Rachel Sharp

SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR & PhD CANDIDATE IN NEUROSCIENCE

Making complex science accessible through compelling storytelling

Rachel Sharp - Science Communicator and PhD Candidate in Neuroscience

Science Communication

Article thumbnail: When Practice Makes Perfect: The Neurons Behind Skilled Movement
Journalism The Pipette Pen

When Practice Makes Perfect: The Neurons Behind Skilled Movement

Meet the UNC graduate student uncovering the mysteries behind how our brains control movement. Her work studying a rare type of neuron reveals surprising evidence that stimulating these cells not only improves precise movements, but could potentially help restore motor skills after injury.

Article thumbnail: The Need for Diversity in Large-Scale Genetic Studies
Journalism The Pipette Pen

The Need for Diversity in Large-Scale Genetic Studies

Discover why the lack of diversity in Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) is more than a social issue—it's a scientific blind spot that could be missing key insights into human genetics.

Article thumbnail: The Myth of Prestige: Does Where You Attend School Truly Matter?
Journalism The Pipette Pen

The Myth of Prestige: Does Where You Attend School Truly Matter?

Explore the myth of institutional prestige through one graduate student's journey, revealing insights that challenge conventional beliefs about success and education. Uncover surprising data that questions the correlation between prestigious universities and future earnings.

Article thumbnail: Firing in Rhythm: Simultaneous Ripples Across Distant Brain Regions Facilitate the Integration of Brain Signals
Journalism BrainPost

Firing in Rhythm: Simultaneous Ripples Across Distant Brain Regions Facilitate the Integration of Brain Signals

When high-frequency brain waves, known as 'ripples', occur simultaneously across distant brain regions, they facilitate the integration of brain signals—revealing new insights into how the brain coordinates complex cognitive processes.

Article thumbnail: How the Orbitofrontal Cortex Learns How to Learn
Journalism BrainPost

How the Orbitofrontal Cortex Learns How to Learn

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays a crucial role in adaptive learning, helping us understand how the brain develops strategies for acquiring new information and adjusting behavior based on experience.

Article thumbnail: Modelling Human Psychological Responses to Robots: The Positive, the Negative, and the Competent
Journalism BrainPost

Modelling Human Psychological Responses to Robots: The Positive, the Negative, and the Competent

Human responses to robots can be categorized into three dimensions – positive, negative, and competence-related. Understanding these responses helps inform how we incorporate robots into pre-existing social structures and design better human-robot interactions.

Article thumbnail: Neuroscience-Backed Strategies to Help You Learn More Effectively
Journalism BrainPost

Neuroscience-Backed Strategies to Help You Learn More Effectively

Whether we are in school, with our friends, or pursuing new skills, understanding how our brains learn can help us develop more effective strategies for acquiring and retaining new information.

Article thumbnail: Cracking the Serotonin Code: How Your Brain Predicts Future Rewards
Journalism BrainPost

Cracking the Serotonin Code: How Your Brain Predicts Future Rewards

Serotonin neurons signal a prospective code for value—revealing how our brains don't just respond to rewards we receive, but actively predict and prepare for future rewards.

Article thumbnail: Neural Economics: Understanding the Brain's Energy Budget
Journalism BrainPost

Neural Economics: Understanding the Brain's Energy Budget

How much of your body's energy does your brain use? The average adult brain consumes about 20% of our total energy, revealing fascinating insights into the metabolic demands of cognition.

Article thumbnail: Psychiatric genetics in the diverse landscape of Latin American populations
Articles Nature Genetics

Psychiatric genetics in the diverse landscape of Latin American populations

A comprehensive review examining psychiatric genomics in Latin America and the Caribbean, addressing the critical underrepresentation of these diverse populations in genetic studies and proposing strategies to promote equity in precision psychiatry.

Article thumbnail: The Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (IGVF) Consortium
Articles ArXiv Preprint

The Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (IGVF) Consortium

The IGVF Consortium combines single-cell mapping, genomic perturbations, and predictive modeling to create comprehensive maps of how genetic variants affect genome function and human phenotypes across hundreds of cell types.

Article thumbnail: Cx3cr1 controls kidney resident macrophage heterogeneity
Articles Frontiers in Immunology

Cx3cr1 controls kidney resident macrophage heterogeneity

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that Cx3cr1 governs the spatial distribution and heterogeneity of kidney resident macrophages, with implications for understanding cortex-specific disease progression in cystic kidney disease.

Article thumbnail: Discovery of Hippo signaling as a regulator of CSPG4 expression and as a therapeutic target for Clostridioides difficile disease
Articles PLOS Pathogens

Discovery of Hippo signaling as a regulator of CSPG4 expression and as a therapeutic target for Clostridioides difficile disease

Integrated pathway analysis identifies Hippo signaling as a key regulator of CSPG4 expression, the receptor for C. difficile toxin B, and demonstrates that targeting this pathway provides protection in a mouse model of the disease.

Article thumbnail: Protective interaction of human phagocytic APC subsets with Cryptococcus neoformans induces genes associated with metabolism and antigen presentation
Articles Frontiers in Immunology

Protective interaction of human phagocytic APC subsets with Cryptococcus neoformans induces genes associated with metabolism and antigen presentation

Single-cell RNA sequencing of human lung phagocytes reveals that protective antifungal responses against Cryptococcus involve metabolic shifts to fatty acid metabolism and enhanced TNF-α signaling across multiple immune cell clusters.

Article thumbnail: Short-Term Adaptations in Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Oxidative Capacity and Metabolic Pathways to Breaking up Sedentary Behaviors
Articles Nutrients

Short-Term Adaptations in Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Oxidative Capacity and Metabolic Pathways to Breaking up Sedentary Behaviors

Breaking up sedentary behavior with frequent short bouts of physical activity triggers molecular adaptations favoring oxidative capacity in skeletal muscle, though mitochondrial function improvements require longer interventions.

Article thumbnail: Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy Promotes Weight Gain With Distinct Adipose Tissue Effects in Lean and Obese Female Mice
Articles Endocrinology

Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy Promotes Weight Gain With Distinct Adipose Tissue Effects in Lean and Obese Female Mice

Endocrine therapies for breast cancer disrupt adipocyte progenitors and promote adipocyte hypertrophy, particularly in obesity, leading to hepatic steatosis and glucose intolerance that may explain increased diabetes risk in patients.

Article thumbnail: Combined ASBT Inhibitor and FGF15 Treatment Improves Therapeutic Efficacy in Experimental Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Articles Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Combined ASBT Inhibitor and FGF15 Treatment Improves Therapeutic Efficacy in Experimental Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Combining bile acid transporter inhibition with FGF15 signaling activation produces synergistic therapeutic effects against NASH by reducing hepatic bile acid burden while minimizing adverse effects seen with single treatments.

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© 2025 Rachel Sharp | Science Communicator & Researcher