14 Million Tons of Microplastic are on the Ocean Floor
Plastics in the ocean are a huge problem, partly because microplastics have significant health effects on marine organisms. Few have explored the quantification of microplastics on the deep ocean floor. Continue reading 14 Million Tons of Microplastic are on the Ocean Floor
Towards a Universal Flu Vaccine: Targeting the Stem of the Problem
Researchers at MIT and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard are working on developing a universal flu vaccine. Continue reading Towards a Universal Flu Vaccine: Targeting the Stem of the Problem
It’s Worth a Shot: Preventing vaccine-preventable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic
by Mahaa Ahmedfigures by Tal Scully The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many corners of the world to a standstill. While researchers and scientists race to develop and distribute a vaccine, many places are still subject to a host of restrictions on daily life designed to keep people safe. Unfortunately, this may actually lead to endangerment of children’s health in other critical ways. More than just … Continue reading It’s Worth a Shot: Preventing vaccine-preventable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic
An Introduction to Ribosomes: Nature’s busiest molecular machines
by Francesca Tomasifigures by Jovana Andrejevic Right now, the world is eagerly awaiting clinical trial data for two candidate COVID-19 vaccines known as mRNA vaccines. mRNA stands for “messenger RNA,” referring to the molecule that the vaccine delivers to our bodies. Once the vaccine enters our cells, the mRNA tells them exactly how to build a piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine itself cannot … Continue reading An Introduction to Ribosomes: Nature’s busiest molecular machines
I Can’t Sleep… Can you turn off the lights?
by Samantha Tracyfigures by Wei Wu Walking down your neighborhood street you might notice the cars driving past, people waving hello, and the buildings lit up by the daytime sun. At night this view changes: we see fewer cars, and people have mostly returned to the comforts of their homes. But even as we shift from day to night, there is still a bright glow … Continue reading I Can’t Sleep… Can you turn off the lights?
Breathing Life into the Low Blood Oxygen Dilemma of Early COVID-19 Infections
A mathematical deep-dive into the function of the lungs may provide clinical insight for low blood oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients. Continue reading Breathing Life into the Low Blood Oxygen Dilemma of Early COVID-19 Infections
Can an Artificial Brain Help Study a Real One?
Scientists from North Carolina State University have applied deep learning algorithms to track neurodegeneration in worms, allowing for much faster image processing and extraction of cellular features that can distinguish between neurodegeneration arising from different sources. Continue reading Can an Artificial Brain Help Study a Real One?
Underground Lakes Discovered on Martian Polar Cap
Scientists have discovered four lakes buried under the icy surface of the red planet. Could they lead us to biological life? Continue reading Underground Lakes Discovered on Martian Polar Cap
Ravens’ Emotions May Be Contagious
Ravens can pick up on negative emotions from another raven they know well, causing them to be more pessimistic themselves. Continue reading Ravens’ Emotions May Be Contagious
Searching for the Holy Grail of Quantum Computing
by Insa Mohrfigures by Hannah Zucker The past year has been momentous for quantum computing, a technology that applies the almost-mystical phenomena of quantum mechanics to build novel supercomputers, high performance computers used to solve large scale computational tasks. Google demonstrated that their quantum computers can solve a problem that no classical computer could ever solve. For the third year in a row, IBM managed … Continue reading Searching for the Holy Grail of Quantum Computing