The copious number of research papers being published each day is a testament to the widespread use of the scientific method. But these papers are often far more convoluted than the simple experiment shown in the figure. This is due to the fact that scientific papers are technical documents designed to convey research findings or developments to another scientist in their field of study, typically not the general population. Consequently, the information is not as digestible, but this shouldn’t underscore the relevancy of this content — these papers often reveal new discoveries and findings of science!

The ketogenic diet has garnered significant attention in recent years for its potential to induce weight loss and improve various health conditions. This dietary approach, characterized by a drastic reduction in carbohydrate intake and an emphasis on fats and proteins, aims to induce a metabolic state called ketosis. While the keto diet has gained popularity for its effectiveness in weight management and its therapeutic benefits, it's essential to understand both its positive and negative health effects.

“The dark triad of personality encompasses three distinct but interrelated traits known for their malevolent qualities: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Each of these traits contributes to behaviors often deemed malicious”

Obesity is often defined as the imbalance in the ratio of fat accumulation to energy expenditure generally with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. It serves to be a major risk factor for many other diseases including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, and many varieties of cancer. The causes of obesity are preventable through reformations in diet—as the fundamental cause of obesity is intaking more calories than used; however, no country has yet to reverse this epidemic, indicating that exploring the presence and impact of other factors may be beneficial. Such factors include genetics, disruption of sleep, stress and fluctuations in emotions, lack of resources, socioeconomic status, medications, health conditions, and the imbalance of hormones, the focus of this study.

With the advancement of techniques from Western Blots to Polymerase Chain Reactions, the efficiency and scope of research has significantly increased, fostering the development of new discoveries and studies in a streamlined manner.

We live in a world where finding shortcuts and cheating systems for our personal benefit has become easier than ever. These rapid advancements in technology and internal desires to be successful despite the costs are irrefutable and often difficult to resist. Consequently, developing ethical behavior and integrity from a young age is essential to the betterment of our society, and thus places a greater responsibility on institutions such as Health Careers High School, a medically-focused magnet school that cultivates future leaders in the health field. As a result, honor codes, a set of statements addressing the principles of integrity, have become a crucial tool for shaping the character of the next generation. In order to develop robust moral and ethical values in students, Health Careers should keep but reform its honor code by clearly establishing a purpose for its clauses and incorporating the student body’s opinions.

Shops closed, streets empty, planes grounded—only the blue glow of our computers connected us to the outside world. We often blame the social isolation and rupture in our day-to-day life on a single agent: the coronavirus. However, there are many different strands of the coronavirus each with unique characteristics and behaviors depending on the area of the globe one may sample from. One of these strains causes Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). In this article, we delve into what MERS is, the etiology of the disease, and how it is transmitted. 

As both an obligation and earnest promise sworn by many doctors, I view the Hippocratic Oath as a standard for all doctors to abide by. However, though it’s rare to find a doctor breaking the confidentiality of their medical records or intentionally harming a patient, I find that a handful of doctors may benefit from developing skills that stray away from logistical and scientific reasoning. Consequently, I aimed to craft my Hippocratic Oath in a manner that encompassed more of the emotional aspects of practicing as a physician.

One of the most severe side effects of type II diabetes, a condition in which the body cannot produce or use insulin to break down blood sugar, is the impairment of the immune system. But if diabetes is primarily characterized by high circulating blood sugar levels, why does it lead to decreased immunity?

Like the fiery wrath of Apollo’s roaring arrows, the reckless sunlight burned our skin and pulverized our flesh, until only battle scars like scrawny, pink worms remained. The vicious sweat that pooled in our armpits, caked our back, and drooled off our foreheads began to sizzle in the heat and crawl like parasites into our pupils. Despite this “glorious” reign of Texan summer, here we were: an overcooked batch of middle and high school students about to celebrate the beauty of life and nature—an outdoor, ekphrastic poetry reading. How lovely.

