Notes from Week 1 of reading of the Feynman Lectures (covers Ch.1–5 of Vol.1 of these lectures) — Hi there! 👋 My name is Apurva Joshi, and I’m an 18-year-old biologist-in-training. I’m driven by uncovering fundamental details in biology — how to optimize the cellular reprogramming process to perfect iPSCs, how to reverse cellular senescence to increase human lifespan, and more. …

Gaining new passions, reading new books, and many realizations about oneself. — Well folks, that was one heck of a year. The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone in unexpected ways economically, socially, and for many, for their physical health. Despite that, a quote from Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter series rings true: “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times…

Understanding how a protein that looks like everyone’s favorite videogame hedgehog, plays an important role in axolotl limb regeneration. — *IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This is a summary review of the paper: “Cyclopamine Induces Digit Loss in Regenerating Axolotl Limbs.” I have no affiliation with the authors of this paper, only that this experiment fascinates me, and I, a limb regeneration enthusiast, am writing this article to better my understanding of their…

Creating a world without limits! — Limbs help us do so many things: our legs let us get from place to place, they let us dance around in the comfort of our homes, and they let us kick around a soccer ball with our friends. And our arms are awesome too! …

The Divine Comedy, Die Niecht, Thus Spoke Zarahustra — these are some of the most famous texts in philosophical history, and they all came from the least god-fearing person to ever walk the planet — Friedrich Nietzsche. Today I want to talk about a few of Nietzsche’s key philosophies. All…

I recently presented my work with human limb regeneration this summer at BostInno’s demo day. Here are some of my takeaways! **Shoutout to Rowan Walrath, Cassidy Beegle-Johnson, Cat Francis, Mollie O’Brien, and the team at BostInno for doing a spectacular job organizing event!** #1: Have high standards for the presentation of your work. When it came to the actual slides…

My experience going to one of the largest symposiums on stem cell research as one of the youngest junior trainee members — all online! — The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is one of the largest organizations dedicated to stem cell research, and every year they hold a conference so that some of the world’s top stem cell researchers can come together and present their cutting edge work. …

You wake up at 6am, work in a bustling market place trying to make a living under the hot sun, and come home at 7pm. …

The power of machine learning to aid brain cancer patients! — You’re sitting outside one day with your sister, laughing and smiling while you eat ice cream. That’s the last time the two of you have a full conversation for a while. Over the next few weeks, you see her state deteriorate to the point where it’s hard for her to…