As the European days start to become shorter and the evenings a lot cooler, the thought of a good bowl of warm, creamy soup, which is spiced just right and tastes delicious is enough to make any person feel warm and cosy. Most people will tell you, however, that the perfect soup requires multiple high-quality … Continue reading Microbe Soup to Warm the Gut: How delivery mode can influence the early development of the gut microbiome
How does your immune system “talk” to your brain and vice-versa
Being sick after catching a flu usually comes with a “doing nothing mode”, meaning fatigue, lower mood and lack of motivation to perform day-to-day activities. The close connection between physical illness and behavior might sound counterintuitive if one considers the body and mind as fundamentally distinct in nature. However, it has been repeatedly proven that … Continue reading How does your immune system “talk” to your brain and vice-versa
Manipulating the blueprints of life
You have probably heard about genetic engineering in the past two decades. It may seem absurd, but what many of us might not realize is that, after decades of talking about it, we are on the brink of a major change for society — one where we can rewrite genes almost as easily as we … Continue reading Manipulating the blueprints of life
Microglia: the nostalgic handymen of the brain
Ok, it is finally time to talk about my favorite cells, which have been the focus of my research for as long as I can remember: the cute little cells in our brains called microglia. If you didn’t know that we have many different cell types in our brain besides neurons, check out my previous … Continue reading Microglia: the nostalgic handymen of the brain
Data of Science and Science of Data
What is data? Data is the currency of Science. But what is data? Data is another word for result, fact, information. Data helps not only scientists, but any learning individual will rely on data to generate "knowledge". Let it be a baby learning to speak, a toddler learning that sharp things sting by trial and … Continue reading Data of Science and Science of Data
Scientific method: this is NOT what it looks like
I have been thinking a lot about meat consumption. I do not think I could stop eating meat. But what if I reduce my consumption? Good for the environment and good for me, right? Many questions. In one of my quests for clarification, I came across an interesting review article: "Meat and mental health: a … Continue reading Scientific method: this is NOT what it looks like
It’s in your DNA
In my previous post, we looked at the history of how the ‘secret of life’, namely the helical structure (like a spiraling staircase) of DNA, was discovered in 1953. While the helical structure is well-known to us, the question that remains is what is DNA actually chemically made up of? And how does this allow … Continue reading It’s in your DNA
Alternative medicine: should we take it with a grain of salt?
If you were a child growing up in Indonesia, then most probably you have experienced the fiery sensation of ‘kerokan’ on your back after complaining that you had some kind of ailments, be it fatigue, headache, fever, or, our nation’s favorite, ‘masuk angin’ (literally: to catch wind, a term widely used by Indonesians when feeling … Continue reading Alternative medicine: should we take it with a grain of salt?
Story of a cancer cell – How I love to play hide-and-seek in your body
How many times did you play hide-and-seek when you were little? What were your favorite hiding strategies? Did you roll under your parents’ bed, hide away in a wardrobe? Or did you disguise yourselves into something invisible? I love to play hide-and-seek, which, every day, I do with my immune foes. I was born as … Continue reading Story of a cancer cell – How I love to play hide-and-seek in your body
Vaccines (part 2): how they are developed and why it takes so long
Featuring Siobhan Brushett Featured image by Arek Socha from Pixabay If you haven't read the first part, check out our previous post - Vaccines (part 1): how vaccines work in your body If you are interested in attending a free, online virtual meeting focused on COVID-19 and hosted by the European Society for Clinical Virology … Continue reading Vaccines (part 2): how they are developed and why it takes so long
SciFact 