Research in 90sec's

How do our fingerprint ridges optimize grip? 

In this episode, I feature a paper by Yum and colleagues who demonstrated that optimizing grip requires managing the moisture levels in our finger pads. This is the mechanism through which we are able to perform many of our day-to-day activities like playing sports and even eating.

Full citation:

Yum SM, Baek IK, Hong D, Kim J, Jung K, Kim S, Eom K, Jang J, Kim S, Sattorov M, Lee MG. Fingerprint ridges allow primates to regulate grip. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020 Dec 15;117(50):31665-73.

What does intellectual candour have to do with learning?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Molloy and Bearman who describe "intellectual candour" as a means to navigate the tension between expressing vulnerability and seeking credibility in professional contexts. In healthcare professions, where teaching and learning happens alongside practice, managing this tension is critical. And intellectual candour might hold the key. 

Full citation:

Molloy E, Bearman M. Embracing the tension between vulnerability and credibility:‘intellectual candour’in health professions education. Medical education. 2019 Jan;53(1):32-41

Why impaired wellness may be inevitable in medicine?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Bynum and colleagues who warns us about the risks of rushing solutions without fully understanding the nature of impaired wellness in medicine. They propose a different way of thinking about wellness: one that views wellness as a healthy and authentic engagement with the inevitable adversity of pursuing a career in medicine.  Therefore, rather than eliminating impaired wellness, we should view it as a catalyst for developing resilience. 

Full citation:

Bynum IV WE, Varpio L, Teunissen P. Why impaired wellness may be inevitable in medicine, and why that may not be a bad thing. Medical Education. 2021 Jan;55(1):16-22.

What can be achieved when building organs-on-chips?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Low and colleagues who offer a thorough overview of a fast evolving technology called Organs-on-Chips.  As its name suggests, this is about micro-devices capable of mimicking functional features of organs and tissues.  Toxicity assessment of chemotherapy drugs and personalized medicine are some examples of the possibilities that this technology can offer.

Full citation:

Low LA, Mummery C, Berridge BR, Austin CP, Tagle DA. Organs-on-chips: Into the next decade. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2020 Sep 10:1-7.

What can we learn from Covid-19 to make progress on climate change?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Klenert and Funke, et., al. who offer a holistic reflection on lessons that can be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to inform climate change mitigation policy.  Creating awareness about these lessons will help us prepare, as citizens, for the long term challenges of climate change.

Full citation:

Klenert D, Funke F, Mattauch L, O’Callaghan B. Five lessons from COVID-19 for advancing climate change mitigation. Environmental and Resource Economics. 2020 Aug;76(4):751-78.

What makes someone misjudge that a person is holding a gun?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Witt and colleagues who describe and test the "gun embodiment effect" - which is the bias to judge another person as holding a gun when wielding a gun oneself. Using a randomized controlled trial, they bring awareness to the very real societal implications of this effect.

Full citation:

Witt JK, Parnes JE, Tenhundfeld NL. Wielding a gun increases judgments of others as holding guns: a randomized controlled trial. Cognitive research: principles and implications. 2020 Dec;5(1):1-7.

What will it take to apply therapeutic genome editing in the real world?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Dr. Jennifer Doudna, the 2020 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, who discusses the therapeutic opportunities of genome editing, as well as, the technical and ethical aspects of ensuring that this technology is used responsibly. 

Full citation:

Doudna JA. The promise and challenge of therapeutic genome editing. Nature. 2020 Feb;578(7794):229-36.

How do teams coordinate when there is no possibility of having a conversation?

In this episode, I feature a paper by John Paul Stephens who observed and interviewed members of a community choir for 18 months to explore how the choir was able to maintain beautiful and ongoing performance even in moments when they felt falling apart. And it was that feeling what allowed the group to find ways to redirect their attention.

Full citation:

Stephens, J. P. (2020). How the Show Goes on: Using the Aesthetic Experience of Collective Performance to Adapt While Coordinating. Administrative Science Quarterly, 0001839220911056.

What do palliative care volunteers mean for the person who's dying?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Vanderstichelen et. a.l., who explored palliative care volunteer roles across care settings through the perspectives of those closely involved in the care of terminally ill people.  And they found that the liminal space that PC volunteers occupy empower them to become the "voice of the dying person". Yet they require emotional support that still needs to be figured out.

Full citation:

Vanderstichelen, S., Cohen, J., Van Wesemael, Y., Deliens, L., & Chambaere, K. (2020). The liminal space palliative care volunteers occupy and their roles within it: a qualitative study. BMJ supportive & palliative care, 10(3), e28-e28.

What can we learn from ants about caring for others?

In this episode, I feature a paper by Frank et., al who uncovered and described the organized and social approach of ants to treat their wounded fellows.  One of the keys to their success, as the authors observed, was that most decisions on who to treat or rescue were not made by the helper alone; they were unconsciously regulated by the injured ant.

Full citation:

Frank ET, Wehrhahn M, Linsenmair KE. Wound treatment and selective help in a termite-hunting ant. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2018 Feb 14; 285(1872):20172457.