Cover Image: Brianna Fasoli, March 2026 By: Becca Carballal, Contributing Writer The possibility of bringing extinct animals back from the … More
Category: a – Biology & Genetics
For pieces about biology, cells, cell biology methods, and genetics.
Why a good cytomegalovirus vaccine is hard to find
Cover Image: Pan Dammann, March 2026 By: Jacob Van Oorschot, Contributing Writer More uses for mRNA vaccines? In a talk … More
AeroCellutions X MSURJ
Cover Image: Charlotte Benard, March 2026 Article written by Carolyn Denton of the McGill BioDesign AeroCellulations Team What do a … More
We know the name- but not the disease. What is really happening with endometriosis in 2026?
Cover Image: Jenny Ding, March 2026 By: Isla Stiff, Contributing Writer Happy International Women’s Day! There remains a widespread perception … More
Science for all: When access to medicines gets tangled in bureaucratic red tape
Cover Image: Isabelle Aish, February 2026 By: Iarina Murasan, Contributing Writer (original version published in The Dose, a UAEM newsletter) … More
The pharma heroine: Frances Kelsey and the thalidomide tragedy
Cover Image: Lilly Guilbeault, January 2026 By: Sagit Yessim, Contributing Writer If you have ever taken CHEM 211, then chances … More
MMR vaccine hesitancy – mindset and misinformation
Cover Image: Ella Yang, February 2026 By: Isla Stiff, Contributing Writer Resurgence of Measles within Canada Measles is a highly contagious … More
Red light, blue light: Illuminating a few health claims – Part 1
By: Jacob Van Oorschot, Contributing Writer Cover Image: Reno Zhu, Illustrator (original work) Among the greatest challenges I faced in … More
Empire in the bloodstream: The Opium Wars and their after-effects
Cover Image: Painting by Nikita de Jonge, January 2026 Article by: Parmida Talebi, Contributing Writer In the early nineteenth century, British … More
Parasitoidism acquaints a wasp with strange bedfellows
Virus particles used as gene delivery vectors by parasitoid wasps—and people? Cover image: Signe Dixon, February 2026 By: Jacob Van … More
The epigenetics of exercise: Strengthening your muscles and your mind
Cover Image: Liadan Lawson, February 2026 By: Becca Carballal, Contributing Writer Finals season is fast approaching, and with it are … More
Origins of the nervous system as told by sea sponges and comb jellies
Cover Image and Figures: Auden Akinc, February 2026 By: Jacob Van Oorschot, Contributing Writer Who branched off first: comb jellies … More
So, vampires would get bloodborne diseases, no?
Lately, I’ve been concerned for the health of vampires. While I may not bear the curse of eternal life, I clearly have a bit of extra time on my hands. But seriously, vampires’ strictly-blood diet has me worried, due to all the blood-borne diseases they would be exposed to.
Micro-allies in our gut help us fight cancer
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized oncology over the last three decades, but a serious problem remains: more than half of treated patients do not respond to the therapy. Recent research, including work at McGill, reveals that manipulating the microorganisms living in our gut could help improve treatment outcomes.
DNA origami: Possibilities unfolding before our eyes
By: Iarina Murasan, Contributing Writer To most, origami is a traditional Japanese paper-folding technique that results in beautiful, mind-blowing little … More
A fountain of lies? The rise of collagen supplements
A look into the online marketing, faddish popularity, and (in)efficacy of collagen supplements…
Genetics: The key to humanity’s past and future health
Understanding our ancestors’ genetic makeup to help us understand how our immune systems work today.
HeLa cells – The story behind the first immortal cells
by Louise Durand, Contributing Writer Most people in science have heard of HeLa cells at least once. They are the … More
The first woman cured from HIV: What is waiting in the future?
by Selina Zhao, Contributing Writer In February, a woman* was reported as the third person ever to be cured of … More
Happy bacteria, happy epithelia: How gut microbiota help suppress inflammation
by Pauline Hughes, Contributing Writer Your intestines are teeming with microorganisms. But, not to worry; these microorganisms, known as the … More
Nucleolus: All life is salad dressing
by Liam Scott, Contributing Writer Many would claim that salad dressing is what makes a salad worth eating. Diehard fanatics … More
Let’s get ethical
by Sofia Reynoso Recently, I watched a documentary series called Unnatural Selection on Netflix. The show details how an emerging … More
What’s in a name?
Written By: Katharine Kocik In terms of classifying organisms, names usually reveal a great deal about a species. The familiar … More
On the horizon in machine learning: Identifying natural selection at work in the human genome
Written by: Janet Wilson Machine Learning (ML) is a rapidly evolving branch of artificial intelligence in which a program is … More
Observing molecular machines using Cryo-EM
In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson for their development … More
Alcohol and potential DNA damage
A recent study completed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge suggests a novel reason … More
This month on the PDB: December
Hi everybody! 162 structures were released from November 28th to December 5th, ranging from the typical Homo sapiens proteins to … More
This week on the PDB: November 24th – November 30th
Welcome back to another week of “This week on the PDB”, where I discuss you a very small section of … More
This week on the PDB: November 7th – November 13th
Welcome back to “This Week on the PDB” for the week of Nov. 7th! This week on the PDB, 133 … More
This Week on the PDB: An Introduction
Protein functions are largely dependent on their 3D structure, but where can we find these structures, and more importantly, manipulate … More
Gene-erating advancements in genomics
Over the past 20 years, the field of biology has experienced a phenomenal series of advancements pertaining to genomic sequencing. … More
[Profile] Ran Shu, the escape of senescence in human fibroblasts
Ran Shu always knew he wanted to do research, but wasn’t always so sure that he’d get his opportunity. Despite … More
Everything you thought you knew about food is wrong…
At a time when the obesity epidemic is overwhelming healthcare systems globally, when it seems that almost everyone is “watching … More
Hunting for disease genes, then and now
By Yuhao Shi If you’ve taken an introductory genetics course, you probably know a little bit about the techniques and … More