If evolution had a favorite body plan, it might just be the crab. This idea lies at the heart of carcinization, which is the repeated, independent evolution of crab-like body forms across diverse crustacean lineages. The term, first coined by zoologist Lancelot Borradaile in 1916 as “one of the many attempts of Nature to evolve […]
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Chemistry and Biochemistry
LiNx: A Dual-Pronged Approach to Cancer Immunotherapy
mRNA vaccines have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic as a promising approach to fighting infectious diseases (Kutikuppala et al. 2024). Different from traditional vaccines, which use a weakened version of a virus, mRNA vaccines deliver an mRNA corresponding to a protein on the surface of the virus. This mRNA allows our immune system to recognize […]
Environmental Science
Carcinization: Is it Happening to Everybody?
If evolution had a favorite body plan, it might just be the crab. This idea lies at the heart of carcinization, which is the repeated, independent evolution of crab-like body forms across diverse crustacean lineages. The term, first coined by zoologist Lancelot Borradaile in 1916 as “one of the many attempts of Nature to evolve […]
Math and Physics
Pumping Without Pedaling: How Corners Turn Timing into Speed
Watch a skilled rider enter a berm: they arrive tall, compress as the turn loads up, and rise on exit – no pedaling, yet they launch out faster. This isn’t magic; it’s timing that lets the ground do positive work on you. This reciprocal motion between the bike and the rider is called pumping, evident […]
Honors Projects
Daniel Kang in the Spotlight
Efficacy of Neoantigen Vaccines against Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer because of its high risk of recurrence and limited treatment options. Unlike other breast cancer types, TNBC lacks three key molecular markers—estrogen receptor (ER), … Read Full Article about Efficacy of Neoantigen Vaccines against Triple Negative Breast Cancer
New developments in understanding plankton transport
By definition, plankton are small organisms that predominantly drift along with ocean currents. They typically swim slowly in relation to ocean currents. Plankton have been shown to exhibit gyrotaxis, which is directed locomotion to balance gravity and viscous … Read Full Article about New developments in understanding plankton transport
A Promising New Treatment for Glioblastoma Patients: Personalized Neoantigen Peptide Vaccines
Introduction Glioblastoma and Current Treatment Challenges Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in adults and is characterized by rapid proliferation, infiltration into surrounding brain tissue, and high rates of … Read Full Article about A Promising New Treatment for Glioblastoma Patients: Personalized Neoantigen Peptide Vaccines