CuriosiTEA Journal Club 

Student Summary by Elizabeth Li Original Source: Stanford University, ScienceDaily, June 27, 2026 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260620100424.htm Image created by Elizabeth Li Background: When wolves returned to Yellowstone Park, effects of their presence rippled throughout the entire food chain. The predators drove elk (i.e. large deer species) away from their over-grazed feeding grounds, allowing plants to regenerate and riverbanks to stabilize, changing the

Student Summary by Hayden Byun Original Source: Ivana Jaric et al., PLOS Biology, October 21, 2022 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9629646/#sec001 Image created by Hayden Byun Abstract Background: Scientists often use genetically similar mice to conduct experiments in order to reduce variation. It has been known that the phenotype, or observable traits, of a living thing is often made up of two factors: genotype (genetic makeup) and the environment that the organism

Student Summary by Audrey Kim Original Source: Jennifer Welsh — LiveScience, September 26, 2011https://www.livescience.com/16230-miracle-fruit-taste-sweet-sour.html Image created by Audrey Kim Abstract Background: The "miracle berry" is a fruit that can turn sour taste into sweet. It possesses a protein called miraculin, which changes the function of our tastebuds and attaches to the sweet-sensing receptors. The impact is strong, making sour lemons taste like an extra-sweet l

Student Summary by Olivia Liu Original Source: Teruaki Nakatsuji, Richard L. Gallo, & others. JAMA Dermatology, June 16, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8209585/ Image Created by Olivia Liu Abstract Background: Having been noted since 1974, there has been a strong connection between atopic dermatitis, an inflammatory skin condition characterized by dry, itchy skin, and Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that can cause skin infection. People who are found wi

Image Created By Olivia Hwang Student Summary By Olivia Hwang Original source: Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley News, November 4, 2025 https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/11/04/finch-chirps-are-more-than-mindless-chatter-they-actually-convey-meaning/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads8482 Abstract Background: Zebra Finches are commonly used for studies because how males learn mating songs is similar to humans' development of speech. They are very talkative birds and have va

Genetic History of Dogs Student Summary by Emma SeoOriginal Source: Eliene Augenbraun, Scientific American, Jan 21, 2021https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/ancient-dogs-had-complex-genetic-histories/ Image created by Emma Seo Abstract Background: The first animals to be domesticated were dogs, and they thrived alongside humans throughout history as humans changed their lifestyles from hunting and gathering to farming to city living. Objective: Researchers wante

Student Summary by Jayden Ahn Original Source: Suzanne M. Cosh, Sarah E. Williams, and others. Science Journal For Kids and Teens, September 2025 https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/eco-anxiety_article.pdf Image Created by Jayden Ahn Abstract Background: Many people around the world have anxiety, like a fear of spiders (arachnophobia) or tight spaces (claustrophobia). There's also a name for extreme worry about climate change: eco-anxiety.

Image Created By Olivia Hwang Student Summary by Olivia Hwang Original Source: William E. Parker et al., Science Journal for Kids, July 2025 https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/space-debris_article.pdf; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01512-0 Abstract Background: High numbers of satellites and space stations orbit Earth in the thermosphere and exosphere (the top layers of our atmosphere), which together are called low Earth orbit. Scien

Student Summary by Audrey Kim Original Source: Charissa de Bekker, William C. Beckerson, and Carolyn Elya. Science Journal for Kids and Teens, November 2023 https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/zombie_article_lower_level.pdf; https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01872-21 Image created by Audrey Kim Abstract Background Just like all other living organisms, fungi want to spread their generations. In order to accomplish that task, they can chan

Student Summary by Emma Seo Original Source: Ziliang Kang, Giovanni Traverso, and others, Science Journal for Kids and Teens, June 2026 https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/underwater-adhesive_article.pdf; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09304-4Image created by Emma Seo Image created by Emma Seo Abstract Background: It's hard for doctors to see what's going on in constantly moving soft wet environments such as the inside of our b

Student Summary by Olivia Liu Original Source: Kyrou, K., Hammond, A., Crisanti, A. & others. Science Journal for Kids and Teens, March 2020. https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dsx_article.pdf; https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4245 Cover Created by Olivia Liu Abstract Background: For every 2 minutes we live, one child dies due to a fatal disease called malaria. Malaria is transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes (mainly the Anopheles ga

Student Summary by Hayden Byun Original Source: Fabrizio Camerin et al., Science Journal for Kids and Teens, March 2026 https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/antibody-medicine_article.pdf; https://www.pnas.org/doi/suppl/10.1073/pnas.2425974122 Image created by Hayden Byun Abstract Background: Medicine takes on several different forms and has various ways of entering our bodies, such as through syringes and pills. This is because the physical propert