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About

Tanaaz Khan

I'm a budding microbiologist with a keen interest in all things science! I am absolutely captivated by microbiology and astrobiology and its middle ground. This blog was created with the intention of communicating science through the eyes of someone who wants to inform their audience on the up and coming developments but also to delve into uncommon areas of the past.

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musingsofaboffin

Can evolution be predicted? 🤔 Apparently, yes!

Can evolution be predicted? 🤔

Apparently, yes! For the longest time we've just seen evolution of the past but turns out now we can see it in the present and predict the future as well! 👩‍🔬

How? SWIPE ➡️➡️➡️➡️

#scicomm #evolution #realtime #past #present #future #sciencecommunication #sciencecommunicator #evolutionacademia #austria #ist #neuralsystems #optimality #optimalitytheory #biologicalsystems #biology #organisms #blogger #scienceig #sciencedaily

Welcome to part 3 of the space microbiology series

Welcome to part 3 of the space microbiology series! Hope you've been enjoying this series! ☺️

In this post, I discuss the ways in microbes tend to survive in space 👨‍🚀👨‍🚀🚀

Now as we all know that space has maybe the most harsh conditions for survival but somehow these small little cells manage to make it out alive 🦠

What is interesting is that now only do they make it out alive, their senses (in terms of cells and molecules) are much more heightened. What do I mean by that? Go and check out my new blog post! 🌌

LINK IN BIO 🔗🔗

#spacemicrobes #space #spaceflight #spacestation #microbiologist #microbialcosmos #microbesmatter #microbiome #microscopic #microbiology #science #survivalofthefittest #survival #geneexpression #genes #cell #microbialcell #molecule #molecularbiology #cellularbiology #spacehealth #health #earthtospace #earth #groundlevel #sciencecommunication #scienceforeveryone #communication #spacemicrobiology

‼️XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM ‼️ Imagine being

‼️XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM ‼️

Imagine being allergic to light, literally 🤔

That's what this rare disease is about wheredue to mutations a person can literally develop photophobia in their lifetime! 💡

While this disorder can start as early as when they're 5-6 years old, some people do realise it later in life 😕

This is why this is one of the disorders in which the preventive measure involve ensuring that people are not living near light sources that emit UV light
in high amounts❗

☁️☁️ MICROBIOME IN THE CLOUDS ☁️☁️

☁️☁️ MICROBIOME IN THE CLOUDS ☁️☁️

We already know that microbes are everywhere but somehow it never occurred to me that the clouds could be one of those places too 😅

They usually get up there through winds that move in the upward direction and due to this, these microbes have managed to adapt to conditions over there too!

They have the tendency to form a capsule around themselves to shield them from the harmful radiation and recently, it has been observed that they have the ability to create ice! ❄️

It's crazy to think how a microbe's survival tactics are so strong that they would literally change the weather around us to do so ☁️

#ice #icecrystals #microbes #environment #microbiome #microbiologist #microbiology #bacteria #survivalofthefittest #survival #weather #clouds #microbesintheclouds #ecology #weatherchange #icenucleation #scicomm #sciencediscoveries #sciencenews #sciencecommunication #sciencecommunicator #science #scienceforeveryone #changingweather #iceformation #watertoice #musingsofaboffin

🦠🦠 REVERSE ZOONOSIS 🦠🦠 Many of you we

🦠🦠 REVERSE ZOONOSIS 🦠🦠

Many of you were unaware of the fact that humans can also transmit infections to other species but it is in fact possible! 🦠

There have been many species that have been cross transmitted between humans to other animals and back to humans in the past 😕

This phenomenon makes it very difficult to track infections in real time because we're not always sure where it has originated from 🤔

Even the recent COVID-19 pandemic has proven the concept when gorillas and cats were found to be infected with the virus! 🔬

To find out more on how it happens, go and read my blog post in the LINK IN BIO! ☺️

Let me know your thoughts below 👇🏼👇🏼

#reversezoonosis #zoonosis #zoonotic #zoonoticdisease #zoonoticdiseases #microbiologist #microbialdiseases #microbiology #disease #infectiousdisease #infectious #infection #infectioncontrol #pandemic #onehealth #sars #sarscov2 #sarscov #gorillas #tuberculosis #covid_19 #elephants #cats #dogs #minks #pangolins #virus #bacteria #fungi #humaninfection

WANDERING SPLEEN! Here's a science doozy for you

WANDERING SPLEEN!

