Ashna Shah – NU Sci Magazine

From protein to pathology: Investigating multiple system atrophy

Biology, Health / Ashna Shah / January 28, 2025

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by rapid escalation of cell loss, a consequence of progressive decay of structure and function of neurons. Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative condition in which central nervous system function is degraded. Atrophy refers to the death of neuronal cells which can have dramatic effects on an individual’s function. […]

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Are there UFOs in heaven?!

Culture, Psychology, World / Ashna Shah / December 7, 2024

“RED ALERT! As was promised – the keys to Heaven’s Gate are here again in Ti and Do (The UFO Two) as they were in Jesus and His Father 2000 yrs. Ago,” boldly exclaims the website of Heaven’s Gate, a Christian group specializing in ufology and millenarianism. Ufology is the study of unidentified flying objects

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The eclipse effect: How do animals react to strange celestial phenomena?

Biology, Culture / Ashna Shah / April 24, 2024

The event of a solar eclipse transcends the astronomical meaning, occurring when the Moon completely blocks the Sun from Earth’s view and darkens skies across a region. Solar eclipses have been referenced throughout history as a time of change and intention-setting for spiritualists or as the source of several cultural folk stories. The impacts of

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Baby-blue blood: Nature’s antidote

Environment, World / Ashna Shah / February 28, 2024

A creature more ancient than dinosaurs by over 200 million years, the Atlantic horseshoe crab is an organism treasured by conservationists, biomedical researchers, and even Northeastern’s very own “Dang, I love fossils” club. With five pairs of claws and able to grow up to two feet long, the horseshoe crab is an incredibly useful animal

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Going ‘green’ for our health

Health / Ashna Shah / December 29, 2023

THC, CBD, cannabis, weed, medical marijuana. The term “marijuana” is associated with a giant cloud of terms, but do we actually know the real definitions behind these buzzwords? Marijuana and cannabis describe two different substances. Cannabis refers to a slew of chemical products originating from the Cannabis sativa plant. Marijuana, on the other hand, only

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Nothing beats good old pen & paper

Psychology, Technology / Ashna Shah / December 26, 2023

Taking notes in class. Signing a lease. Making a grocery list. All of these activities used to require a very important tool: our very own handwriting. Nowadays, we tend to rapidly jot down notes during class on our laptops or use autofill to put signatures on important documents. Because the faster we get these things

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Yet another reason to avoid traffic

Environment / Ashna Shah / July 16, 2023

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the United States generated 67 million tons of air pollution in 2021. Ever since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, the amount of air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, methane, and sulfur dioxide, to name a few) in the Earth’s atmosphere skyrocketed. With the increasing toxicity present in the

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