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Grad School Getting You Down?

A series of articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education examines the prevalence of depression in grad school students. Blogger Zuska highlights these articles, including a workshop conducted by Linda Driskell at Rice University, who asks her subjects to draw pictures of themselves writing their dissertations. "The faces, with their worried frowns, sad mouths, and sleep-deprived anguish, are the most poignant reminder of how our systems isolate and threaten the next generation of prospective intellectual leaders," Driskell says.

Zuska suggests taking a break. "Continuing in a path that is causing you nothing but misery, when you aren't at all sure you want to do it -- it's worth thinking about whether a break is the right thing to do. At least letting yourself think about it as a real possibility will let you feel like continuing is a real choice, not a trap," she writes.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.