In my Careers in Scientific Communications class, we were given the writing assignment below. I liked it enough to post my answer here. I would love to see yours too!
Write a short essay (125-175 words)
about your lab research or a science topic of your choice. The essay
should describe/explain the science so that it is understandable to
the non-scientific public.
I study how stem cells make and use
energy - stem cell metabolism. I don't use the controversial stem
cells that get all the headlines. Instead, I use stem cells from bone
marrow, also called mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs. Stem cells have
two defining properties that make them stem cells. First, they can
make more stem cells, exact replicas of themselves. Secondly, a stem
cell has the ability to become a different type of cell. MSCs can
become bone, fat, or cartilage. There are two main ways cells make
energy. Glycolysis makes a little energy, and doesn't require oxygen.
Oxidative phosphorylation does require oxygen, and makes a lot of
energy. Stem cells mostly use glycolysis. Bone cells mostly use
oxidative phosphorylation. Somewhere along the path from stem cell to
bone, the cells switch how they make their energy. If you stop
oxidative phosphorylation from happening, you also stop the stem cell
from becoming bone. We don't know why or how this switch happens, and
that's what I want to find out.
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