Laura Tran, PhD

Laura Tran, PhD

Assistant Editor at The Scientist

Articles by Laura Tran, PhD

Image of exercise weights beside a brain

How Exercise Keeps the Mind Sharp Against Parkinson’s Disease

Image of Li Zhao. She smiles at the camera. She has one arm draped over the back of a chair. In the background, there are many labeled test tubes on a laboratory bench.

The Rise of De Novo Genes: From Scratch to Survival

Image of Shelby Bradford smiling at the camera.

Meet the Team: Shelby Bradford

Image of a preterm baby in the neonatal section of the maternity ward.

How Gut Bacteria May Predict Preterm Birth

Image of a woman facing out of an open car window. She has one hand on the car and one hand covering her mouth. She appears carsick.

Cheerful Music Can Help Soothe Car Sickness

Image of two rabbits in Eastern Australia.

Controlling Pesky Rabbits with Viruses

Image of a fungal isolate cultivated from a Penicillium species. The culture is a mix of brown with an orange edge. It is in the center of a dark space background.

Fungal Galaxies: Finding Beauty in Moldscapes and Microcosms

Illustrated image of a brain and the intestinal tract. There are two red arrows that point from one to the other. The background is white with colorful blobs of purple, pink, and yellow.

Gut Immune Cells Travel to the Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease

Image of bees on a blue 3D printed panel. They built honeycomb on top of the blue panel.

Bees Strategize How to Build the Best Honeycomb

Image of expression patterns of predicted target de novo genes. These are depicted as bars of varying shades from white, red, and blue.

How Are De Novo Genes Regulated?

Image of a man sleeping in bed.

How a Nap Can Boost Memory and Performance

Image of four panels. In the top panel, amyloid clusters are labeled green. There are more green clusters in the rightmost box. In the bottom panel, there is a dim arc of purple and red tau proteins on the left and a brighter arc on the right.

Low Brain Lithium Leads to Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Illustration of a developing fetus surrounded by a clear fluid with a subtle yellow tinge, representing amniotic fluid.
January 2026

What Is the Amniotic Fluid Composed of?

The liquid world of fetal development provides a rich source of nutrition and protection tailored to meet the needs of the growing fetus.

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Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

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Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Unchained Labs
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An Automated DNA-to-Data Framework for Production-Scale Sequencing

illumina

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