Here's a science doozy for you. A spleen that just casually wanders around your abdomen! 😕

Why? Well this happens because of a congenital birth defect that you're born with. The ligaments that hold your spleen in place are missing, which is why they can't remain in one place. 🚫

There are less than 500 cases that have been reported all over the world! 🤐

Fortunately, this is a rectifiable problem and can be done so through a splenectomy, but it leaves you more susceptible to infections! 🦠

#raredisease #rarebiology #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarediseases #rarepeople #rarediseaseawareness #rare #scienceiscool #sciencediscoveries #sciencenews #wanderingspleen #spleen #splenectomy #spleenhealth #sciencebloggersofinstagram #scienceblogger #nihrarediseases #infection #infectiousdisease #splenoptosis

🔬 Quadruple stranded DNA! 🔬 We've all heard

🔬 Quadruple stranded DNA! 🔬

We've all heard about double stranded DNA but what about quadruple? Scientists at the @imperialcollege have recently identified these molecules and were able to visualise them for the first time! 🙌🏼

While it was hypothesised that it could happen, they never knew where to look until now. Obviously selective pressure has made double stranded DNA the clear winner in evolution but that never meant no other conformations could exist 🤔

The fact that they are so abundantly found in cancer cells and are unstable so much so that they easily bind to any other molecule, goes to show that there could something amiss her and holds the answer to many questions we have about the development of cancer cells 🚫

Maybe in the future we could get more information on how we can target such molecules for cancer therapy! 💊

Credit: livescience.com

#cancerbiomarkers #cancerdetection #quadruple #dna #dnastrand #molecules #genetics #cancercell #daota #fluorescencemicroscopy #fluorescence #scienceiscool #sciencediscoveries #science #scicomm #sciencecommunication #sciencecommunicator #molecularbiology #molecularstructure #molecule #imperialcollege #imperialcollegelondon #biosciences #cancertherapy #quadruplexes #cell

After over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there

After over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many questions left unanswered on how the virus had evolved and infected humans! 🦠

In this blog post, Morgan (@virus.vs.labcoat) writes about the zoonotic mysteries that remain overlooked at and how we can pinpoint the source of the virus! 🔬She is a PhD student herself at the University of Queensland, who is studying mosquito borne flaviruses and is working on developing broad spectrum antibody therapeutics and a cross protective vaccine!

Morgan is somebody I truly admire especially for the way in which she has fought misinformation online during the pandemic, which is why I definitely recommend you to check out her posts and highlights on different aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus while enjoying 10/10 content on virology! @virus.vs.labcoat

Do give this great article a read brought to you by a PhD student herself and let us know down in the comments if you have any questions! 👇🏼👇🏼

#zoonoticdiseases #zoonotic #mysteries #zoonoticmysteries #sarscov2 #sars #covid19 #pandemic #viralevolution #reservoirs #spillover #viruses #science #sciencecommunication #scicomm #sciencenews #blogger #scienceblogger #virology #queensland #endemicvirus #ace2 #reservoirofviruses #animalspillover #collaboration

🦠 VIRAL SHEDDING 🦠 There is so much stigma

🦠 VIRAL SHEDDING 🦠

There is so much stigma surrounding people who get infected with the virus, but how can we definitely say that they still carry the virus despite a confirmed negative result? 🧐

Viral shedding has been a topic for a while now and it's high time we understand exactly what this is 🔬

While people can shed the virus even after recovering, it doesn't necessarily mean those are infectious unless we do an infective assay for that purpose 🦠

There are many policy loopholes which were became apparent during the pandemic which is why with the new strain emerging, all we can do now is still stick to the given guidelines and stay safe! 😷😷

#sciencediscoveries #viralinfection #virus #viralshedding #shedding #infectiousdisease #infectious #infection #infectioncontrol #mask #maskon #quarantine #science #microbiology #microbiologist #sciencenews

