for nsikan

A guide to the lesser-known cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. https://t.co/20szVgVQcM pic.twitter.com/cDIYYmNmCs

— CityLab (@CityLab) March 25, 2016

2Pz friends on tv

nscience discusses the gender politics of sea turtles with gwen ifill on PBS.

Nsikan just got reblogged by Gawker

congrats nscience! (N)Science Watch: How to Kill a Seal

Happy: my first ScienceShot for @ScienceNews Sad: Captivity can trigger a fatal heart disease in baby fur seals http://t.co/6yhu4Zk6U8
— Nsikan Akpan (@MoNscience) November 22, 2013

dont take any candy from nscience

via

nsikan's nightmares

via

nscience thinks kids are stupid and here is his evidence

nscientific facts

charity case update!

what a difference a couple of days makes! look at nsikan!!!!

and while you're waiting for the sweet 16 to commence on thursday, feel free to check in on the tennessee basketvols, who are playing the middle tennessee state university blue raiders in the NIT, tonight at 7.00pm. ugh, have you ever been so embearassed?!!?

dedicated to deej and sneekz

Hey Miss USA, should Evolution be taught in school?

This is long but it is really interesting. I guess I didn't realize that people were still contentious about this. I guess I assumed that after the pope said evolution was cool with him, people would calm down.

Here's a quote that sums up almost every contestant's bet-hedging answer: "im personally a christian so I believe the Bible's version, but you can't push opinions or beliefs onto children so they need to know every side that's out there." Brittany York, North Carolina

I make a living pushing opinions and beliefs on children.

omg congrats!

2Pz favorite scientist and friend, nsikan, just got a paper purblished! here's the abstract (because we are outside of the paywall), for his contribution in the latest issue of the preeminent publication, the journal of neuroscience:

"Intranasal Delivery of Caspase-9 Inhibitor Reduces Caspase-6-Dependent Axon/Neuron Loss and Improves Neurological Function after Stroke"
by Nsikan Akpan

Despite extensive research to develop an effective neuroprotective strategy for the treatment of ischemic stroke, therapeutic options remain limited. Although caspase-dependent death is thought to play a prominent role in neuronal injury, direct evidence of active initiator caspases in stroke and the functional relevance of this activity have not previously been shown. Using an unbiased caspase-trapping technique in vivo, we isolated active caspase-9 from ischemic rat brain within 1 h of reperfusion. Pathogenic relevance of active caspase-9 was shown by intranasal delivery of a novel cell membrane-penetrating highly specific inhibitor for active caspase-9 at 4 h postreperfusion (hpr). Caspase-9 inhibition provided neurofunctional protection and established caspase-6 as its downstream target. The temporal and spatial pattern of expression demonstrates that neuronal caspase-9 activity induces caspase-6 activation, mediating axonal loss by 12 hpr followed by neuronal death within 24 hpr. Collectively, these results support selective inhibition of these specific caspases as an effective therapeutic strategy for stroke. (via)

i think joel said it best:

"i dont really get it, but im so proud of him."

when asked to comment for this article, nsikan replied:

"brb gotta grab a rodent from the mouse facility"

congrats, nscience! we're so proud!!