misciwriterseditors blog

Genetics and Global Policies

Written by: Christa Ventresca

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Andres Rivera Ruiz, Kate Giffin, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Saaj Chattopadhyay

This is part three of a three-part blog series on genetic testing and its impacts on personal identity. Make sure to read parts one and two first!

As I’ve discussed in the last two blog posts, genetic testing is frequently seen as objective, and this view is promoted by genetic ancestry companies through their advertising (Parthasarathy, 2010). Yet when an ancestry test taker is incorporating genetic ancestry testing into their identity, most people see the results as flexible and reconfigure their identity through conversations with their community (Panofsky and Donovan, 2019; Marcon, Rachul, and Caulfield; 2021; and Nelson, 2008). 

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misciwriterseditors blog

The Brains Behind the Operation: How Disrupted Epigenetics Can Lead to Pediatric Brain Tumors

Written and illustrated by: Dana Messinger

Edited by: Olivia Pifer Alge, Julia Donovan, and Jennifer Baker

In September 2014, Ann Arbor local Chad Carr, grandson of University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor just days before his 4th birthday. His mother rallied the community for support and the #ChadTough mantra raised national attention. Meanwhile, Chad underwent 30 rounds of radiation and a clinical trial, unfortunately passing just 15 months later at the age of 5. 

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misciwriterseditors blog

Reoviruses use molecular switchblades to invade cells

Written and illustrated by: Madison Pletan

Edited by: Sarah Bassiouni, Claire Shudde, Sophie Maxfield, and Jennifer Baker

Imagine you’re a virus—a tiny shell of proteins surrounding some DNA or RNA. Your one mission is to infiltrate a living cell, navigate through its complicated compartments, and ultimately hijack it to make hundreds or even thousands of copies of yourself to perpetuate infection. As a virus, you are unable to multiply on your own. Since you lack the machinery to make new proteins and genetic material, you must enter a cell if you are to survive.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Genetic Ancestry Testing and Identity Among Different Social Groups: Three Case Studies

Written by: Christa Ventresca

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Andres Rivera Ruiz, Kate Giffin, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Saaj Chattopadhyay

This is part two of a three-part blog series on genetic testing and its impacts on personal identity. Make sure to read part one first; part three is coming soon!

Recently, it has become very common to take a genetic ancestry test! But it is much less common to critique them. This is because the study of genetics have become integral to science and public understanding of ancestry. The importance of genetics in society has been furthered by genetic ancestry companies which emphasize the perceived objectivity of genetics to attract customers to their genetic tests (Parthasarathy, 2010). 

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misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

Cuando tú te mueves, yo me muevo: Cómo los padres pueden influir en la actividad física y el desarrollo de habilidades motoras de los niños

Escrito e ilustrado por: Stephanie Palmer

Editado por: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Emily L. Eberhardt, Sarah Bassiouni y Jennifer Baker

Traductores: Llilian Arzola Martínez y Hector Mendoza

¡Hola, lector! Este es el segundo artículo de una serie de dos partes sobre los factores que influyen en las decisiones y comportamientos de los niños durante la actividad física. En esta publicación se analizan las acciones que los cuidadores pueden emprender para impactar el progreso de las habilidades motoras fundamentales y los patrones de actividad física en los niños. ¡Para conocer más sobre los factores que influyen durante el desarrollo de los niños en sus elecciones sobre la actividad física, te invito a leer la parte 1 aquí!

Para empezar, te invito a recordar algunas vivencias relacionadas con la actividad física durante tu infancia. ¿Tenías un lugar para jugar en tu casa o en el patio trasero? ¿Jugabas en la entrada de tu casa o en la calle? ¿Tus padres te animaban a jugar afuera o te entretenían con programas de televisión? ¿Regresabas a casa en bicicleta para cenar después de jugar en el parque con amigos, o era inseguro jugar afuera en tu vecindario? Tus recuerdos, ya sean similares o diferentes, positivos o negativos, reflejan la influencia del entorno familiar en la actividad física. El entorno familiar desempeña un papel importante apoyando las decisiones y comportamientos de los niños ante la actividad física, así como el desarrollo de las habilidades motoras.

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misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

Cuando te mueves, yo me muevo: Explorando la ciencia detrás de la actividad física en la infancia

Autor: Stephanie Palmer

Editores: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Emily L. Eberhardt, Sarah Bassiouni, y Jennifer Baker

Fotógrafo: Stephanie Palmer y Natalie Reinhart

Traductores: Llilian Arzola Martínez y Hector Mendoza

¡Hola, lector! Este es el primer artículo de una serie de dos partes sobre los factores que influyen en las decisiones y comportamientos de los niños durante la actividad física. En este artículo, exploraremos los factores que pueden impactar la toma de decisiones de los niños cuando realizan actividad física. ¡Para más información sobre los pasos prácticos que los cuidadores pueden tomar para apoyar los comportamientos de los niños durante la actividad física, lea la segunda parte aquí!

