Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga

ASBMB Today magazine • 23rd June 2026

Caloric translator controls satiation

Knowing when to stop eating is as important as knowing when to start. This process, known as satiation, relies on coordinated neural and hormonal signals. In the brain, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, or PVN, helps regulate feeding and satiation.

Montana Naturalist • 8th June 2026

Nest Building in Birds: Much more than instinct

Current Conservation • 25th May 2026

More buildings, fewer trees: The decline of urban pollinators

Insects are key players in the reproductive lives of plants. By carrying pollen from one plant to another—a process known as pollination—insects contribute towards the reproduction of 35 percent of crops and 60 to 90 percent of flowering plants.

envirobites • 14th January 2026

Scientists Finally Know What Killed Billions of Sea Stars

Beginning in 2013, billions of sea stars along the west coast of North America started to die from a mysterious disease that caused their arms to twist and fall off and their tissues to melt. The disease, known as sea star wasting disease (SSWD), was responsible for one of the largest die-offs of marine animals in recent years.

OncoBites • 7th January 2026

Cancer Cell Mitochondria: Sneaky Agents that Reprogram Healthy Cells Into Cancer Buddies

If people were asked to name an organelle inside the cell, the word “mitochondria” would certainly pop into most people’s heads. While we always remember that mitochondria are central to energy production in cells, these bean-shaped organelles also have the amazing ability to move between cells, a phenomenon known as horizontal mitochondrial transfer (HMT).

Montana Natural History Center • 24th December 2025

A Bee’s Guide to Overwintering

Winter in Montana is not for the faint of heart—and that goes for wildlife, too. While we cover ourselves inlayers of clothing and stay cozy in our homes, some animals use their fluffy feathers or fur for insulation. Others hibernate or even migrate to warmer places, leaving the frigid winds and snow behind.

Montana Natural History Center • 15th October 2025

A Spotted Coat of Concealment

Summer brings more than blue skies and hot days to Montana. It’s during this time of the year that white-tailed deer fawns are born. Last summer, I was fortunate enough to see a few fawns in my backyard. Sometimes they seemed like well-behaved kids following their mom as she browsed and rested under the trees. Other times, they leaped and chased one another—what I came to consider a deer v...

OncoBites • 20th August 2025

A Shot at Treating Cancer: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines in the Spotlight

Finding effective ways to treat different types of cancer has been a long-standing goal for scientists all over the world. In this quest, many have turned their attention to vaccines...

FEMS • 8th July 2025

#FEMSmicroBlog: Tackling drug-resistant bacteria with quorum sensing quenchers

For decades, antibiotics have helped us successfully fight many diseases. Their overuse and misuse, however, have led to the emergence of bacteria that no longer respond to these drugs. This makes antimicrobial resistance a significant public health threat around the world and requires us to find alternative treatments.

OncoBites • 23rd April 2025

Under the brain tumor spell

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of cancer that accounts for nearly half of all primary malignant brain tumors in adults...

Knowing Neurons • 13th February 2023

This Is Your Brain In Love

Just like any other emotion, love has more to do with the brain than you might think.

Knowing Neurons • 28th September 2022

Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that progressively impacts a person’s cognitive functioning and behavioral capacities, leading, ultimately, to the disruption of that person’s daily life. In the past, doctors could only make a definitive Alzheimer’s diagnosis by directly examining the patient’s brain tissue in a post-mortem autopsy. But, thanks to researchers, a lot has changed.

Knowing Neurons • 20th September 2021

Do animals feel empathy?

From a dad hugging his daughter who lost a sports game to a husband trying to alleviate his wife’s distress by listening to her, humans have the capacity to adopt others’ points of view and relate to others’ emotions.

Knowing Neurons • 21st February 2021

How the Gut Microbiome Alters Fear Extinction

Learning to avoid a threat as well as knowing when something is no longer dangerous is crucial for an organism’s survival. Being able to shake off fearful memories after a threat has passed is so important that deficits are linked to several neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over the last decade, evidence has shown that changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) microbial community, collectively known as gut microbiome, influences brain-related proc...

Knowing Neurons • 31st August 2020

Can computer games help us to cope with trauma?

Nowadays, experiencing shocking and dangerous situations in which you think yours or someone else’s life is in danger is not rare. People who are exposed to, or have witnessed life-threatening circumstances, may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health condition that manifests in re-experiencing a traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, often resulting in the avoidance of trauma-associated cues, negative changes in mood, and a state of increased alertness...