Dan Robitzski
The Scientist
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Dan:
Why Some HPV Infections Carry More Cervical Cancer Risk
Where and how human papillomavirus integrates itself into the human genome steers the infection’s clinical outcomes, finds a large, multifaceted study. → Read More
Glass Menagerie, 1863–1936
The father-and-son duo Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka crafted thousands of scientifically accurate models of plants and sea creatures as teaching aids. → Read More
SNO-y Protein Levels Help Explain Why More Women Develop Alzheimer’s
Female postmortem brains contain more S-nitrosylated C3 proteins, likely linked to menopause, which instruct immune cells to kill neuronal synapses. → Read More
Our Favorite Cancer Stories of 2022
This year, cancer researchers uncovered a variety of ways that tumors can survive and spread, ranging from damaging their own DNA to exploiting the nearby microenvironment for nutrients. → Read More
Male and Female Stem Cells Derived from One Donor in Scientific First
Studying otherwise identical XY, XX, X0, and XXY pluripotent stem cells will allow researchers to investigate sex-based differences in greater depth. → Read More
University of California, Striking Workers Unions Reach Tentative Deal
The agreement, which is not yet ratified, would increase academic workers’ salaries, but some call for an ongoing strike as the raises are less than desired. → Read More
Specialized Sperm Ribosomes Are Key to Male Fertility in Mice
A previously unknown kind of ribosome is responsible for folding sperm proteins, which decay before fertilization if prepared by other ribosomes. → Read More
Can “Gene Writing” Deliver What Gene Editing Can’t?
A biotech startup called Tessera Therapeutics has made a splash with its claims about the trademarked technology. Is the excitement justified? → Read More
How Cold Weather May Help You Catch a Cold
Warm nasal cells mount stronger defenses against cold-causing coronaviruses and rhinoviruses than those exposed to cooler temperatures, an in vitro experiment finds. → Read More
Blood Thinner Ineffective for COVID-19 Patients: Study
A clinical trial finds that the anticoagulant apixaban, which has been prescribed to help COVID-19 patients recover, is ineffective and in rare instances dangerous. → Read More
Duplicated Gene Helps Bats Survive “Arms Race” With Viruses
Bats are known for staying healthy even while harboring viral infections. Now, research sheds light on how their unusual immune system evolved. → Read More
Inflammation in Brain’s Immune Cells Triggers Depressive Behavior in Mice
In stressful conditions, specialized protein complexes in microglia induce neurotoxic activity in astrocytes that leads to the change in behavior. → Read More
Oral Cancer Survives Starvation with Help from Nearby Nerves
Human and mouse oral tumors recruit nerves to produce peptides that the cancer cells need to survive—but this process can be blocked with a migraine drug. → Read More
Doctors Treat a Rare Genetic Condition Before Patient Is Born
Thanks to continued weekly medications, a 16-month-old girl shows no symptoms of a severe genetic disease that typically kills children before they turn two. → Read More
As Carbon Dioxide Goes Up, Plants’ Nutrient Content Declines
Abundant environmental CO2 can increase plant biomass and photosynthesis, but it has downsides for agriculture and ecosystems, a growing body of research finds. → Read More
After Decades of Delays, RSV Vaccines Show Promise in Early Data
Both Pfizer and GSK have shared preliminary data suggesting that their experimental vaccines can protect older adults and newborn infants from the virus. → Read More
How a Grasshopper Gave Up Sex, Took Up Cloning
Meet the grasshopper that has reproduced asexually for a quarter of a million years—without acquiring undue numbers of harmful mutations. → Read More
What Happens to Science When Model Organisms Become Endangered?
The long-tailed macaque and pig-tailed macaque are now endangered in the wild according to the IUCN Red List, which says exports for monkey research are partially to blame. → Read More
How Neurons in a Dish Learned to Play “Pong”
The DishBrain system can send and receive electrophysiological signals to and from living neurons, training the cells to accomplish a task. → Read More
Specialized Brain Circuit Makes Mice Itchy When They See Others Scratch
A previously undetected pathway in the mouse brain bypasses the visual cortex to directly activate contagious itch. → Read More