The six pillars of thoughtful data generation
Modern biomedical science has been transformed by large-scale datasets. These approaches are tantalizingly powerful, allowing us to carry out high-throughput measurements and achieving a 'birds-eye' view of a biological system. But if done improperly, they can be corrupted by technical artifacts, confounding variables, model overfitting, and statistical impropriety. In this article, Carla and Deborah draw on their experiences to highlight the promises and pitfalls of big data in biomedical research. They then offer a series of guiding principles for designing and generating these large datasets to not only improve the quality of the science being done, but also inspire more thoughtful experimental design in the future.
Beyond evolution
In this first post of Emergent Properties, Dan and Rahul tackle perhaps the most fundamental question in biology - how do individuals and populations adapt to their environments? They explore the advantages and tradeoffs of evolution via genetic mutation and demonstrate how organisms can develop non-genetic mechanisms to develop adaptation “shortcuts”. With examples ranging from bacterial nutrient sensing to immune receptor diversity to cancer, they synthesize a framework through which to understand the many different modes of biological adaptation.
Emergent properties
Welcome to Emergent Properties! We are a small group of friends and MD-PhD program classmates who love having nerdy, cross-disciplinary discussions that straddle the scientific and clinical worlds. In this opening blog post, we hope to convey our motivations and passion for this project, and types of topics and articles you can expect to see from us.