Credit: iStock/Devonyu Have you ever wondered how scientists study the human body’s responses to extreme conditions such as severe blood loss? Science experiments don’t always involve expensive equipment, glass beakers and dangerous chemicals. In fact, one of the coolest experimental techniques in physiology requires just two common household items: a vacuum cleaner and a box … Continue reading Lower Body Negative Pressure: How Scientists Can Study Blood Loss with Everyday Household Items
Scientific Research
Spotlight On: Statins
Credit: iStock/designer491 Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer in America, taking more lives per year than cancer and accidents combined. That’s frightening, but there is cause for optimism. For decades, statin drugs have been the gold standard in cholesterol management. Statins block the liver enzyme responsible for producing cholesterol, lower “bad” LDL levels by … Continue reading Spotlight On: Statins
Becoming a Science Advocate: Lessons I Learned from the 2025 APS Hill Day
APS members Emily Grammer, Macy Stahl and Brian Simmons advocated for science research funding on Capitol Hill. As a scientist with a chronic illness, I have always been passionate about advocating for patients who may not be able to speak up about their own health care journey. This passion drove my desire to intertwine advocacy … Continue reading Becoming a Science Advocate: Lessons I Learned from the 2025 APS Hill Day
2025 American Physiology Summit: My Week in Photos
Welcome to the American Physiology Summit. Credit: Casey Derella The 2025 American Physiology Summit took place at the Baltimore Convention Center April 24–27. Eager scientists, educators and trainees from a variety of fields within physiology travel from all over the world to connect and share ongoing science with others. Credit: Casey Derella I’m excited to … Continue reading 2025 American Physiology Summit: My Week in Photos
GLP-1 Agonists: More Than Just Weight Loss
Conference attendees listen to a scientific session at the 2025 American Physiology Summit. Originally developed to treat diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have recently dominated media coverage due to their potent effects on weight loss. Preliminary research has also suggested that these drugs may also have a protective role in other body systems and improve … Continue reading GLP-1 Agonists: More Than Just Weight Loss
From Tomatoes to Treadmills: What Scientists Are Discovering About Everyday Health
American Physiology Summit attendees view scientific posters. Credit: Erica Roth From record-breaking running speeds set by a 91-year-old to how your body responds to climate shifts, the American Physiology Summit brought together researchers exploring the science of health and life itself. Here’s how their findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society could … Continue reading From Tomatoes to Treadmills: What Scientists Are Discovering About Everyday Health
A Billion Dollar Gamble: How Drugs are Developed
Credit: iStock Pharmaceutical drugs undoubtedly save lives. Penicillin, given to a patient for the first time in 1941, was the first antibiotic developed and has saved millions of lives. It's no easy task, bringing a drug to market. It can take over a decade and more than a billion dollars. If an individual person wanted … Continue reading A Billion Dollar Gamble: How Drugs are Developed
Artificial Intelligence and Physiology: The Future is Now
Credit: iStock/Pongsak Sakapdee Can you imagine (or remember) a world without cell phones and the internet? In a few years it may be tough to imagine a world without artificial intelligence (AI). AI is the re-creation of human intelligence in machines, complete with the ability to learn, reason and solve problems. AI can be quite … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence and Physiology: The Future is Now
Can’t Sleep? Turn On Some Tunes!
Credit: iStock/Motortion You have probably struggled with falling asleep at some point in your life. When you don’t sleep well, you may feel less happy or experience reduced cognitive speed, otherwise known as “brain fog.” Chronic sleep deficiency increases the risk for depression, high blood pressure and the development of various diseases. Having trouble falling … Continue reading Can’t Sleep? Turn On Some Tunes!
Going with the Flow: How I Learned to Embrace a New Scientific Technique
Credit: iStock/Hris As a doctoral student studying metabolism and behaviors associated with feeding, my research goal is to determine how peripheral metabolic hormones such as insulin and leptin affect groups of nerve cells (scientists call them “neuron populations”) inside the area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. We typically assess neurons by cutting thin … Continue reading Going with the Flow: How I Learned to Embrace a New Scientific Technique