🔒 LOCKED IN SYNDROME 🔒 This syndrome litera

🔒 LOCKED IN SYNDROME 🔒

This syndrome literally paralyzes the person that is affected allowing them to only move their eyes 😕

This is one of the rarest diseases ever that occurs because of damage to the pons varoli of the brain 🧠

It could either be due to external damage or damage to the nerves in due course 🔬

While management of the disease does help people improve their quality of life, investigational therapies are on the way and there should be more clarity on them soon 🧐

Here's to hoping for a much brighter future for the affected people ☺️

How can imaging change the way we view things? 🧐

Current technologies have really improved the way in which we understand our own anatomy! 🧠

Scientists have found the origin of activity in our heart using knife edge microscopy 🔬

Now, they need to understand how this is correlated with heart health and how we can take care of ourselves ❤️

#sciencediscoveries #scienceiscool #sciencenews #science #sciencecommunication #scicomm #heart #brain #intracardiac #nervoussystem #nerve #originofhearts #electricsignal #electric #anatomy #humananatomy #humanbody #knifeedge #microscope #microscopy #scanning #hearthealth #health

🔥 FIERY SERPENT INFECTION 🔥 The Guinea Worm

🔥 FIERY SERPENT INFECTION 🔥

The Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) is caused by a parasite that is quite rare especially in developed countries 🦠

Once ingested, it can literally survive in your body for over a year and only once they form ulcers on your skin, do you realize that something is wrong 🤔

There have been cases where they identify the disease once the worms themselves come out of the body 🥴

This is why neglected tropical diseases need to be highlighted and maybe some day, they won't exist 😊

#neglectedtropicaldiseases #parasite #parasitical #diseases #disease #microbialdiseases #microbiologist #microbiology #fieryserpent #dranunculus #raredisease #rarebiology #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarepeople #rarediseaseawareness #rare #worms #worm #wormbiology #sciencenews #science #sciencecommunication #scienceforeveryone

In my first blog post of the year, I thought I'll

In my first blog post of the year, I thought I'll introduce you to some of the really good podcasts out there! ⚛️

If you're looking to source the latest developments in the field of science in a different format, then this post is definitely for you! 👌🏼

Check out my blog post in the link in bio and let me know your favourite ones in the comments section down below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Let me know if you have any other suggestions, definitely looking to explore more 🤔🤔🤔

@billnye @scientific_american
@radiolab @nasa @neildegrassetyson @gastropodcast @bbc @nprinvisibilia @science_vs @naturepodcast

#scienceiscool #sciencediscoveries #podcast #podcasts #blogpost #blogger #sciencenews #sciencecommunication #science #scientist #bloggersofinstagram #toppodcast #sciencepodcast #2021 #billnye #neildegrassetyson #invisibilia #scientificamerican #radiolab #nasa #startalkradio #gastropod #bbc #sciencevs #naturepodcast

🔦 TORCH SYNDROME 🔦 There are many kinds of

🔦 TORCH SYNDROME 🔦

There are many kinds of infections on this planet but some of them can be rare as well! 🦠

These group of infectious agents can cause extremely risky infections to fetuses or newborn babies and this is why it's important to keep babies protected 👶🏼

Some of them can cause severe abnormalities including that of malformations etc. ‼️

Pregnant women are at risk as well because these are serious life threatening infections as well! 👩🏻

Like, share and save this post for future reference ☺️

#torch #torchsyndrome #syndrome #raredisease #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarebiology #infectious #infectiousdisease #infection #virus #viruses #viralinfection #viraltherapies #antivirals #antiretroviraltherapy #antiviral #pregnantwomen #newborn #fetuses #becautious #scienceiscool #sciencediscoveries #sciencecommunication #science #scienceforeveryone #scientist #scicomm #sciencebloggersofinstagram

2020 has been quite a downer considering we've had

2020 has been quite a downer considering we've had our first pandemic in so many years! 😶

This is not to say there were no good stories at all! SWIPE RIGHT to check out some of the most positive news in the world of science this year! ☺️

With a COVID-19 vaccine available, let's hope to saying goodbye to the pandemic and hello to a safer, more informative and positive future! 🎊🎊

#scienceiscool #sciencediscoveries #sciencenews #sciencecommunication #scicomm #science #2020 #positivity #topstories #greatbarrierreef #corals #artificialintelligence #crisprcas9 #geneediting #ancientmaterial #immunotherapy #ebola #ebolavirus #quarks #cern #spacetravel #spacex #cancerdetection #blindness #nasa #kivu #caninecancer #meteorites #schmidtoceaninstitute #topdiscoveries2020

🦠🦠 ANTHRAX! 🦠🦠 ‼️Contrary to popu

🦠🦠 ANTHRAX! 🦠🦠

‼️Contrary to popular belief, this infectious disease is not that common in humans!!