With a mission of desensitizing himself from rejection, Jiang embarked on a journey he called “Rejection Therapy,” seeking out a daily dose of rejection by making irrational requests. In the speech “What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection,” Jia Jiang uses anecdotes to showcase how overcoming the fear of rejection by taking the initiative to ask and staying engaged, can lead to accomplishing goals they may have previously deemed unreasonable.

Whether it means entering the afterworld, reincarnating, or simply withering away, many societies have come to accept death as something absolute, a tragic yet inevitable part of life. Yet when the death of her loved ones relentlessly persists throughout  Jesmyn Ward’s life, her overwhelming grief and anger turn into a longing for answers to why—why had so many people passed away so abruptly, so prematurely? In her memoir Men We Reaped, Ward weaves together the stories of five seemingly separate deaths and the background of her childhood community in a manner that showcases how deeply rooted economic, social, and racial patterns played a significant role in each of the deaths. By reflecting on the anecdote of her younger brother’s death and the complication that follows, Ward illustrates how economic inequity and systematic racism contribute to fatalities in many marginalized communities

Data visualization is an essential component of research. It allows researchers and the public alike to identify trends and relationships that may be difficult to notice immediately with the numbers alone. Furthermore, it helps to catalyze new ideas and understandings, allowing science to flourish from the collective knowledge of one another. Here, we focus on a niche yet surprisingly fun way to make phylogenetic trees. 

With the click of a few buttons, you can now perform BLAST yourself through the NCBI website: https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to navigate through the website to successfully BLAST off!

In biology, finding similarities enhances our understanding of the structures, organisms, or societies compared, allowing us to hypothesize function, decipher relationships, and construct ideas based on this information. Though sequence alignment and BLAST go deep into bioinformatics and computer work, they have a variety of uses all related to the goal of finding homologies in sequences (not to mention the fun and straightforward acronym, a rare phenomenon for most bioinformatics technologies)! In this article, we discuss what sequence alignment is, how it is used, and the different types.

Immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) have become an emerging cancer therapy. Many may have heard of the unexpected yet outstanding clinical trial where every colorectal cancer patient (n=18) experienced full remission after ICB treatment. Even so, ICB is not a universal cure for cancer–its efficacy is not guaranteed in every individual, and it may lead to severely harmful effects. These two papers, released within days of each other, aimed to determine certain genetic markers that may predispose someone to severe responses to ICB, known as immune-related adverse effects.

Throughout the fall and winter of 2022, ASK witnessed a surge in unease, worries, and questions from both the clinics and the communities in Uganda regarding the current Ebola outbreak in their areas: doctors expressed their concerns of the lack of protocols and government-issued PPEs, while communities were reluctant to visit clinics in fear of nosocomial infection. Moreover, during this time, many cases were sent to ASK with questions regarding specific treatment for patients presenting symptoms of Ebola, such as muscle pain, headaches, diarrhea, and internal bleeding, further conveying the doctor’s unrest. It soon became evident that despite being in the hot zone of Ebola, little information was known about the rehabilitative actions from the Ugandan Ministry of Health or other organizations.

Personal medicine can increase efficiency and lower medical costs, overcoming the limitations of traditional medicine by uniquely treating and focusing on every patient rather than the disease. This article provides a background on CXCL16, which current laboratories are testing for a potential use in targeting gene therapies.

It’s graduation season again, and whether you may be embarking on a new journey from high school to college or college to the vast, unknowns of life, I wanted to take time to commemorate a historic commencement speech from the American entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. He spoke for the 2005 Stanford class with a message that not only shocked many with the rawness of his personal experiences but also brimmed with messages about the beauty and importance of life that resonated in countless people’s hearts, making it the most viewed commencement speech in history. So whether you may be deep into the tech world or, like me, simply enjoy new perspectives on life, Jobs’ speech offers meaningful advice and is worth a listen.

The scintillating beams of light shone through the windows of my dance school. Palms dampened with a fizzing concoction of excitement, anticipation, and sweat, I loosened my grip on my dance bag and planted my hand onto the handle of the glass door. My eyes squeezed tightly closed and my breath sucked into my chest, I pulled the door open.

In this blog, I explore the importance of communication and speaking up through an anecdote from my eleventh birthday.