Some medical conditions require a patient to eliminate gluten from their diet. Celiac disease, which affects about 1% of the population of the United States (Mayo Clinic), is an autoimmune disorder based on an intolerance of gluten proteins. Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system attacks particles that are normally not harmful to the body,…More
What is gluten?
Contrary to what you may have heard, gluten is not harmful for most people to ingest. Let me set the record straight. Gluten refers to a specific set of proteins. Proteins are large molecules made up of amino acids that perform a vast range of actions necessary for life in all living organisms. In this case,…More
What’s the deal with gluten?
In the last decade, the presence of “gluten-free” products has drastically increased on our grocery store shelves, TV commercials, and in our conversations. “She’s gluten free now” is a statement we hear often while catching up with friends. Why is gluten all of a sudden such a problem? What IS gluten? Should everyone eliminate gluten from…More
UNC Chapel Hill joins GlaxoSmithKline in the fight against HIV/AIDS
This morning at 9:30, UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt, along with GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty, announced the collaboration of their respective institutions with a shared goal in mind: finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. Just 24 hours after leading the commencement ceremony for 6,053 UNC Chapel Hill students, Folt introduced the new company to UNC’s…More
Enhancing an Education
Life-saving medication, innovative cancer treatments, and stem cell therapy are all amazing discoveries that began in a research laboratory. Some students may not realize that they can participate in research as early as their undergraduate years. Many students beginning their studies at UNC as natural science majors are often presumed to be bound for medical school.…More
Rise of the Planet of the Apes — A Scientific Critique
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” told the story of a researcher who, while looking for the cure to Alzheimer’s, inadvertently created an army of highly intelligent primates (whoops) by developing a virus that allowed brain tissue to heal itself. The scientist, played by James Franco, had personal reasons for developing the cure; his…More
How should you dry your hands?
One of my passions surrounding “biological awareness” so-to-speak is proper hand-washing behavior (see my BuzzFeed article – http://tinyurl.com/BacterialResistance). The perspective I want to take today, however, is actually the practice of drying hands after washing them. What is the best way to dry your hands post-cleansing? *My perspective of “best” = most sanitary* Let’s look…More
Agrobacterium: A Biological Syringe
Plants, just like humans, fall victim to bacterial infections. Dr. Ann Matthysse, a researcher in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina, has studied interactions between plants and pathogens since 1970, when she thought that Agrobacterium tumefaciens might lead to advances with cases of human cancer. Matthysse initially thought that A. tumefaciens,…More
ScienceKara.com 