North American Birds have Disappeared in Droves
By co-opting weather tracking data and using surveys, scientists have determined that the populations of hundreds of North American bird species are in decline – with the exception of wetland species, which might be increasing due to conservation efforts. Continue reading North American Birds have Disappeared in Droves
Turkish Environmental Researcher Imprisoned for Publicizing Cancer Study
Turkish engineer and activist Bülent Şık was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for publishing confidential results of a government study. His team discovered poisonous chemicals in food and water samples, linked to the high cancer incidence in western Turkey. Continue reading Turkish Environmental Researcher Imprisoned for Publicizing Cancer Study
Global warming threatens most of the world’s wheat production, and the Paris Agreement cannot prevent it
Study predicts that global warming will affect 60% of the world’s wheat-growing areas by 2100, even if the Paris Agreement’s targets are met. Damage would be global but developing countries and low-income regions likely to suffer most as rising temperatures affect global food production.
Continue reading Global warming threatens most of the world’s wheat production, and the Paris Agreement cannot prevent it
Electrical cables made of living bacteria
Cable bacteria are made of of thousands of cells that form centimeter-long conductive fibers, and can potentially replace implantable electronics and enable new bio-electronic applications. Read Anqi Zhang’s article to learn more about cable bacteria! Continue reading Electrical cables made of living bacteria
October 9 – America’s Next Top Neuron: How microscopic competition shapes our brains
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 9th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Vicky Chou and Kevin Dervishi Graphics: Vicky Chou What do The Bachelor, America’s Got Talent, Hell’s Kitchen, and your brain have in common? They all need competition to work properly! Competition drives our development in ways that confused scientists for years. In this talk, we’ll learn about … Continue reading October 9 – America’s Next Top Neuron: How microscopic competition shapes our brains
Back in Black: The New Blackest Material
Engineers at MIT have developed the blackest material to date by growing carbon nanotubes on an aluminum surface. The treated aluminum structure additionally has improved electrical properties and the synthesis process can be easily scaled for a number of applications. Continue reading Back in Black: The New Blackest Material
Using Chimeric Proteins to Fight Type II Diabetes
Type II diabetes is a rising global epidemic without any current treatments. But scientists have designed an interesting chimeric protein that aims to increase insulin sensitivity in patients and thereby provide a potential cure. Continue reading Using Chimeric Proteins to Fight Type II Diabetes
Super Heavy Star Found
Scientists find the heaviest neutron star known to man – and it’s helping us understand when black holes form. Continue reading Super Heavy Star Found
Nature-Inspired Technology Can Help Combat Looming Water Shortages
by Aparna Nathan In January 2018, Cape Town, South Africa started counting down toward “Day Zero.” It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was similarly apocalyptic: the day that the city would run out of water completely. Through discipline and technological advances, the city was able to avoid catastrophe. But that’s not the last we’ll see of water crises, and like Cape Town, … Continue reading Nature-Inspired Technology Can Help Combat Looming Water Shortages
Water Beyond Earth: The search for the life-sustaining liquid
by Andrew Greenspon figures by Hannah Zucker Picture yourself as the Curiosity Rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. You’ve just arrived on Mars after an eight-month journey from Earth. You begin traveling across the Gale crater toward Mount Sharp, 18,000 feet higher than the floor of the crater. On the way, you take images with a high-resolution camera. There, you find a slab of … Continue reading Water Beyond Earth: The search for the life-sustaining liquid