Science

Dissertation Diaries: Nicholas Mandel

By William Nguyen | January 22

Welcome back to a new semester of Dissertation Diaries. As a reminder, this is the series where we highlight Ph.D. students at Tufts as they approach the end of their degree. This time, we will be highlighting Nicholas Mandel, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Sergei Mirkin Lab here at Tufts.

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Science

A glimpse into the life of historical Tufts professor Amos Dolbear

By Hande Naz Kavas | January 20

Since 1852, numerous inventions and discoveries have been made at Tufts University. While recent patents receive significant recognition, earlier patents remain equally important and should not be overlooked. One of the inventors of these patents was Amos Dolbear (1837–1910). Following an unusual academic journey, Dolbear became the inventor of various machines, including models of wireless telephones and the electric gyroscope, which his son later described as “the first successful electric motor-driven gyroscope ever built to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation.”

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Science

At the intersection of art and biology: LABLINES project launching soon at Tufts

By Addison Dion | January 15

LABLINES: “Linking Arts and Biology through Lines & Narrative for Engaging Science,” is set to launch at Tufts this semester. The initiative recently received a grant from the Tufts MUSE funding program, which supports “arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences projects” that may otherwise have limited funding options.

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Science

Book Review: 'Everything is Tuberculosis'

By Kylie Liggett | January 15

Tuberculosis is a disease that kills over 1 million people every year, so why is it that much of the Global North thinks of it as a disease of the past? Why is a curable disease still killing so many people? In his new book, “Everything is Tuberculosis,” John Green tackles the history and current reality of a disease that has, in many ways, shaped our world. “Everything is Tuberculosis” by John Green centers around answering the question of why access to the TB cure is limited in regions where the disease is most prevalent, challenging the plethora of assumptions that have been made about the disease throughout history.

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Science

NextBrain: An AI-powered brain atlas

By Hande Naz Kavas | December 8

NextBrain released an open-to-the-public brain atlas that outperforms previous models in terms of resolution and region-of-interest mapping.

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Science

It’s electric: New research on how bioelectricity informs cellular aging

By William Nguyen | December 5

Senescence is a process in which a cell ages and stops dividing but does not die. In keratinocytes, or skin cells, senescence is marked by depolarization of membrane potential (Vmem), the electrical potential difference across a cell membrane.

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Science

The man-made neuron: The future of bioelectronic discoveries

By Jamie Song | November 25

Neurons are the specialized cells that allow our bodies to transmit impulses, like factories that process inputs. They send signals that help us catch a ball, recognize a favorite song or pull our hand away from something hot; their structure and electrical properties make these rapid responses possible.

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Science

Infection on campus: Understanding the illnesses that spread among college students

By Aria Chawla | November 24

College campuses are uniquely efficient environments for spreading infectious diseases. Students live in close quarters, share dining spaces, attend crowded classes and frequently exchange drinks, utensils or vapes — all behaviors that accelerate viral and bacterial transmission. Because of these conditions, illnesses such as strep throat, infectious mononucleosis, norovirus and oral herpes tend to circulate widely among young adults. Understanding how these diseases spread, what symptoms to monitor and how to prevent outbreaks is integral for the protection of students’ individual health and the wellbeing of their campus communities.

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Science

MIT After Dark: Sleep, dream, wake

By Shoshana Daly | November 20

It was 6 p.m. on a Thursday in November, and I was heading to a hidden gem of Cambridge: the MIT Museum. Getting off the Red Line at Kendall/MIT, I was surrounded by darkness, but as soon as I walked through the doors to the museum’s After Dark Series event, I was met with a rush of light and excitement. A monthly adults-only program, After Dark lies at the intersection of art and science. Each month has a different theme, with past events ranging from artificial intelligence to rhythm, birds, oceans and beyond. This November’s session, “Sleep, Dream, Wake,” accompanied the launch of a new exhibition, “Lighten up! On Biology and Time,” which explores the connection between living organisms and cycles of light and darkness.

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Science

Whooping cough cases increase in multiple US states

By Shanzeh Haider | November 14

Multiple U.S. states have reported increased cases of whooping cough this year. On Nov. 3, the Texas Department of State Health Services published a release indicating a “significant increase” in whooping cough cases, with 3,500 reported from January through October 2025. According to the department, this is four times greater than the number recorded over the same period in 2024. On Nov. 5, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported that whooping cough cases have “dramatically increased” this year, with 130 cases so far. The West Virginia Bureau for Public Health also reported a notable rise, with 126 cases since Jan. 1 — the largest increase the state has seen since 2010. States including Florida and Louisiana have reported higher rates as well.

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Science

Tasha Van Zandt’s ‘A Life Illuminated’ shines the spotlight on Dr. Edith Widder, Tufts alum

By Addison Dion | November 13

“A Life Illuminated,” a 2025 documentary by Tasha Van Zandt about famed marine biologist Dr. Edith Widder, premiered for Boston audiences on Oct. 22. The historic Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline hosted the first evening of the 2025 GlobeDocs Film Festival, an annual event premiering documentaries produced by the Boston Globe. A Q&A session with key players in the documentary filming process followed the screening.

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Science

DIRAS3: A new target for KRAS-driven cancers

By Demarie Hao | November 12

Responsible for nearly 10 million deaths worldwide in 2020, cancer consistently ranks among the leading causes of death each year. Brought on by genetic mutations and external risk factors, cancer is characterized by the transformation of normal cells into tumor cells. These mutated genes often encode for proteins responsible for regulating cell growth and cell death. When these processes are dysregulated, normal cells begin to proliferate uncontrollably and become cancerous.

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Science

Dissertation Diaries: Bridget Moynihan

By Kylie Liggett | November 5

Welcome to the seventh installment of “Dissertation Diaries.” We will be highlighting Bridget Moynihan, a final-year Ph.D. candidate researching offshore wind energy engineering at Tufts University. Moynihan researches offshore wind turbines, using structural health monitoring instrumentation along with the subsequent data to analyze and predict the extent to which the turbines are degrading and need maintenance or upgrading.

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Science

How environmental science informs environmental policy

By William Nguyen | November 4

In recent years, the United States has faced rising concerns regarding climate change. Communities across the country have noted an increase in wildfires, heat waves and powerful hurricanes. These challenges have spurred debate among legislators, scientists and community members about how to maintain human livelihood while addressing issues such as biodiversity loss and pollution.

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Science

Autumn interrupted by nature’s challenges

By Michelle Zhu | November 4

The vibrant transformation of leaves into shades of red, orange and yellow marks the transition from summer into the cooler months. With Boston ranked among the most beautiful autumn cities, its fall foliage is a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. This season, however, the picturesque scenery is threatened by increasing environmental stressors on the region’s trees.

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Science

Accessible, low-cost biomedical innovations at Tufts’ research lab

By Hande Naz Kavas | October 28

From ingestible pills that track gut health to smart bandages that can autonomously provide required treatment to wounds, Tufts University’s Sonkusale Research Lab has been engineering impactful patents with feasibility principles. The lab differs from ordinary research centers because of the high value it places on the feasibility and accessibility of its solutions. The lab’s mission is to build innovations that users can afford and reproduce without expensive materials. In my interview with Sameer Sonkusale, we discussed how their lab facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and maximizes the accessibility of their innovations, as well as some of their current projects.

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Science

Tufts researchers redefine how students learn STEM

By Grace Lee and Aisha Karim | October 23

As enrollment numbers for the introductory chemistry and physics courses reach around 600 students each this semester, the need to understand how students learn in STEM classes only becomes more crucial.

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