Science in the News
A Harvard graduate student organization
SITN is a Ph.D student group at Harvard University. Our mission is to examine the science behind the media reports we hear everyday.
- Why ‘3-parent babies?’ DNA from Mom and Dad. Healthy mitochondria from another.
Mitochondria provide the energy for cells, but unlike DNA, they are only inherited from our mothers through their eggs. Defective mitochondria cause diseases which are incurable in adulthood. However, they are treatable before conception with “cytoplasmic transfer,” where defective mitochondria are swapped out for healthy ones.
- Extreme Weather: Causes, Effects, and Connections With Climate
Presented by Ethan Butler, Karen McKinnon, Andy Rhines Extreme weather events, from hurricanes to heat waves, seem to be in the news with increasing regularity.But are extreme events actually increasing in frequency? And do they have a connection to our changing climate? Ethan will begin the lecture with an overview of some recent extreme weather…
