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About Ayala
Ayala’s interest in science started at a young age, with exposure to both popular-science and science-fiction. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for the natural sciences resulted in degrees in both chemical engineering and molecular biology, and a firm belief that the advancement of humanity depends on our ability to share, discuss and understand novel ideas. With great power comes great responsibility, and Ayala believes it is the responsibility of scientists to show the beauty and strength of science to the public. Still looking for the science-fiction novel hidden within her, she looks to science communication as a way to share new concepts, tools and discoveries with curious people from all walks of life.
Ayala is the editor of 67 Breaks:
Activating social tipping dynamics for a global decarbonization by 2050
We recently witnessed rapid societal changes in response to perceived health risks. Can similar mechanisms be used to fight global warming? A new study explores social tipping dynamics that could result in world-wide carbon neutral societies within 30 years.
Feb 23, 2021 | 3 min readSame or different? The tale of a tangled molecule
Most great discoveries are a result of happenstance. This is a story about a remarkably complex small molecule that can adopt either of two molecular shapes and how the attempt to synthesize the naturally occurring molecule resulted in the discovery of a unique structural relationship between the seemingly identical molecules.
Feb 19, 2021 | 3.5 min readeDiamond: A life-changing glucose monitoring solution for diabetics
Needle-free wearable apparels for continuous glucose monitoring are the “holy grail” solution for diabetic patients. In our work, we leveraged wireless waves for continuous glucose monitoring. eDiamond allows patients to monitor their blood glucose variations noninvasively and continuously at any time, by simply wearing a glove or an arm band.
Feb 18, 2021 | 3 min readStarving cancer: dietary modifications may enhance cancer therapy
Our diet strongly impacts our health. It is becoming increasingly clear that our diet is also linked to cancer risk, and thus perhaps may be a useful tool for cancer therapy. Studies show that dietary modifications can be beneficial for cancer therapy in mice and humans. As we learn more, these modifications may become an integral part of cancer therapy in the future.
Feb 15, 2021 | 2.5 min readReading South American history in the native Brazilian genomes
The contact with Europeans and the colonization of the New World led to the massive extermination of Native Americans, which concealed most of its pre-contact history. In this study, we uncovered ancient Brazilian native migrations, as well as aspects of the post-contact history of these populations using genomic data.
Feb 12, 2021 | 3 min readNaturally occurring enzyme does the unexpected
Macrocycles are complex molecules with unique three-dimensional shapes, that are difficult to synthesize in the lab. We show that a commercially available enzyme can execute this non-natural reaction, given the right building blocks. This allows us to further explore the use of macrocycles and the boundaries of molecular synthesis.
Feb 9, 2021 | 3 min read