‼️It's mostly found in animals and due to rare transmission events does it get passed onto humans

‼️Albeit, unless and unt the disease is identified prior to symptoms showing up, it's is very hard to defeat it once the person is infected

‼️Most animal vaccination programs have already successfully managed the disease but new variants do pop up which can deadlier

‼️One of the biggest fears is that it could be used a bio-weapon in the future but it could be founded in fear rather than fact

#raredisease #rarebiology #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarediseases #infection #anthrax #anthraxinfection #bacillusanthracis #bacillus #bacteria #science #sciencediscoveries #infectiousdisease #infectious #infectioncontrol #sciencecommunication #sciencecommunicator #scicomm #nih #nord

😺😺 CAT EYE SYNDROME 😺😺 A syndrome tha

😺😺 CAT EYE SYNDROME 😺😺

A syndrome that might look pretty to some but disorienting to others, none the less it is a rare disease 🐾

It affects 1 in 150000 people all over the world #️⃣

While the exact mechanism is not known in terms of how it affects different organ systems, it is know that an aberration on chromosome 22 is responsible! 🔬

Here's to hoping that there are more definitive therapies for this disease in the near future 💉💉

#science #raredisease #rarebiology #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarediseases #nature #cateye #cateyes #cateyesyndrome #awareness #biologu #therapeutics #investigationaldiscovery #nih #medicine #surgery

🔍🔍BEARDED WOMAN SYNDROME 🔍🔍 ‼️Als

🔍🔍BEARDED WOMAN SYNDROME 🔍🔍

‼️Also known as congenital general hypertrichosis, it causes excessive hair production in the body

‼️Since it has been found to be produced in family members, it was long believed to have a genetic component

‼️There have only been a few cases identified in the past hundred years making it difficult to study

‼️Recently, it was found that chromosome 17 is the responsible component here because of a trisomy occuring in that gene

‼️While the precise molecular mechanism is still unknown, we still hope that someday a working drug would be available!

‼️WARM VACCINES‼️ What are warm vaccines

‼️WARM VACCINES‼️

What are warm vaccines and why are they so important? Learn more about the cold chain process that brings vaccines right from the manufacturer to healthcare centers and ultimately to YOU. 🦠

Check out my latest blog post on this issue and more on the vaccine that India is producing to tackle this problem! 🇮🇳 #linkinbio

🔍🔍ABETALIPOPROTEINEMIA 🔍🔍 ‼️What

🔍🔍ABETALIPOPROTEINEMIA 🔍🔍

‼️What happens when our body does not process fat properly? It results in an extremely rare disease which affects almost every organ system in our body!

‼️ It affects less than one person in a million people

‼️ The prognosis of such a disease is so variable and can be managed for a definite period of time despite the fact that we're not sure of the exact mechanism behind it

‼️ There are a few studies focused on understanding whether supplementing the vitamins externally helps resolve the problem or not

‼️ Here's to hoping that someday we have more answers than questions!

The reason I chose to highlight this disease is to show how useful all nutrients are for our body. Lacking in certain vitamins especially those involved in our fat metabolism could cause more trouble than intended and this is why we need to be mindful of what we eat or don't eat rather. 😬

#abetalipoproteinemia #bassenkornzweigsyndrome #sciencediscoveries #raredisease #rarediseaseadvocate #rarediseasesunday #rarediseasesupport #rarediseases #rarebiology #rarepeople #rarediseaseawareness #rare #mysteriesofbiology #mutations #lipid #metabolism #lipidmetabolism #abnormality #vitamins #fatsoluble #fatsolublevitamins #mttp #sciencecommunication #scicomm #scienceblogger

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