic Church declared him “vehemently suspect of heresy.”

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