Category Archives: Reflections

One aspect of gluconeogenesis that really stuck with me was how the body can essentially “rewind” metabolism to make glucose from non-carbohydrate sources. I never realized how crucial this pathway is, especially during fasting or intense exercise. I really enjoy … Continue reading →

Before last week, most of what I knew about cholesterol came from public health messaging that framed it as something categorically harmful. I had heard that there were “good” and “bad” types, but I never actually knew what the difference … Continue reading →

When we learned about the electron transport chain (ETC), I started thinking about something I deal with pretty often: getting fevers. I never really understood why the body heats up so much when I’m sick. After going through how the … Continue reading →

As an EMT, I have been taught to give oxygen to patients experiencing a wide range of problems, from respiratory issues like COPD and asthma, to traumatic injuries from car crashes or falls. And in my prior biology courses, I … Continue reading →

In rugby we condition just about every day and some of the workouts are very strenuous and push us into heavy lactate buildup. We’ll run repeated full-speed suicide-style sprints across the field with very short breaks and then run another … Continue reading →

Every once in a while, I like to issue myself dietary challenges out of curiosity of their demands and how they affect my health. The most recent is the ketone diet– in light of our recent discussion of how the … Continue reading →

As a neuroscience student, I’ve spent years hearing that the brain uses about 20% of the body’s energy despite being only a small percentage of our mass. I accepted that as an interesting fact, but I never really understood why … Continue reading →

This past weekend, I was able to drive up to Millecnocket and watch some of my teammates run the half-marathon. Although I didn’t run it this year, it reminded me of my half-marathon that I ran while abroad and of … Continue reading →

Every morning, as I get ready, I take my multivitamins for women. Why do I take them? (Because my mom told me to.) Thanks to biochemistry, I now understand the importance of taking the vitamins for my health. I have … Continue reading →

For my neuroscience class this semester, we had to select a paper that interested us and present it thoroughly to the class. I picked a paper that used optogenetic technology (stimulating neurons in regions using light) to stimulate fat thermogenesis … Continue reading →