Blog

Sarah Kearns

Scientific ideas are always changing, updated by new observations and models. Tools and instruments are invented and perfected to push the boundaries of the observable world. Better telescopes allow us to see farther out into deep space and image black holes, while improved microscopes zoom into the atomic structures of proteins and inorganic compounds. These instruments augment and expand our five senses and let us ‘see’ what would otherwise be impossible. Using research equipment in this way not only changes science but also impacts how scientists wrap their heads around data and, in turn, form models and hypotheses that drive future research. Scientific findings impact not just thoughts and feelings but also actions and narratives about the world; for example, climate research permeates conversations about lifestyle, politics, and how individuals evaluate and face crises. 

Continue reading “A Different Perspective and a Light of Reason (Refracted Ducks)” →

Sharena Rice (Front cover), Katherine Bonefas (Back cover)

Neuroplasticity allows the nervous system to adapt to changes. Like muscles, the brain is a dynamic use-it-or-lose-it system. The building of new synapses, the strengthening and breakdown of existing synapses: neuroplasticity allows us to learn and remember. The enso is symbolic of “suchness”, the essence of zen. It is entirely empty, yet entirely complete. Combined in art, these equilibriums fine-tune to the situation.

Sarah Kearns

Welcome to EquilibriUM, a science, technology, enginering, art, math, & medicine (STEAMM) magazine brought to you by MiSciWriters! This print magazine project started as a way to celebrate MiSciWriters’ fifth anniversary (in September 2020) and explore the interesting ways that science fits into other disciplines. I’ve had the immense honor of being a part of the MiSciWriters community during my entire graduate school career and have served as the editor-in-chief the past almost two years. But there’s so much more in this world beyond science – even just within UMich research – and I wanted to bring the team’s expertise in editing and storytelling to a more interdisciplinary space. This magazine serves as a sort of test bed, exploring what we could be doing and what stories we should be sharing.

Continue reading “Letter from the Editor” →

Written and illustrated by Emma Thorton-Kolbe
Edited by Alex Ford, Paola Medina-Cabrera, and Sheila Peeples

I am a neuroscience PhD student. I spend my days in the lab thinking about how the cells in the fruit fly brain connect to one another during development. I take lots of pictures of those fly neurons. I spend hours staring at a computer measuring different parts of them. I read papers reporting on what other scientists have learned about brain development, and then write papers myself. I love that this is my job. I do it because I think brain development is really neat and because doing experiments requires a balance between creativity and protocol following that appeals to me. In a work day, I can spend mental energy thinking up new ways to visualize my data but also zone out a bit while I do a nice tactile task like brain dissection.

Continue reading “Lab Notebooks for Art: A Scientist Develops an Art Practice” →

Written by Nick Jänne
Edited by Jeremy Chen and Claire Shudde
Illustrated by Jacquelyn Roberts

Humans are mystified by the brain—the software-hardware package behind every book worth reading, every song worth listening to, the start of civilization, and perhaps one day the end of it. Even today, we know very little about what goes on behind the average person’s eyes. And while we have uncovered some fundamental properties of cognitive function in the last 4,000 years, curiosity and incomplete understanding have led to science fiction-level fantasies of what might come to pass one more of the truth unravels. We know the popular ones: “The Force” from Star Wars, or people using tin-foil hats to block potential mind control technologies. Perhaps most recently you’ve heard of Elon Musk’s company Neuralink. To some, this company seems to promise an all-powerful computer implanted beneath your skull, enabling mind-reading control of the world around you.  To the tinfoil crowd,  the unthinkable possibilities of this technology prompts a shared vein of fear. However, Neuralink is a single runner in the decades-long race to create the next generation of brain-machine interfaces. What’s more, they’re beginning to change people’s lives for the better—perhaps in ways you might not expect. 

Continue reading “Cracking the Neural Code: Monkey Mind Pong and the Future of Brain – Machine Interfaces” →

Photographed and written by Julianne Armijo
Edited by Naomi Raicu and Claire Shudde

I worked many years as a night shift nurse. Insidiously, I began experiencing unusual elation, recklessness, and impulsiveness, often followed by depression. For years, this cycle continued, and I didn’t know why. I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder when a new antidepressant medication catapulted me into a manic episode. After several hospital visits, I stabilized on lamotrigine, a ketogenic diet, and regular sleep. I’m now stable and thriving.

Continue reading “Night Shift/Day Shift” →

Written by Charukesi Sivakumar
Edited by Sheila Peeples, Jeremy Chen, Kate Giffin, Kristen Schuh
Illustrated by Adriana Brown

The lights dim as we, the Life Sciences Orchestra, lift our instruments. With the wave of our conductor’s baton, the music swells across Hill auditorium and enters the audience’s ears, lighting up the brain.

Continue reading “From Synapses to Symphonies: A Connection Through Sounds” →

Designed and written by Mirella Hernandez Lima
Edited by Sheila Peeples and Kendall Dean
Illustrated by Mirella Hernandez Lima and Kendall Dean

El Día de Muertos es una celebración que honra la memoria de los seres queridos que han fallecido. Donde se rinde homenaje a la vida y a la muerte, porque sin vida no hay muerte.

The Day of the Dead is a celebration that honors the memory of loved ones who have passed away, paying tribute to both life and death. 

Continue reading “Nematodes as Catalysts in Uniting Scientific Curiosity and Cultural Heritage” →

Written by Deanna Cannizzaro
Edited by Claire Shudde and Jessica Li
Illustrated by Jessica Li

Sitting down for a meal is a staple of being human. Memories and laughter are shared over food, allowing us to connect with friends and family. 

For me, food is no longer a simple part of everyday life; I’m forced to think about a chronic disease each time I want, or need, to eat something. It took months of severe abdominal pain and persistent fatigue in my early twenties to realize gluten had become my biggest enemy.

Continue reading “When the Immune System Goes Against the Grain” →

Written by Alex Ford
Edited by Hector Mendoza and Zoe Yeoh
Illustrated by Zoe Yeoh

I. The Tower of Babel

In the beginning, there was a stone. A stone by itself is simple. Monolithic in concept and function. But introduce a second stone. Place it upon the first. Add another. A stack forms and they become more than the sum of their parts. Before there was life, there were simply stones longing for more. Patient stones that awaited the first tumble to start an avalanche. 

Somewhere in the infant Earth, at the grinding edge of a sunken continental plate, magma oozes into deep water. Volcanic fires churn in the darkness and spew black clouds into the crushing depths. In this energy-rich crucible, a lone carbon finds hydrogen, finds nitrogen, and the first organic molecules begin to assemble in the deep.

Continue reading “Out of Many, One” →