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Aparna Nathan, PhD

Aparna Nathan, PhD

Aparna is a freelance science writer with a PhD in bioinformatics and genomics from Harvard University. She uses her multidisciplinary training to find both the cutting-edge science and the human stories in everything from genetic testing to space expeditions. She was a 2021 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her writing has also appeared in Popular Science, PBS NOVA, and The Open Notebook.

Articles by Aparna Nathan, PhD
Microscopy image of hepatocytes stained in pink with purple nuclei.
Liver Proteins Keep T Cells Out of Tumors
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jun 21, 2024 | 4 min read
A new study finds an unexpected role for hepatocytes in anticancer immunity.
Fluorescent microscopy image with a black background and blue, green, and red colors marking different cells.
A Safe-Haven for Intestinal Viruses
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jun 11, 2024 | 4 min read
A rare gut cell puzzles researchers by avoiding immune cells.
Graphic depicting the microbiota consisting of various blue and red bacterial cells
Boosting Bacterial Genomes to Better Explore the Microbiome
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jun 7, 2024 | 4 min read
Gang Fang’s new metagenomics method helps sequence rare bacteria.
Microscopy image of an ovary labeled with blue, green, and yellow fluorescent markers.
A Cellular Roadmap for Fertility
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Jun 6, 2024 | 4 min read
Researchers created a spatial atlas of rare cell types in the ovaries.
An illustration showing the DNA inside an immune cell. Other immune cells are shown in the background. 
Keeping CAR T Cells Sharp 
Aparna Nathan, PhD | May 21, 2024 | 4 min read
The FOXO1 transcription factor boosts T cells’ memory and reduces dysfunction.
Illustration of a glowing orange DNA double helix with a blurry blue brain in the background.
A Brain Breakthrough 25 Years in the Making
Aparna Nathan, PhD | May 14, 2024 | 5 min read
New sequencing technologies unmask a mutation that sheds new light on ataxia.
Collection of microbes superimposed over a human illustration.
Microbial Clocks for Corpses
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Apr 24, 2024 | 4 min read
Microbes on decomposing bodies inform forensic investigations.
3D rendered image of a bacteriophage virus capsid.
Virtual Viruses Reveal Complex Genomic Dynamics
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Apr 24, 2024 | 4 min read
Researchers used new simulations to obtain the first structures of elusive viruses.
Blue DNA double helix breaking apart.
Keeping Telomeres in Their Places
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Apr 22, 2024 | 4 min read
New research reveals how cells prevent telomerase from meddling with double-stranded breaks.
Two sister cells are seen in the foreground, while individual cells are seen behind them on a blue background.
Sister Cells Reveal Cancer’s Fate
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Apr 3, 2024 | 4 min read
A new method traces treatment resistant cells and predicts drugs that can make them more susceptible to cancer therapy.
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