By Vivienne Couris, C2ST Intern, DePaul University

The 2023 Boston Marathon recently concluded when thousands of highly trained runners crossed the finish line after a grueling 26.2 miles. Evans Chebet, the winning runner, completed the race in an impressive 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 54 seconds for an average pace of 4 minutes and 48 seconds per mile! 

Extraordinary athletes like Chebet have trained their bodies to carry out several biological processes with incredible efficiency, allowing them to run a race most people wouldn’t even fathom running in their lifetimes. In this post, we’ll take a closer look into some of these amazing adaptations.

Continue reading “Inside the Body of a Marathon Runner”

By Vivienne Couris, C2ST Intern, DePaul University

Carbs, protein, fat. 

These big three macronutrients are names we hear a lot in our everyday lives, but what are they, really? Most people are familiar with protein and its importance for building muscle, and we know that carbohydrates give you energy, but what about fats? These nutrients are often overlooked, and even feared when, in reality, they are incredibly beneficial to sustaining a healthy body and feeling great. In this post, we’ll discuss why!

Continue reading “The Science Behind Fat: Why This Nutrient Is So Good for You”

By Ariane Tsai, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Institute for Genomic Biology

In a recent blog post, we looked at adaptive immunity and how T cells and B cells react to seeing a pathogen in our bodies. But T cells and B cells are not the only immune cells fighting against outside invaders. In this post, we will look at other formidable, innate immune cells and learn how they protect our bodies as first responders!

Continue reading “Another Letter from a Pathogen: Neutrophil & Macrophages”

By Laura Tran, PhD, C2ST Intern, Rush University

Blood is the fluid of life. 

It contains three types of cells: platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells. (1) Platelets are responsible for forming blot clots when we are injured. White blood cells are responsible for aiding our immune system by fighting off infection. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. 

Continue reading “Lab-Grown Blood: Aiding People One Drop At A Time”

By Ariane Tsai, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Institute for Genomic Biology

Do you ever wonder how our bodies protect themselves from threats? 

Not only are our bodies constantly under threat from the outside world, but they also naturally produce cells that could be harmful, like cancer! Thankfully, our bodies have built up their own defense systems to fight off these dangers. In this article, we will take a closer look at an aspect of the immune system called adaptive immunity, where T cells and B cells work hand in hand to eliminate pathogens from our bodies.

Continue reading “An Open Letter from a Pathogen: T Cells & B Cells”