The Morressier team is united around a vision to enable all the world’s learners to discover, share, and advance new ideas by uncovering the latest scientific research. To celebrate over six years of working towards this vision, we asked a few of our colleagues to share the research that has had the most impact on them and why. Read on for a snapshot of the scientific findings that drive our team.
Constanza Rosenfeld - Product Designer
When my friend was diagnosed with autism, I became devoted to understanding the condition and learning about the common patterns of behavior and characteristics. I’d often search the Morressier platform for the latest research findings on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that might help me better understand the way my friend sees the world.
This ePoster from the World Congress of Psychiatry in 2019 explores personality disorders within a sample of ASD adults. Since ASD involves different ways of processing information, these researchers decided to explore whether this would result in certain traits being more prevalent than others. The patients were evaluated using different diagnostic questionnaires, and the results showed that ‘avoidant, self-destructive and depressive personality disorders’ were quite common among this group.
I found this poster to be particularly relevant because it helped me learn more about the type of behavior I might encounter when interacting with my friend. Through research like this, I’m able to build a better understanding of ASD, which has had a really positive impact on our friendship.
Lena Stoll - Senior Product Manager
It’s been a few years since I last worked in a chemistry lab myself, but I still like to browse Morressier from time to time to see what’s new in the fields that interest me.
Recently, this presentation from the Lipshutz group at UCSB caught my eye because it tells a compelling story. Researchers explored sustainable approaches to the synthesis of drugs and agrochemicals. The authors report some pretty promising results from the lab, which is great, but they also give a lot of useful context on their work: they start by explaining the real-world problem they are trying to solve, then demonstrate that the problem is of interest to both academia and industry, and also describe some alternative approaches along with the reasons why they think the one they report on is superior.
Research like this gives me hope that chemistry can overcome some of its stigmas by moving beyond toxic reagents and wasteful processes.
Emefa Dzivenu - Social Media Intern
I’ve lived in Bergen County, New Jersey for about seven years now, but I was never aware of the history of slavery in the state, especially in relation to the 1804 Gradual Abolition Act.
This study explores a provision of the act that allowed the state to pay slaveholders who agreed to house abandoned enslaved children. The state required that enslaved children were to be freed when they reached their early twenties.
However, many of the enslaved children that were required to be freed were still sold. Masters also exploited this policy by turning children over to the state while still collecting payments, with up to 41% of the state’s total budget unlawfully going toward them.
These details helped me discover information about the way in which the state worked to both ‘maintain and end' slavery in the United States. After finding this poster, I was able to understand more about how complex and difficult the road to emancipation was. This history was even more pertinent to me as a black American and resident of Bergen County, which actually received the highest total dollar payment of all NJ counties. Morressier isn’t just for finding complex scientific research. It can also be a great tool for learning more about history, your heritage, and your community!
Matt Field - Principal Site Reliability Engineer
As a huge coffee nerd, this 2020 study presented through the American Chemical Society recently piqued my interest. I was fascinated to learn about how roasting temperatures of coffee beans can affect the chemistry of cold brew coffee, from antioxidant capacity to pH level and more.
Using different temperatures, researchers brewed both hot and cold brew coffee and tested the samples. They found that hot coffee samples exhibited higher caffeine concentration levels than cold brew samples, causing quite a stir in the scientific community. The researchers also found that hot coffee contains a larger amount of antioxidants, which boast several health benefits, including the prevention of cell damage.
This exposure to cutting-edge scientific research has influenced my daily habits and has caused me to make slight changes to my morning coffee order. When I need a healthy kick, or I’m quite tired and looking for a strong pick-me-up, I opt for hot coffee now. Delving into this study has really shown me how science can inform and impact our daily life for the better.
