Month: June 2013

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Near-Earth Objects: Is the sky really falling?

From the meteor that exploded over eastern Russia in February to the asteroid 1998 QE2 that squeaked by the Earth at the end of May 2013, meteoroids and other near-Earth objects (NEOs) have garnered increasing attention recently. NEOs, which include comets and asteroids, are objects whose closest approach to the Sun is less than 1.3 times the mean distance of Earth’s orbit around the Sun … Continue reading Near-Earth Objects: Is the sky really falling?

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Forging the Correct Link: A Step Toward Understanding the Origins of Life on Earth

Two decades ago, on the recommendation of acclaimed astrophysicist Carl Sagan, NASA adopted a definition of life simply stating, “Life is a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution.” [1] While this definition is certainly consistent with life as we know it, its simplicity emphasizes how little we actually know about how life on Earth first arose. With the U.N.’s proclamation of 2011 as … Continue reading Forging the Correct Link: A Step Toward Understanding the Origins of Life on Earth

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Thinking DNA damage into existence

Our brain contains billions of cells called neurons, each connected to one another in a complex network, permitting us to think, move, and assimilate information about our environment. While many cells in our body can talk to one another, neurons are unique in that their communication relies on electrical activity. Much like how the flow of charged particles along electric cables facilitates information transfer, the … Continue reading Thinking DNA damage into existence

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Seminars

Living Factories: Engineering Cells to Manufacture Molecules

Presented by Kevin Bonham Single-celled microorganisms are everywhere, and are intimately linked to many aspects of our life. Some can cause disease, others decompose our waste, and many even help us digest our food – there are 10 times more bacteria cells in your body than human cells! But in the last few decades, scientists have been learning how to tinker with these tiny life … Continue reading Living Factories: Engineering Cells to Manufacture Molecules

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