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Posts

April 12, 2013

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6:20 PM | Blight-Resistant Potato: an “Acceptable” GMO?
Last week, I wrote about a pathogenic nematode that infects the roots of soybean plants and the identification of a mutation responsible for nematode resistance in the Forrest soybean cultivar. [...]
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

April 09, 2013

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4:05 PM | Immigration Reform: A Second Chance for Undocumented Immigrant Health?
When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010, many immigration advocates were disappointed that the bill left undocumented immigrants out in the cold. While the [...]
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

April 05, 2013

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6:12 PM | An “Acceptable” GMO?
What if an already existing gene variant with a desired trait from one organism is genetically engineered into another organism of the same species?

Liu, S., Kandoth, P., Warren, S., Yeckel, G., Heinz, R., Alden, J., Yang, C., Jamai, A., El-Mellouki, T., Juvale, P. & Hill, J. (2012). A soybean cyst nematode resistance gene points to a new mechanism of plant resistance to pathogens, Nature, 492 (7428) 256-260. DOI:

Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication
Citation

March 19, 2013

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3:12 PM | Communicating Science in My Native Tongue
Several months ago Drug Monkey asked me this: @amasianv do you blog in Vietnamese? Could be a cool thing, no? — Drug Monkey (@drugmonkeyblog) September 9, 2012 Communicating science is tough as it is, [...]
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

March 13, 2013

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6:29 PM | Battle of the Sperms
Inside every Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) female is a sperm battleground where sperm from two different males jockey with each other for the honor of fertilizing her eggs. By sequentially mating females with males [...]

Lüpold S, Manier MK, Berben KS, Smith KJ, Daley BD, Buckley SH, Belote JM & Pitnick S (2012). How multivariate ejaculate traits determine competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster., Current biology : CB, 22 (18) 1667-72. PMID:

Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication
Citation

March 12, 2013

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3:18 PM | Drug Resistance in MRSA is Finely-tuned
Cross-posted at PLOS Public Health Perspectives. In hindsight, shoving my hand into a narrow drinking glass wasn’t such a good idea.  I learned this the hard way a few years [...]

Kouyos R, Klein E & Grenfell B (2013). Hospital-Community Interactions Foster Coexistence between Methicillin-Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus., PLoS pathogens, 9 (2) PMID:

Arêde P, Milheiriço C, de Lencastre H & Oliveira DC (2012). The anti-repressor MecR2 promotes the proteolysis of the mecA repressor and enables optimal expression of β-lactam resistance in MRSA., PLoS Pathogens, 8 (7) PMID:

Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication
Citation

January 29, 2013

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7:14 PM | Glaucoma Is not an Equal Opportunity Thief
Ethnicity and the Genetics of Glaucoma Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

January 25, 2013

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4:14 PM | Sabotaging the “Warning Beacons” to Prevent Immune Cells from Attacking the Body
Scientists are figuring out how to control the behavior of immune cells by exploiting the proteins that bacteria use to slip past our defenses. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

January 12, 2013

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3:55 PM | Joining Scientopia!
Hello readers, An announcement for the New Year. I’m joining a great group of science bloggers over at Scientopia. In addition to writing about science-y topics, I’ll be sharing some of my experiences being a graduate student and an Asian American. I will continue to blog about science here as well. Looking forward to sharing … Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

January 03, 2013

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8:03 PM | Dengue Fever, GMOsquitos, and a “Wolbachian” Invasion
More details on the genetics behind dengue-fighting GMosquitos and how Wolbachia bacteria are particularly good at "invading" insect populations. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

January 01, 2013

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6:46 PM | Here’s to an Amasian 2013!
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy New Year and also to thank all the readers, bloggers, and Tweeps for making my first year of blogging a truly rewarding experience. Y’all have reinvigorated and reinforced my love for science and opened my eyes to something new that I enjoy doing. I know things have been … Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

December 12, 2012

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9:23 PM | Rhino horns: From traditional medicine to recreational drug
While science hasn't stopped the use of rhino horns in traditional medicine, the recent surge in rhino horn demand may have more to do with its use as a recreational drug and status symbol. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

November 30, 2012

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6:42 PM | I’ve joined the Public Health team at PLOS Blogs!
As some of you probably know by now, this week I’ve joined a talented team of writers over at the PLOS Public Health Blog. I’m excited for this opportunity to explore new topics in public health (with a particular focus on minority health) and to share my writing with the PLOS blog audience. I will … Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

November 05, 2012

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8:06 PM | Don’t forget to bỏ phiếu in tomorrow’s bầu cử
Find out whom Amasian Dad, lifelong* Republican, will be voting for in tomorrow's presidential election. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

October 31, 2012

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5:30 PM | How my dad saved high school biology
It really came as no surprise when my 9th grade high school biology teacher told me that we wouldn’t be doing any experiments that year. The high school I attended was a chronically underperforming and severely underfunded school situated in the densely-populated, square-mile city of Central Falls, RI–an impoverished, inner-city community with a largely immigrant … Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

October 26, 2012

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5:51 PM | David Byrne explains the neuroscience of music and mirror neurons but skips the skepticism.
In an excerpt from his new book, How Music Works, David Byrne explains how mirror neurons in our brains process music. But he forgot one thing: skeptcism. Here are some of the issues with mirror neurons... Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

October 10, 2012

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9:21 PM | The Sonification of Science
Ever wonder what science sounds like? Scientists are exploring new ways of representing data through music. Here's a recent sampling of science, musically-sonified. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

October 03, 2012

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6:45 PM | Voters also have a right to know the science behind GMOs
Prop37 makes the case that consumers have a right to know if their foods contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Voters also have a right to accurate science behind GMOs. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

September 19, 2012

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9:50 PM | Advice for Graduate Students of all Scientific Stripes and Stages
For this week's Worldwide Wednesday post, here are some links with helpful advice for graduate students of all scientific stripes and stages. Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

September 11, 2012

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9:43 PM | What slugs and your eyes may have in common
The next time you get shampoo in your eyes and you’re writhing in pain in the shower, I want you to think about slugs. That’s right, I’m talking about those shell-less snails sliding about in your garden and on your trash cans, leaving slime trails across your patio. Why? Because researchers are designing a test … Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication

August 29, 2012

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10:11 PM | Autism in the News
In a week when headlines were dominated by autism, here were my favorite reads that offered some balance and insight Continue reading »
Amasian Science
Biology | Science Communication
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