“Branching Out” – the story of Sholl analysis 

I have always been attracted to symmetry.  Ever since childhood, symmetry and equilibrium have always put me at ease and gave me a sense of aesthetic satisfaction. In graduate school, I studied the process of differentiation (read "development") of nerve cells called neurons. Neurons have beautiful architecture, but are never actually symmetrical.  Yet they still... Continue Reading →

The Royal Astrocyte

When I made the decision to start NeuroBead, I began to browse the internet for some inspiring images of neuronal cells in culture. The perfect picture had to meet several criteria. It had to be colorful, bright and vibrant, scientifically accurate and detailed, and yet simple enough to make in my first attempt. For my... Continue Reading →

NeuroBead Logo

The end of a long weekend.  A time that was meant for rest, relaxation and family time.  The latter I got, the first two, not so much.  Finally a chance to sit down and reflect.  A chance to escape.  In August, we have moved into a building that has a Starbucks on the first floor.... Continue Reading →

The spectrum of notebook keeping in science and in life – Part I

I have recently read a great blog post on the evolution of notebook keeping, and how notebooks provide a tried and true method of keeping track of our lives in spite of explosion of their technological counterparts. This series of articles triggered a flurry of thoughts on how I have interacted with notebook keeping in... Continue Reading →

Pushing the envelope- Part II

Last week, I wrote about pushing the limits of science by thinking outside the box.  In that sense, "thinking outside the box" is used quite figuratively to indicate how traditional thinking will not lead to new ideas, and constant innovation is necessary to achieve breakthroughs. In this post, we will examine the same concept in... Continue Reading →

Pushing the envelope – Part I

"Thinking outside the box" has become a bit of a cliché. But in science it is more important than ever. As the base of human knowledge propels ahead with lightning speed, it takes a special set of skills and knowledge to be on the cutting edge of innovation. When I was in graduate school, there... Continue Reading →

Why we have cells in the living room 

When I was in college, happily trekking down my pre-med program, I happened to attend a talk by a guest speaker from Albert Einstein College of Medicine graduate school program. Two things from her talk have stuck with me through the years. First, and likely the more important, is the fact that her talk served... Continue Reading →

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