What Does an Astronomer Do?
How do you introduce yourself, scientifically? I generally say that I’m an astronomer. More specifically, I’m an exoplanet astronomer, meaning I study planets that exist around other stars. In our solar system, all the planets orbit the Sun. I’m looking at planets in other stellar systems, orbiting stars much further away than the Sun. What are the implications or broader impacts of your work? This is … Continue reading What Does an Astronomer Do?
March 3 – Taking the Temperature: Your Health, Our Climate, and What We Can Do About It
Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3rd Join us on: Zoom (password: science) or YouTube Live Speakers: David Mazumder Graphics: Jasmin Joseph-Chazan Doomsayers (and world experts) tell us that our future could look like the ultimate disaster movie come to life unless we take action to prevent “catastrophic global warming.” In this unfolding drama, economic costs and disruptive technologies play leading roles, but our warming world … Continue reading March 3 – Taking the Temperature: Your Health, Our Climate, and What We Can Do About It
Overestimating Cloud Cooling: How Ship Tracks May Incorrectly Inform Climate Models
Climate models have long been reliant on information from cloud interactions with ship exhaust; however, new research shows this may not tell the whole story Continue reading Overestimating Cloud Cooling: How Ship Tracks May Incorrectly Inform Climate Models
Episode 22: Scientists at Home: COVIews of an Undergrad
Aaron Abai is a junior at Harvard University majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in African American Studies. He performs research in Professor Doug Kwon’s lab. In this interview, Aaron discusses his life as an undergraduate student living on a college campus during the pandemic. He shares his thoughts on the transition to online classes and what that means in terms of … Continue reading Episode 22: Scientists at Home: COVIews of an Undergrad
February 24 – Tools to Reach Climate Goals: Renewables, Batteries, and Markets
Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 24th Join us on: Zoom or YouTube Live Speakers: Minghao Qiu, Brooks Clingman, Siyu Chen Graphics: Jovana Andrejevic In December 2020, Massachusetts published the 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap with the goal of combating climate change by reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. How will we reach these goals? This talk will present three tools that may lead the way: batteries, … Continue reading February 24 – Tools to Reach Climate Goals: Renewables, Batteries, and Markets
RNA Simulations Show Its Unique Ability to Move and Fold
New data-driven RNA simulations allow scientists to observe twisting and folding in real time. Continue reading RNA Simulations Show Its Unique Ability to Move and Fold
Crazy for Catnip: the Mosquito-Repelling Story behind a Cat’s Love for Catnip
Why do cats love catnip? Well, it may be due to its mosquito-repelling properties. Continue reading Crazy for Catnip: the Mosquito-Repelling Story behind a Cat’s Love for Catnip
Pint-Sized Science: How one becomes two: the proteins that help cells divide
Interviewee: Iain Cheeseman, Professor of Biology at the Whitehead Institute and MIT Interviewer: Melis Tekant (PhD student in Physics, MIT) SITN Boston · Pint-Sized Science: How one becomes two: the proteins that help cells divide During cell division, a cell creates an identical copy of itself, but how does this process happen? Specifically, how does a cell distribute its genetic material among the two daughter … Continue reading Pint-Sized Science: How one becomes two: the proteins that help cells divide
Nuclear War Could Cause Cooling on Land, but Warming in the Oceans
Global cooling caused by nuclear warfare could devastate crops, leading to global food insecurity. How would marine ecosystems be affected by this catastrophic event? Continue reading Nuclear War Could Cause Cooling on Land, but Warming in the Oceans
How COVID-19 is Shaping Antibiotic Resistance
by Molly Sargenfigures by Molly Sargen, Buse Aktaş, and Aparna Nathan COVID-19 is unarguably devastating from any perspective. Even as we struggle to overcome the present challenges of the pandemic, COVID-19 is paving the way for other infectious agents to cause damage in the future. Although SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that cannot be treated with antibiotics, antibiotic usage has significantly increased throughout the pandemic. With … Continue reading How COVID-19 is Shaping Antibiotic Resistance