by James Babo (Biology major). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at Queensborough Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Regina Sullivan.
This study investigates the impact of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) on lung cancer cell migration and viability, using A549 lung cancer cells and endothelial cells for comparison.
by ShaniaKay Williams and Bansari Patel (Biology majors). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at Queensborough Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Mangala Tawde.
In this study, novel strains of soil-dwelling bacteria Streptomyces were isolated from diverse locations in New York and Jamaica.
by Caitlin Carela, Ambar Alvarenga, and Melina Turco (Biology majors). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at College of Staten Island/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Nancy Liu-Sullivan.
This study investigates the role of collagen in the tumor microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), focusing on the differences in collagen expression between high-grade glioma (HGG) and low-grade glioma (LGG) and their impact on patient survival.
by Shelby Louis (Psychology major). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at College of Staten Island/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Leora Yetnikoff.
This study explores dopamine's role in myelin plasticity in the corpus callosum, focusing on dopamine receptor mRNA expression by oligodendrocyte lineage cells.
by Ani Iremashvili and Stefan Valdez (Biology majors). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Dmitry Y. Brogun.
This study employed DNA Metabarcoding to explore microbial diversity in urban farm soil at Kingsborough Community College, comparing composted and non-composted samples.
by Jose Armando Keppis (Earth System Science & Environmental Engineering). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at Hostos Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Yoel Rodríguez.
This research identifies small molecules capable of blocking SARS-CoV-2's spike glycoprotein from binding to human receptors, a key step for the virus to infect cells.
by Amena Shamia (Biology major). The work was done as a part of the CRSP program at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Claudette Davis.
This study examines the evolutionary divergence of the gene CG7094, containing a protein kinase domain, across different Drosophila species.
by Caitlin Lynch (Environmental Science major). The work was done as part of the CRSP program at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, under the supervision of Dr. Lucia Fuentes.
Caitlin explores the microbial diversity within the estuarine sediments of New York’s East River, comparing three different restoration sites: Hunters Point Park, Bushwick Inlet Park, and Newtown Creek.
In his visually engaging article, LaGuardia Professor Boris Zakharov explores the fascinating world of sexual dimorphism in spiders, a widespread phenomenon across the animal kingdom characterized by morphological differences between males and females of the same species. He delves into the natural selection forces driving these evolutionary differences, arguing for an interplay of multiple factors behind sexual body size dimorphism in spiders. This article captures the essence of natural selection's influence on spider morphology.
Cover Image credits: Boris Zakharov
Learn about consciousness and how we understand it in Dr. Joseph McPhee's insightful article. A faculty member in the Department of Natural Sciences - Biology, Dr. McPhee guides readers through the complex concept of consciousness, posing critical questions about our existence and self-awareness. The article examines how structures in our brain, like the parietal and frontal cortex, contribute to our internal worlds and process sensory inputs, forming the crux of our conscious experience.
Cover Image by kjpargeter on Freepik
In this research, LaGuardia student Sara El Houzaly and Dr. Richa Gupta unveil the profound health implications of our warming planet. Their research uncovers how climatic shifts intensify respiratory, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases, and exacerbate cardiovascular conditions and allergies. The authors make a compelling case for urgent mapping of emerging health risks and strategic public health planning to tackle the looming health crises instigated by climate change.
Cover Image: Designed by Freepik
Spiders are characterized by a unique lifestyles, which requires development of very special sensory organs. In this article LaGuardia Prof. Boris Zakharov discusses trichobothria – mechanoreceptors located on the dorsal surface of tarsus, metatarsus, and tibia of walking legs and pedipalps of spiders. Trichobothria respond to airborne stimuli such as gas particle displacement and have to be regarded not as sound detectors.
Cover Image: Tom Murray (Flickr).
Will Science survive in absence of such important for human understanding processes like drawing and writing? Scientific illustrations are indispensable part of research process and presentation of knowledge to broad public. Special importance scientific illustration plays in biological sciences. Presented article proposes a view on role of drawing in Biology and Science.
Cover Image: drawing by Boris Zakharov. Spider male genitalia from three sides.
The article investigates a novel set up that provides an in-vitro alternative for the examination of the effects of changes in the Blood Brain Barrier. The results of this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of the BBB in the pathogenesis of AD.
by Dr. Boris Zakharov
Decompression sickness, commonly known as “the bends” is a life threatening condition that occurs among deep divers if they experience too rapid of a depressurization on ascent. For some time, it was believed that whales, dolphins, and seals didn’t experience decompression sickness. This article observes morphological and functional adaptations of marine mammals that prevent decompression sickness.
Cover photo: Humpback whale by Ellen Raimo
by Michael Betancourt and Dr. Charles Keller
Professor Charles Keller and former LaGuardia student and current doctoral student Michael Betancourt discuss their efforts to isolate and characterize tardigrades found in Newtown Creek. A fascinating phylum of micro-animals capable of surviving crushingly harsh environments, the microscopic, eight-legged tardigrades are considered to be among nature’s most resilient species.
by LaGuardia Health Sciences Professor, Dr. Nicolle Fernandes
This is the first in a series of articles discussing the Science of Food Production. This article focuses on the history and science behind Sourdough Bread Baking.
designed and supervised by Dr. Lucia Fuentes
This brochure is a follow up to our first brochure with information about the virus causing COVID-19. Here we go over the general principles of how vaccines work and the biology of the mRNA vaccine production. The brochures were written and translated into four different languages by Honors biology students and scholars from the NIH-Bridges and CRSP programs.
by Lucia Fuentes and Roman Senkov
Our guest today is a biologist, eco-activist and LaGuardia professor Dr. Sarah Durand. In this one-hour long interview Dr. Durand speaks about her undergraduate years, her passion for biology and theatre, and her path as a scientist. She describes her role in establishing the Environmental Science program at the Natural Sciences department and her work at Newtown creek. A part of the conversation touches on the importance of education; Dr. Durand shares some thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. At the end of the interview Sarah answers several personal questions inspired by Marcel Proust.
by Dr. Boris Zakharov
“Are we the only living organisms in a cold lifeless cosmos, or there are another organisms somewhere else? This question has not only a theoretical interest, but also a practical importance. In proposed article, the author discusses what the major properties of Life are and how these properties are generated.”
Cover Images © NASA: 2M1207b - First image of an exoplanet
Available in Spanish, Chinese, Romanian, and English, the public health brochure is the work of LaGuardia students Felipe Perez, Shaopeng Ma, Victor Pleacoff, and Claire Sansaricq.
Designed and supervised by Dr. A. Lucia Fuentes.
The authors are grateful to Dr. Na Xu and Anastasia Aponte for their help with the translations.
a review article by Prof. Boris Zakharov
Prof. Boris Zakharov began to study spiders in 1995 in AMNH, his PhD thesis was on orb-weaving spiders of USSR South Far East. He began to teach in 2005 at Hostos Community College/CUNY. Boris joined the Natural Sciences department at LaGuardia in 2009.
If you are looking for research opportunities and like spiders please free to contact Prof. Zakharov at bzakharov@lagcc.cuny.edu