Astra Stem

Research Journal

  • Evaluating Starchy Electrophoretic Gel Alternatives to Agarose Industry Gold Standard

    By Bryan D. Milstead Abstract Gel electrophoresis is a common laboratory technique for various applications regarding the separation and subsequent evaluation of biomacromolecules (ThermoFisher Scientific, n.d.). Additionally, agarose gel electrophoresis is widely considered to be the “most effective” way in which scientists can separate DNA fragments across variegated base pair quantities (namely, 100 bp to…

  • CRISPR and the Future of Nutrition: Editing Our Way to a Healthier World

    By Elizabeth Valdes  Over 2 billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, a condition known as hidden hunger. These deficiencies—especially in essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, iron, and zinc—lead to severe health consequences, including impaired cognitive development, weakened immune systems, and increased maternal mortality. In this global crisis, scientists are turning to cutting-edge…

  • A Helium Bubble of Breakthroughs: Analyzing the BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses) Mission

    By Bryan D. Milstead Across decades of innovation, NASA has created some truly amazing apparatuses to drive forward the initiative for space discovery. For example, the “SLS” (Space Launch System) comprises a plethora of dome sections, rings, & is even covered with an orange spray-on foam to insulate its cryogenic propellants (Mohon, 2024, para. 5).…

  • Dark Matter Halos: Cusps, Cores and Scaffolds 

    By Meheru Alaspure Galaxies are a plethora of light and baryonic matter that are intertwined through the Tully-Fisher relation, but the composition of these spiral galaxies goes beyond what can be seen. This unseen introduces us space enthusiasts to a world of non-baryonic matter and halos, something that claims 70% of our universe’s mass. We…

  • Immunology, Our Defences Against Superbugs

    By Low Xun He Keefe  ABSTRACT  The rise of superbug cases in the last few decades and its impact on our immunology has been a hot topic of debate with many global researchers, scientists and healthcare professionals having varied outlooks on the vulnerability of humankind to such strains of bacteria. The concept of superbugs and…