Physics — but cooler!: Taming quantum mechanics with lasers and ultracold atoms
Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 31st Join us on: Zoom (password: science) or YouTube Live Speakers: Will Cairncross, Lewis Picard, Jessie Zhang Graphics: Wei Wu If you could cool something to near absolute zero, how would it behave? What would you use it for? For the past half century, physicists have been finding out! When things get cold, the atoms that make them up move … Continue reading Physics — but cooler!: Taming quantum mechanics with lasers and ultracold atoms
The Challenges of Large-Scale COVID-19 Testing
by Jaclyn Long figures by Tal Scully A year into the pandemic, many people still struggle to get tested for COVID-19. By some estimates, asymptomatic transmission can account for up to 50% of all new cases, making regular testing of people who don’t yet (or might never) show symptoms a key part of a public health strategy to control the virus. Despite the effectiveness of mass … Continue reading The Challenges of Large-Scale COVID-19 Testing
Friendships in Female Giraffes May Contribute to Longevity
Social connections in female giraffes are shown to be a strong predictor of decreased mortality. Continue reading Friendships in Female Giraffes May Contribute to Longevity
Your Inner Gene-ius: How Cells Decipher DNA
Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 17th Join us on: Zoom (password: science) or YouTube Live Speakers: Eileen Ablondi Graphics: Olivia Foster Rhoades Your DNA contains the instructions to make every part of your body. But who’s reading these instructions? How do our cells know whether to be brain cells, skin cells, or something entirely different? And what happens when things go wrong? In this lecture, … Continue reading Your Inner Gene-ius: How Cells Decipher DNA
Internationally Banned Ozone-Destroying Pollutant Emissions in China have Declined
For years, banned air pollutants that damage the ozone layer have been coming out of eastern China. Using the same atmospheric monitoring network that first detected the pollution, scientists recently found that the emissions from the country have now largely stopped. Continue reading Internationally Banned Ozone-Destroying Pollutant Emissions in China have Declined
Intestinal Fungi May Protect Us from Fungal Infections
A link is found between the fungal population in a human’s gut and the immune system’s response to fungal infections. This sheds light on potential preventative treatments against these dangerous fungal infections. Continue reading Intestinal Fungi May Protect Us from Fungal Infections
The Mental Health Crisis in Science
by Wei Lifigures by Wei Wu Trigger warning: this article contains mentions of suicide. What do the lead scientists behind the COVID-19 vaccine, the current first lady of the United States, and the students at Science in the News have in common? They all did (or are currently doing) academic research in graduate schools. Academic research is undeniably important to society. For example, much of … Continue reading The Mental Health Crisis in Science
March 10 – Spacecraft with Superpowers
Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 10th Join us on: Zoom (password: science) or YouTube Live Speakers: Jim Clark, Allegra Farrar, Heng Zuo Graphics: Allie Elchert X-ray vision, laser vision, supersonic retropropulsion, force fields and heat shields — these might sound like the powers of comic-book superheroes, but they’re actually technologies that spacecraft use to study and explore the universe! Continue reading March 10 – Spacecraft with Superpowers
Tuataras: The First Vertebrates Found to Have Two Mitochondrial Genomes
A New Zealand reptile carries an extra set of genes in its mitochondria that may help it adapt to cold temperatures. Continue reading Tuataras: The First Vertebrates Found to Have Two Mitochondrial Genomes
The Secret Life of Sourdough
What’s in that sourdough starter? New research sheds light on the mysterious microbes that influence our bread. Continue reading The Secret Life of Sourdough