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Aparna Nathan, PhD

Aparna Nathan, PhD

Aparna is a freelance science writer with a PhD in bioinformatics and genomics from Harvard University. She uses her multidisciplinary training to find both the cutting-edge science and the human stories in everything from genetic testing to space expeditions. She was a 2021 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her writing has also appeared in Popular Science, PBS NOVA, and The Open Notebook.

Articles by Aparna Nathan, PhD
3D illustration of greenish-brown rod-shaped bacteria.
A Novel Molecule to Tackle Drug-Resistant Bugs
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Feb 12, 2024 | 4 min read
A new antibiotic is the first to block a critical transport mechanism in drug-resistant bacteria.
cartoon gut microbes
Standardizing Gut Microbiome Studies
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jan 24, 2024 | 2 min read
NIST has spent years developing a human fecal reference material.
Setting Standards for Stool
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jan 19, 2024 | 10+ min read
Microbiome studies have yielded hundreds of ideas for ways to detect and influence human health, but the field struggles with reproducibility challenges that hamper bringing these goals to fruition. Identical tubes of fecal matter should help.
Keeping Kidneys Healthy with a Hand from AI
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Dec 11, 2023 | 3 min read
Researchers found new mechanisms and drug targets for cystinosis.
Conceptual image of DNA strands
Downsizing DNA
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 10 min read
Some species remove up to 90 percent of their genomes during development, but why or how this happens is still a mystery.
Infographic showing how some species undergo DNA elimination
Infographic: Programmed DNA Elimination
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 3 min read
Removing parts of the genome is a key step in some species’ development.
Rodents Offer New Insights Into the Diversity of Addiction
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Dec 1, 2023 | 4 min read
Molecular studies may point to underlying genetics and therapeutic targets.
A field of yellow sunflowers in front of a blue sky.
Chasing the Sun
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Nov 14, 2023 | 3 min read
Sunflowers may use a complex set of molecules to track the sun in the sky.
A clinician holding a graphic of the lungs on a tablet
Stem Cells Breathe New Life into Lungs
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Oct 30, 2023 | 3 min read
New studies proposed using stem cells to make long-lasting lung grafts.
A graphic of the female reproductive system
Differentiated Stem Cells Can Kickstart Fertility in Mice
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Oct 23, 2023 | 3 min read
Ovarian cells derived from stem cells restore hormones and cells needed to produce pups.
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