Michelle Taylor, Laboratory Equipment Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

Study Identifies U.S. Hotspots for Drinking Water Quality Violations

1 week ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

About 2 million people in the United States do not have access to running water or indoor plumbing in their homes. In addition, 30 million more Americans live where drinking water systems violate safety rules. Water privatization has been proposed as both a solution to and an exacerbator of these challenges, but its potential consequences had not been investigated on a national scale.
Study: Non-native Black Rats Linked to Spread of Deadly Hantavirus

2 weeks ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

A new study led by an international team of researchers has revealed that the non-native black rat is responsible for transmitting the deadly hantaviruses in rural, biodiverse Madagascar, where forested landscapes have been converted to agriculture and settlements. Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death. Hantaviruses found in the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
Team Uses Proteomics, Chicken Eggs to Treat Pediatric Cancer Patient

3 weeks ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

A pan-Canadian team tapped into the power of proteomics to expediently identify and test a drug to target a young patient's tumor in time for necessary treatment. The work was a collaborative effort of PROFYLE (PRecision Oncology For Young peopLE), a key initiative of the Canadian pediatric cancer network ACCESS that brings together more than 30 research and funding organizations and over 100 investigators from across Canada to improve cancer outcomes for children and young adults.
Research Links HPV and Microplastics to Heart Problems

1 month ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

Researchers presenting at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session this upcoming weekend are unveiling research that links multiple conditions to fatal heart and cardiovascular disease. In addition to causing several types of cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) appears to bring a significantly increased risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease. Additionally, researchers linked exposure to microplastics with a heightened prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Student eats: affordable and delicious options at ANU's Kambri precinct

1 month ago | thisiscanberra.com | Michelle Taylor

After the long summer recess, ANU is back in full swing, with a hive of activity and student life unfolding across the sprawl of lawns and lecture halls. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Kambri, the beating heart of ANU’s social and cultural life. When I popped by to pick up my son, I wandered through Kambri and was overwhelmed and excited by the wide range of well-priced dining options available.
FDA-approved Dialysis Drug may Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance

1 month ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

As antibiotic resistance continues to grow, some researchers have begun investigating “alternative” therapies—methods that do not rely on additional, stronger antibiotics. At Penn State University, researchers are focusing on capturing off-target antibiotics—in tandem with the antibiotic—to mitigate resistance. Antibiotics are labeled as “off-target” when they appear in the body away from the infection site. The current study focused on infections that originate in health care settings.
NJ Universities Team to Save a ‘Goldmine’ of Hidden Data

1 month ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

From 1985 to 2006, nearly 5,000 pregnant females aged 12 years and older from Camden, New Jersey—one of the poorest cities in the U.S.—participated in a study focused on maternal and infant health. Although the resulting data yielded more than a decade of significant papers, the repository never gained widespread recognition.
Gene Variant Misclassified as Fatal Due to Diversity Gap in Genomic Databases

1 month ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

Two individuals of Pacific Island ancestries were told they carried a genetic variant that was likely the cause of their potentially fatal inherited cardiomyopathy. However, that wasn’t true. In fact, that specific gene variant is not harmful at all—it was just classified as such due to a significant diversity gap in genomics research for people from non-European ancestries.
New Database Lists 530 Potential Alternatives to PFAS

1 month ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as “forever chemicals” because of their extreme persistence. This persistence is what makes PFAS chemicals so good at what they do, but it’s also what contributes to pollution in a variety of matrices, as well as causing a potential negative impact on human health. In response, researchers at Stockholm University in Sweden have created a database of PFAS alternatives.
This Protein May be the Origin of Spoken Language

2 months ago | laboratoryequipment.com | Michelle Taylor

Of all the creatures on Earth, Homo sapiens are the only ones capable of complex speech. Over the years, the origin of human language has been researched extensively, but remains mysterious. Now, after 35 years of research on the topic, investigator Robert Darnell and his team have unearthed a possible explanation: NOVA-1, a protein variant found only in modern humans that may have been part of a sweeping evolutionary change that included the beginning of the spoken language.