Susanna Barrett SC ’19 has always been interested in DNA. This love developed at a young age, when Barrett was able to engage in DNA research as a high school student. Now a senior at Scripps College, Barrett has spent her time on campus working on her biochemistry major, in
Science
Combatting exclusivity in STEM fields
For many students, STEM fields feel exclusive, and for good reason. Oftentimes, students have poor experiences in high school and feel they need to catch up after their first day in college STEM courses. Other students say they don’t feel welcome because they believe they don’t fit a certain mold
Connecting chemistry and the arts: Gillian Holzer explores Margaret Fowler Garden’s wall painting
Gillian Holzer SC ’19 has a passion for art history. As an intern for Zebala & Partners this past summer, she was able to explore this passion further and combine it with another love: chemistry. “I took an upper division art history course my first semester and general chemistry, and
Is ‘Pseudonocardia’ the next superhero?
At the W.M. Keck Science Department, professor Ethan Van Arnam’s lab is working with real-life superheroes. Located on the second floor in a newly remodeled lab, members of this group work with leaf-cutter ants. While these insects might not seem particularly exciting, the bacteria that grows on their backs are
How yeast could save Selena Gomez
Professor of Chemistry Sarah Keller has a knack for yeast. While we might know about yeast from its role in creating bread and yogurt, Keller’s research on it has been linked to processes that can cause diseases such as lupus — an autoimmune disorder that rose to national attention after
The Limitations of Science: Everything and Nothing
As your humble science columnist, I have spent the past two-plus years writing about the successes of Science and the empirical method. These triumphs have helped answer difficult questions about our past, present and future. Throughout the thousands of words I’ve written in this space, which I’ve been both lucky
Wrinkles in Time: A Reflection on the Pluralities of the Present
Arguably the most famous work by acclaimed surrealist painter Salvador Dalí is his 1931 painting The Persistence of Memory, a foreboding composition that features melted clocks scattered over a dark landscape. The painting is often erroneously described as a tribute to Einstein’s special theory of relativity. Dalí was an enthusiast
Amphetamines in America: A Love Story
The United States is in the midst of a stimulant kick. With each passing year, increasing numbers of Americans are ingesting ADHD medications—Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse, to name a few—both for prescription and non-prescription use. A study of 15 million annual prescriptions in the United States by Express Scripts, a
Take a Side on the Handedness Question
Five-time golf major championship winner Phil Mickelson has a funny nickname, ‘Lefty.’ You may guess where it originates: Mickelson plays golf left-handed, meaning his clubs are the reverse image of right-handed clubs, and he lines up on the opposite side of the ball compared to his right-handed counterparts. What’s interesting
To Sleep, Perchance to Learn
We all know the importance of sleep. We know how terrible it feels to be deprived of sleep for just a single night. Even relatively minor losses in sleep quantity or quality can affect mood and cognitive function the next day, especially if a person has been losing sleep night