Department of Biology Archives

Northeastern biology major Dillon Nishigaya, conducts cancer research in a Mugar lab. Nishigaya was inspired to student science after overcoming scoliosis.

These identical twins launched research careers – as freshmen

“It was a revelation” that he and his brother were able to participate in research in their first year at Northeastern, says Dillon Nishigaya. Dillon aims to become a doctor, based in part on his personal experiences with medicine.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

Professor Penny Beuning, chair of the chemistry and chemical biology department; Elizabeth Mynatt, dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences; and Hazel Sive, dean of the College of Science, have all been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University, Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University and Courtesy Photo

Three Northeastern leaders receive lifetime honor for prolific scientific contributions

Elizabeth Mynatt, Hazel Sive, and Penny Beuning have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science—a lifetime honor awarded to scholars for their exceptional contributions and leadership in their scientific fields.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki January 27, 2022

How these worms avoid getting poisoned

Hydrogen peroxide is deadly to most organisms—and worms are no exception. But Northeastern biologist Javier Apfeld has figured out how one kind of worm can detect and dodge the toxic threat.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki January 19, 2022

Could this treatment prevent chronic Lyme disease?

Kim Lewis has been searching for a way to stop acute Lyme disease from becoming chronic. And now the university distinguished professor of biology at Northeastern thinks he has found it—and it’s been hiding under our noses for more than 60 years.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki October 6, 2021

One of Stephen Schneider's priorities as the new arborist is improving record-keeping of plant collections to benefit researchers decades from now. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

He cultivates the campus’s ‘urban forest’ with an eye on the future

All it took was a botany class at Northeastern to change Stephen Schneider’s career path. Today he’s in charge of keeping thousands of the trees and shrubs in the university’s arboretum healthy.

by Peter Ramjug August 26, 2021

This superbug dodges antibiotics. He's finding a way to kill it.

Superbugs are a persistent challenge for hospitals. On a given day, about one in every 31 hospital patients has an infection contracted in a healthcare facility, according to the CDC. And most are antibiotic resistant. Edward Geisinger, assistant professor of biology at Northeastern, is finding a way to disarm one of those damaging pathogens.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 16, 2021

A user explores the SaluTemp website on a smartphone.

A class project inspired this healthcare device to solve a common drug storage problem

Theodora Christopher and Anastasia Mavridis are developing a temperature-sensing device that can help patients store their medications safely. Their startup, SaluTemp, has received an inaugural $5,000 Innovator Award from Northeastern’s Women Who Empower inclusion and entrepreneurship initiative.

by Ian Thomsen July 15, 2021

It’s tick season. Here’s everything you need to know about Lyme disease.

Lyme disease isn’t just a concern for outdoorsy people. This tick season, what do you need to know about the condition? Kim Lewis, university distinguished professor of biology at Northeastern, breaks it down.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki June 21, 2021

Megan Carter and Sammy Shupe stand outside their co-op stations.

These athletes pursue championships while on co-op

Megan Carter, a sophomore who maintains a 4.0 grade point average in biology, was on co-op at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston while striving for a national title in women’s ice hockey. Here’s how she and other student-athletes learn to balance sports, academics, and co-op.

by Ian Thomsen April 27, 2021

Graduate student Suzanne Stasiak is part of a team of researchers studying how smooth muscle cells in the human airway behave to trigger asthma. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Cells in your airway talk to each other. For some, what they say can trigger an asthma attack.

Conventional asthma research has largely focused on diseased cells in human airways. But now, researchers at Northeastern have found that asthma attacks are not only the result of diseased cells acting up—healthy cells get caught up in the mix, too.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa August 24, 2020