Articles by Sean
Alpaca Antibodies are Shaking Up Medical Research
When it comes to medical research, we owe a great deal to animals. Lab rats, rabbits and even zebrafish have made contributions to the field. But one mammal that might not immediately come to mind is the gentle alpaca. Making use of their special antibodies, researchers are developing biologic drugs ranging from novel anticancer therapeutics to vaccines against coronaviruses. […]
Microplastics in Water are Not a Serious Health Risk
Trillions of pieces of plastic enter our oceans each year, polluting the surface waters and disrupting marine life. A recent concern arising from this is the prevalence of microplastics, small plastic particles thought to cause lasting health effects in living organisms, including humans. Although early research suggests that ingesting microplastics leads to accumulation within living organisms, are they a real threat to our health? Or are microplastics not as bad as the media portrays? […]
Drug Tablet Design: Why Pills Come in So Many Shapes and Sizes
Have you ever wondered why drug tablets come in so many shapes, sizes, and even colors? Or why we sometimes have to take two pills instead of one? One of the last steps in drug design and development is to pack it all into a nice little tablet. It might sound simple, but lots of factors go into deciding the final form of medicines. How do pharmaceutical companies design the picture-perfect pill? […]
Graphene May Be a Wonder Material, But Don’t Hold Your Breath
The discovery of graphene back in 2004 brought about the prospect of exciting new possibilities. Light as a feather yet stronger than Kevlar, many believed graphene to be a wonder material, capable of changing the world the same way the invention of plastic did back in the 1940s. Fast forward to today, however, and we have yet to experience a graphene industrial revolution so much as slow (but steady) advances in graphene research. We explore how graphene is made and the commercial challenges this extraordinary molecule is attempting to overcome. […]
How the Giant Panda Evolved to be Vegetarian
Giant pandas—bamboo-chomping, sleep-loving, rolling balls of fur—are among the most adorable animals alive today. Unlike their relatives, such as the grizzly and polar bear, the panda doesn’t eat meat but is content surviving on a diet of only bamboo. Their anatomy seems more suited toward a carnivorous or omnivorous nature, so why and how have pandas abandoned their taste for meat to pick up a vegetarian diet? […]
Sean is a consultant for clients in the pharmaceutical industry and is a lecturer at a local university, where unfortunate undergrads are subject to his ramblings on chemistry and pharmacology.
