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  • January 20, 2021
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Rahul Nachnani
JoinedFebruary 11, 2014
Articles14
Rahul is a junior biology student with a punny sense of humor and a strange affinity for geekyness who tries to educate himself and his peers and have a great time while doing it.

Research Roundup (Fall ’15, Finals)

Rahul Nachnani
Every other week our Research Editor highlights a few of the latest headlines in UCSD Biology news and faculty at UC San Diego.... Read More

What is Community Outreach?

Rahul Nachnani
Find out about our new Community Outreach program! We have exciting events to engage the San Diego community and spread a passion for Biology with not just the UCSD community, but the San Diego community around us! If you are interested, please check out the blog post and comment with ideas and reactions Read More

Making your summer worthwhile

Rahul Nachnani
Don't know what to do over summer? Here are some ideas! Read More

Need help? Just ask

Rahul Nachnani
While opposites, independence and dependence do not have to be mutually exclusive. To be successful, we must learn to be dependent on those we trust. Once we learn and understand that, our quality of work becomes better. Read More

Finding what you love and loving what you find: Research Edition

Rahul Nachnani
Are you interested in research and becoming more passionate about the biological sciences, but do not have the resources or the initiative to start? Here I have given some personal experiences and helpful guidelines to attain a research position! Read More

Finding what you Love and Loving what you Find

Rahul Nachnani
Having trouble sifting the media and the real versions of health care? In this post I write about some amazing, humbling opportunities for pre-med students to discover more about the field. Read More

Sleep and Sleep Hygiene

Rahul Nachnani
Doing poorly or being inefficient? Sleep may be your silent purpetrator. Read More

Pre-writing your Medical School Personal Statement

Rahul Nachnani
Even when you're in 1st or 2nd year, you can still prepare for the medical school application! There is always something to work on. Read More

Mindfulness and the Dangers of “Autopilot”

Rahul Nachnani
Are you having a difficult time in your classes or attention-intensive activities? "Mindfulness" provides an introspective and informative solution! Read More

The Difference between “Needs” and “Wants”

Rahul Nachnani
By Rahul Nachnani | Blogger | SQ Online (2013-14) Some people are just obsessed with words.  They will correct you... Read More
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About SQ Online

SQ Online is part of the Saltman Quarterly program, a biology student organization committed to communicating science and research. The late Dr. Paul Saltman inspired the program’s creation, and the Saltman Family continues to generously support our efforts. For more on Dr. Saltman’s legacy, read our tributes.

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Hi everyone! We hope your first week back in class Hi everyone! We hope your first week back in classes is going well. Just last month we shared the article “Finding a ‘True Blue’ Friend in Nature” on our website and wanted to share it here as well! “On campus at UC San Diego, blue is a bountiful color, from the clear skies and great weather to the Pacific Ocean at our beaches. But despite the seeming abundance of blue in the world around us, blue still remains fairly rare in nature’s plants and animals. Blue pigments in plants are typically unstable due to their chemical properties.” The bird on the second slide seems blue, but has no blue pigment at all! This is because they “rely on the use of structural color—tiny physical structures on the body that interfere with light to create the optical illusion of the color blue.” “By using the right mechanism and pathway, animals are able to consume, modify, and eventually incorporate those pigments into their own bodies. However, animals that consume blue plants do not exhibit this same characteristic, and don’t integrate the blue pigments from their foods into their own physiological colors.” “Although blue plants exist, the chemical instability of anthocyanin pigments make blue shades largely subject to their environments. As a result, blue anthocyanin pigments in plants might be too sensitive to pH for animals to consume them and incorporate them into their own bodies as the same shade.” Thank you to our reporter Helen Zhu, illustrator Sara Kian, and photographer Bridget Spencer for the fascinating article! If you’d like to read more on this article, or any of our other articles, please go to sqonline.ucsd.edu. Have a great week 1!
Merry Christmas everyone! We wanted to share one o Merry Christmas everyone! We wanted to share one of our featured articles from this year! Early June, we shared the article, “Petri Dish to Big Picture: How Microbes Inspire Creativity,” to talk about Agar Art, an annual competition accepting submissions by petri dish rather than canvas. "Every year, scientists and artists together embark on a quest to create paintings with a rather unorthodox material: microbes. These tiny organisms–bacteria, yeast, and more–are often invisible to our eyes in individual numbers, yet they are found almost everywhere–from the bottom of the ocean to our own tongues. “Painting” with microbes can be difficult due to their sporadic growing times and diverse life cycles. Sticky E. coli bacteria are pushed outward by the more mobile A. baylyi bacteria, forming “petal” shapes that together create a flower-shaped biofilm. This flower pattern is one example of a biofilm, which forms when one or more species of microorganism grow together. Biofilms are found everywhere–hydrothermal vents in the ocean’s depths, showers and pipes throughout our cities, and even in our large intestines and plaque on our teeth. Paying attention to the natural patterns of life can inspire new perspectives on traditional processes, like those of creating a painting or conducting a scientific experiment. " You can find this article and more on our website, sqonline.ucsd.edu. Thanks to illustrator Arya Natarajan for the cool artwork! Happy Holidays :)
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