Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Explore Our STEM Education Resources for the New School Year
If you’re looking for ways to engage students in science this school year, NIGMS offers a range of free resources that can help. All of our STEM materials are online and print-friendly, making them easy to use for remote teaching. Pathways , developed in collaboration with Scholastic, is aligned with STEM and ELA education standards for grades 6 through 12. Materials include: Student magazines with corresponding teaching guidesRelated lessons with interactivesVideosVocabulary lists Cover of Pathways student magazine, third issue. Available lessons examine basic science careers, regeneration, a...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 5, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Cells Genes Biological Clocks Cellular Processes Cool Videos Regeneration Scientific Process Source Type: blogs

Cool Images: Animal Development in Progress
Wildlife photos can be truly stunning, and cute cat pictures are a cornerstone of the internet. But zooming in on the early lives of fish, insects, and worms can have equally wonderful results. Using powerful microscopes, researchers are revealing the complexity and beauty of animal development. Credit: James E. Hayden, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA. This image captures the spiral-shaped ovary of an anglerfish in cross section. Once matured, these eggs will be released in a gelatinous, floating mass. For some species of anglerfish, this egg mass can be up to 3 feet long and include nearly 200,000 e...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - July 15, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Cool Creatures Cool Images Source Type: blogs

NIGMS Centers Build Relationships with Blackfeet Students and Collaborate on Inflammation Research
Credit: Murray Foubister. CC BY-SA 2.0 . As part of its commitment to cultivate a diverse and inclusive scientific workforce, NIGMS continues to nurture relationships between teaching institutions and American Indian communities nationwide to ignite student interest in biomedical science and encourage research careers. This post highlights one such collaboration between NIGMS-supported centers at Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman and the Blackfeet Nation, a tribe of nearly 18,000 members that’s one of the largest in the United States. Neha John-Henderson, Ph.D., Montana State University. Credit: Kelly...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - July 8, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness Training Trauma Source Type: blogs

Phosphorus: Glowing, Flammable, and Essential to Our Cells
Of the 118 known elements, scientists believe that 25 are essential for human biology. Four of these (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon) make up a whopping 96 percent of our bodies. The other 21 elements, though needed in smaller quantities, perform fascinating and vital functions. Phosphorus is one such element. It has diverse uses outside of biology. For example, it can fuel festive Fourth of July fireworks! Inside our bodies, it’s crucial for a wide range of cell functions. Phosphorus plays a vital role in life as part of DNA’s backbone. Red phosphorus helps ignite matches, and white phosphorus glows i...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - July 1, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Cellular Processes DNA Source Type: blogs

Exploring Nature ’s Treasure Trove of Helpful Compounds
A cone snail shell. Credit: Kerry Matz, University of Utah. Over the years, scientists have discovered many compounds in nature that have led to the development of medications. For instance, the molecular structure for aspirin came from willow tree bark, and penicillin was found in a type of mold. And uses of natural products aren’t limited to medicine cabinet staples and antibiotics. A cancer drug was originally found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree, and a medication for chronic pain relief was first isolated from cone snail venom. Today, NIGMS supports scientists in the earliest stages of investigating natural pro...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - June 24, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Bacteria Cool Tools/Techniques Medicines Microbes Source Type: blogs

Fish Shed Light on Fatherhood in the Animal Kingdom
A family of common marmosets. Credit: Francesco Veronesi. CC BY-SA 2.0 . Fatherhood takes many forms across the animal kingdom. For instance, mammalian fathers are often uninvolved, with only about 10 percent helping to raise their offspring. However, that small percentage of males often makes valuable contributions to their offspring’s upbringing. For instance, cotton-top tamarin and common marmoset dads have the responsibility of carrying babies—which are typically born as sets of twins—almost constantly from birth until independence. In other groups of animals, fathers are much more likely to share responsib...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - June 17, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Cool Creatures Source Type: blogs

Scientist Interview: Studying the Biochemistry of Insects with Michael Kanost
Insects vastly outnumber people on our planet. Some are pests, but many are key parts of their ecosystems, and some may even hold secrets for developing new materials that researchers could use in the medical field. Michael Kanost, Ph.D. , a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, has been researching the biochemistry of insects for more than 30 years. His lab studies the tobacco hornworm, a mosquito that carries malaria, and the red flour beetle to better understand insect exoskeletons and immune systems. In a video interview, Dr. Kanost explains why ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - June 3, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Cool Creatures Cool Videos Source Type: blogs