Mientras escribo, mi sobrina de tres años y mi sobrino de cinco están afuera persiguiendo como locos a las gallinas, mientras llevan cajas de cartón que han convertido en armaduras de robot. La energía y la resistencia que muestran, tanto los niños como las gallinas es impresionante y me recuerdan a las aventuras de mi infancia. En una ocasión, utilicé una manguera para llenar el garaje de mi casa con dos pulgadas de agua y crear una pista de patinaje sobre hielo de mayor dificultad (y también peligrosa) para mis hermanos y para mí. En otra ocasión, mi hermana y yo usamos cinta adhesiva para pegar a nuestros cuerpos esas grandes pelotas que se usan para hacer ejercicio, con el propósito de chocar una contra la otra repetidamente sin hacernos daño.

Continue reading “Cuando te mueves, yo me muevo: Explorando la ciencia detrás de la actividad física en la infancia” →
misciwriterseditors blog

Genetics and the Illusion of Objectivity

Written by: Christa Ventresca

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Andres Rivera Ruiz, Kate Giffin, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Saaj Chattopadhyay

This is part one of a three-part blog series on genetic testing and its impacts on personal identity. Parts two and three are coming soon!

If you are curious about what information is hidden in your DNA, the technology exists to start exploring your genetics. Maybe your family always told a story about where your ancestors come from that you want to verify, or maybe there is a history of genetic disease in your family. To find out more, you decide to send a spit swab to the popular DNA testing company 23andMe for analysis. What comes back is a lot of information, numbers, and statistics all centering around your DNA. How do you make sense of the results? How much of the results do you even believe are accurate?

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misciwriterseditors blog

Blood-to-Stem Cell Transplants & Lab-Grown Mini Eyeballs: How scientists are helping us see the future of vision science

Written by: Gabrielle Rozumek

Edited by: Jennifer Baker, Will Dana, and Claire Shudde

Illustrated by: Paola Medina-Cabrera

Imagine that, over the years, your vision has become blurry and it’s not what it used to be. You wake up a few days after your 70th birthday, and though you’re usually greeted by the bright morning sun, today it’s not so bright – there is a dark spot in your vision. You blink a couple times to try and get rid of the spot and quickly realize it’s not going anywhere. Shortly after, your doctor diagnoses you with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). There are temporary treatment options but no cure. Ultimately, your vision loss is permanent and that dark spot in your vision will likely grow larger until you can’t see at all. 

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misciwriterseditors blog, Uncategorized

When you move, I move: How parents can influence children’s physical activity and motor skill development

Written and Illustrated by: Stephanie Palmer

Edited by: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Emily L. Eberhardt, Sarah Bassiouni, and Jennifer Baker

Hey there, reader! This is the second blog post in a two part series about children’s physical activity decisions and behaviors. This post explores practical steps caregivers can take to influence children’s fundamental motor skill development and physical activity behaviors. To learn more about developmental factors that influence children’s physical activity decisions, read part 1 here! 

I want you to reminisce about your childhood physical activity experiences. Did you have a place to play in your house or backyard? Did you play in the driveway or on the street? Did your parents encourage you to play outside, or occupy you with a TV show? Did you rush home for dinner on your bike after playing at the park with friends, or was it unsafe to play outside in your neighborhood? Your recollections, similar or different, positive or negative, reflect the influence of your home environment on physical activity. The home environment for physical activity plays an important role in supporting children’s physical activity decisions and behaviors, and the development of motor skills for physical activity.  

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misciwriterseditors blog, Uncategorized

When you move, I move: Exploring the science behind childhood physical activity

Written by: Stephanie Palmer

Edited by: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Emily L. Eberhardt, Sarah Bassiouni, and Jennifer Baker

Hey there, reader! This is the first blog post in a two-part series about factors influencing children’s physical activity decisions and behaviors. This post will explore the developmental factors that influence children’s physical activity decisions. To learn more about practical steps caregivers can take to support children’s physical activity behaviors, read part 2 here! 

As I write, my three year old niece and five year old nephew are outside madly chasing chickens while wearing cardboard boxes that they have fashioned into robot armor. The vigor and stamina on display–by both the children and the chickens–are impressive and remind me of my childhood escapades. Once, I hosed down my family’s garage with two inches of water to make a more difficult (i.e., dangerous) rollerblade obstacle course for myself and my siblings. Another time, my sister and I duct-taped large exercise balls to our bodies so that we could run into each other repeatedly. 

Continue reading “When you move, I move: Exploring the science behind childhood physical activity” →