Maryam Zaringhalam is a science and technology policy fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
She uses her knowledge and skills to help government officials reach decisions informed by science. Zaringhalam trained as a molecular biologist, but right now she’s working on a new mission—to get scientists to talk more openly about the messy process of research, not just the successes but the missteps and failures too. Fun fact: her scientific career began with a favorite toy.
WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP, WHAT GOT YOU THINKING ABOUT A CAREER IN SCIENCE?
I really liked Legos. I just loved seeing the way the blocks came together to make a plane or a building. Then in ninth-grade biology, our class dissected a pig. As I was looking into this pig, looking at all the parts that were like parts that were inside me, I thought, this is kind of like a Lego—all these little organs and systems coming together. That experience sent me into genetics and molecular biology, because that’s a basic level at which parts come together to create a whole.
HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A RESEARCHER LEAD YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE PLACE OF FAILURE IN SCIENCE?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