Helium: An Abundant History and a Shortage Threatening Scientific Tools
Most of us know helium as the gas that makes balloons float, but the second element on the periodic table does much more than that. Helium pressurizes the fuel tanks in rockets, helps test space suits for leaks, and is important in producing components of electronic devices. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines that take images of our internal organs can’t function without helium. And neither can nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers that researchers use to determine the structures of proteins—information that’s important in the development of medications and other uses. Helium’s many uses i...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 27, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques Cool Tools/Techniques Scientific Process Source Type: blogs

Reusable Disinfectant Developed from Mussel “Glue”
Mimicking mussels’ natural “glue” could have multiple benefits. Many species have developed unique adaptations to help them thrive in their environments, and scientists in a field called biomimicry use these examples as the basis for tools to help humans. Biomimicry researchers have made a wide range of products, from climbing pads modeled after gecko feet to a faster, sharp-nosed bullet train based on the beak of the kingfisher bird. The animal kingdom also provides inspiration for biomedical products. For instance, scientists at Michigan Technological University in Houghton discovered that a natural �...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 20, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Susan Johnson Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Cool-creatures Research-organisms Wound-healing Source Type: blogs

Scientist Interview: Exploring the Promise of RNA Switches with Christina Dawn Smolke
Whether animals are looking for food or mates, or avoiding pathogens and predators, they rely on biosensors—molecules that allow them to sense and respond to their environments. Christina Dawn Smolke, Ph.D. , a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University in California, focuses her research on creating new kinds of biosensors to receive, process, and transmit molecular information. Her lab has built RNA molecules, or switches, that can alter gene expression based on biochemical changes they detect. In a video interview, Dr. Smolke describes the way RNA switches act like light switches, turning gene exp...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 13, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques Cool Tools/Techniques RNA Source Type: blogs

The Maternal Magic of Mitochondria
Mitochondria (purple) in a rodent heart muscle cell. Credit: Thomas Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research. Mitochondria (mitochondrion in singular) are indispensable. Every cell of our bodies, apart from mature red blood cells, contains the capsule-shaped organelles that generate more than 90 percent of our energy, which is why they’re often called “the powerhouse of the cell.” They produce this energy by forming adenosine triphosphate (ATP), our cells’ most common energy source. But mitochondria also support cells in other ways. For example, they help cells maintain the correct concentrati...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - May 6, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Cellular Processes Source Type: blogs

The Science of Infectious Disease Modeling
What Is Computer Modeling and How Does It Work? Recent news headlines are awash in references to “modeling the spread” and “flattening the curve.” You may have wondered what exactly this means and how it applies to the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious disease modeling is part of the larger field of computer modeling. This type of research uses computers to simulate and study the behavior of complex systems using mathematics, physics, and computer science. Each model contains many variables that characterize the system being studied. Simulation is done by adjusting each of the variables, alone or in combination, to ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 29, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Injury and Illness Tools and Techniques Computational Biology Cool Tools/Techniques Diseases Modeling Source Type: blogs

Cool Images: The Hidden Beauty Inside Plants
Spring brings with it a wide array of beautiful flowers, but the interior structures of plants can be just as stunning. Using powerful microscopes, researchers can peek into the many molecular bits and pieces that make up plants. Check out these cool plant images from our Image and Video Gallery that NIGMS-funded scientists created while doing their research. Credit: Arun Sampathkumar and Elliot Meyerowitz, California Institute of Technology. In plants and animals, stem cells can transform into a variety of different cell types. The stem cells at the growing tip of this Arabidopsis plant will soon become flo...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 15, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Pamela Morrison Tags: Molecular Structures Tools and Techniques Cool Images Cryo-Electron Microscopy Source Type: blogs

All About Grants: Basics 101
Note to our Biomedical Beat readers: Echoing the sentiments NIH Director Francis Collins made on his blog, NIGMS is making every effort during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep supporting the best and most powerful science. In that spirit, we’ll continue to bring you stories across a wide range of NIGMS topics. We hope these posts offer a respite from the coronavirus news when needed. Scientific research requires many resources, which all require funding. Credit: Michele Vaughan. Scientific inspiration often strikes unexpectedly. The Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes first thought of the principles of volume...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 8, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Scientific Process Training Source Type: blogs

Twisting and Turning: Unraveling What Causes Asymmetry
Note to our Biomedical Beat readers: Echoing the sentiments NIH Director Francis Collins made on his blog, NIGMS is making every effort during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep supporting the best and most powerful science. In that spirit, we’ll continue to bring you stories across a wide range of NIGMS topics. We hope these posts offer a respite from the coronavirus news when needed. Asymmetry in our bodies plays an important role in how they work, affecting everything from function of internal systems to the placement and shape of organs. Take a look at your hands. They are mirror images of each other, but they’re not...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 2, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Source Type: blogs