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

Dear Host,

Hi, it’s me, a pollen allergen. I am writing to you because you seem to be experiencing some discomfort upon my arrival. Rest assured, I did not enter your body with any malicious intent. Allow me to share my side of the story in hopes of persuading you to let me pass through your body peacefully. Here is what happened:

Continue reading “Allergy Season: A Letter from a Pollen Allergen”

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”