ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Samanta Castro is an author on ‘ The relevance of vascular adjustments to hemodynamic control in the face of temperature change in Crotalus durissus’, published in JEB. Samanta is a PhD student in the lab of Dr Cléo Leite at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, investigating the multiple and intricate autonomic modulations of the cardiovascular system that properly support metabolic adjustments in ectotherms vertebrates, which is especially challenging in animals with vascular shunts.
Samanta Castro
How did you become interested in biology?
That interest was probably always present. It started in elementary school when I learned about animals' incredible diversity and their characteristics in science classes and realized during high school when I had more direct contact with the biological area. I am very interested in analyzing a diversity of basic questions, such as how animals work, what mechanisms they use to live in different environments and conditions, and understanding the evolutionary aspects related to the adaptation of these animals to terrestrial environments. I have been in contact with an incredible diversity of natural environments and species, and these so-called basic questions are challenging.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
My most in-depth contact with physiology began during my undergraduate studies in biological sciences. From that period to now, the focus has been on studying the different mechanisms vertebrates use to control cardiovascular adjustments. During my undergraduate studies, I focused on investigating the hypotensive effect of a Brazilian plant on the regulation of heart rate and blood pressure in mammals. During my postgraduate studies, I continued to study the cardiovascular system, but in a more comparative aspect, using reptiles as an experimental model to answer the questions that guided the development of my scientific research. Presently, I have been using this new experimental model with rattlesnakes to assess the autonomic mechanisms modulating the cardiovascular responses to physiological challenges. I am always amazed at how discrete systems can solve problems to meet the most diverse challenges. Working on experimental biology has been quite challenging. It's a long way to properly understand how to interpret biological parameters within the proper experimental context, which requires a comprehensive knowledge of experimental design, relevant research questions and the rigorous validation of experimental procedures and models.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
Like most other snakes and lizards, rattlesnakes have important vascular adjustments to maintain their ability to act in the environment. Although much attention is always paid to cardiac adjustments, we have observed that the vessels are the key point for these adjustments to temperature changes. Unlike mammals, these animals can survive over various body temperatures. These animals have a path between the circuit of vessels that distribute blood to the tissues (systemic circulation) and the circuit that takes blood to the lungs (pulmonary circulation). Some circulatory variations caused by temperature changes could harm the animals by limiting blood oxygenation or damaging lung structure. However, they manage to adjust vascular compensations by adjusting the rigidity of the vessels in the systemic circuit and the blood perfusion in the respiratory area.
Experimental model used in the research – the rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus – class Reptilia, order Squamata and family Viperidae. Photo credit: Gustavo Oda.
Why did you choose JEB to publish your paper?
JEB has a long-standing reputation as a prominent journal for publications in comparative physiology. This area of research demands a significant investment in data collection, encompassing extensive efforts in obtaining biological measurements and rigorous validation of those measurements, as well as the development of novel experimental designs and models. Furthermore, comparative physiology often involves the study of wild animals under conditions that differ substantially from those typically found in laboratory settings. The unique nature of this field necessitates substantial development time. It is our observation that this extended time frame may discourage journals that prioritize solely the pursuit of trendy metrics. My group and I highly value journals, such as JEB, that demonstrate a commitment to maintaining quality, particularly within critical fields like comparative physiology.
What do you enjoy most about research, and why?
I believe that curiosity is an inherent characteristic of everyone who works in the field of biological sciences. Life is a fantastic phenomenon, and it is intriguing how it resists the countless challenges associated with the environment. Thus, living beings in general and their interactions have always intrigued me. Having doubts about why some phenomena occur and trying to answer them, develop hypotheses, test them, and perhaps redesign theories brings joy and energy to my scientific side. I think the emotion of being able to solve a problem, see your work released to the world, and impact how people feel about a subject is indescribable.
Not long ago, we saw a powerful and systematic attitude against science in Brazil, which affected us all on many levels. That was a hard time, a period of negationist and antiscientific ideas that made us wonder if the effort for this type of work is worth it and how that can be relevant for society as a whole. The joy and satisfaction that research brings me overcome the internal and external conflicts of working in science. Doing research, learning and teaching are part of me. I hope that one day, I can be considered a Brazilian scientist who contributes to developing basic research in the world.
What is the hardest challenge you have faced in the course of your research and how did you overcome it?
In science we always work with long-term plans that go way beyond one investigation. We need time to develop our skills, learn complex ideas, build new tools and work with other scientists on big projects. Each of these endeavors can take years to complete. However, the way we fund science in many countries makes it difficult to achieve these long-term goals. Funding to structure, equipment and grants is often uncertain, changing from year to year. Sometimes money is scarce, and sometimes it's focused on specific areas, making it hard to plan for the future. This unstable system makes it challenging to build a career in science because political decisions can easily disrupt our work. So it is a bit hard to plan and develop a career to the potential we know we have under such an unstable and fragile system.
What is your favourite animal, and why?
In comparative physiology, we embrace a diverse approach, employing a wide range of techniques, equipment and experimental models. This aligns with Krogh's principle, encouraging us to constantly develop new research tools – be it innovative measurements, calculations, new animal species – to explore new ideas. This constant evolution necessitates a commitment to learning, validating and re-evaluating existing knowledge, while adapting our tools to meet these evolving needs. Paraphrasing Krogh's principle, I would say that my favorite animal is the one in which a problem being investigated can be most conveniently studied.
Samanta Castro’s contact details: Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP 13565-905, Brazil.
E-mail: [email protected]
