Sruthi S. Balakrishnan Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan is a freelance science writer based in Bangalore, India. After spending her doctoral days poking fruit flies in the eye, she realized that she preferred writing about science more than doing science. She finished her PhD and made the ol’ pipette-to-pen transition in 2019. She now writes about things such as kleptomaniacal sea slugs and ants that can control their own gut microbes. Follow her on Twitter @sruthisanjeev.

Brain cells with electrical firing. 3D rendering.

Microglia as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read

Pharmaceutical companies ramp up efforts to get the brain’s immune cells to help treat Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, but not everyone agrees the approach will be effective.

Illustration showing the bodily systems affected by Long COVID

Infographic: Bodily Systems Affected by Long COVID

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Sep 1, 2021 | 1 min read

Symptoms documented in cases of long COVID are wide ranging and variable.

Illustration of a person sick next to a calendar indicating they've had covid for a long time

Mechanisms of Long COVID Remain Unknown but Data Are Rolling In

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Sep 1, 2021 | 10+ min read

A year and a half into the pandemic, the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection are garnering more research attention as millions of long COVID patients emerge.

A side-by-side illustration of bacterial nanotubes, conjugative pili, and type 3 secretion systems such as injectisomes and flagella

Infographic: What Are Bacterial Nanotubes?

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 5 min read

Unlike other cellular appendages, bacterial nanotubes are made solely of lipids and can connect the cytoplasm of different microbial species.

A scanning electron micrograph of a coculture of E. coli and Acinetobacter baylyi. Nanotubes can be seen extending from the E. coli.

What’s the Deal with Bacterial Nanotubes?

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 10+ min read

Several labs have reported the formation of bacterial nanotubes under different, often contrasting conditions. What are these structures and why are they so hard to reproduce?

An illustration of a flask of bacteria, a weighted microscope slide, and two bacteria exchanging materials via nanotubes.

Infographic: Sources of Variation in Bacterial Nanotube Studies

Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 2 min read

Differences in how researchers prepare and image samples can lead to discrepancies in their results.