Newly Discovered Neural Mechanism of Social Isolation

By Nicole Xu Social isolation is by no means a new phenomenon, but the issue is currently being highlighted as lockdown and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have severely dwindled person-to-person interaction. People of all ages struggle with social isolation, but it can have especially detrimental and long lasting effects in developing children. …

The unique journey of finding a cure for HIV

By Nicole Xu   HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a tedious, lifelong disease. It spreads through bodily fluids and attacks the immune system, specifically the T cells, so that the body can no longer protect itself from other infections. There is no official cure for HIV, but treatment usually involves a continuous prescription of …

The inflammatory response in overdrive

by Nicole Xu   The immune system is often referred to as the body’s defense system, but what happens when the defense system itself turns lethal? Swelling around a simple cut, a sore throat, and arthritis can all be linked back to one root cause: inflammation. Originally evolved as a short-term defense response to abnormal …