Cold War Nuclear Bomb Tests Affected Rain Thousands of Miles Away
Researchers at the University of Reading discovered that nuclear bomb tests in the 1950-1960s affected rain patterns thousands of miles away. Continue reading Cold War Nuclear Bomb Tests Affected Rain Thousands of Miles Away
Unmasking the Facts
Catherine (Xiaoxiao) Ding is a second-year Applied Math Ph.D. student in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, where she is studying programmable materials. Daniel Utter is a 5th year Ph.D. student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. Continue reading Unmasking the Facts
CRISPR and Droplets offer a new way forward in viral diagnostics?
Pregnancy test but for viruses? Mini droplet-based diagnostics tests combined with CRISPR may offer a way forward for fast, mass-testing of not just SARS-CoV-2, but hundreds of other viruses as the same time.
Continue reading CRISPR and Droplets offer a new way forward in viral diagnostics?
Insights from the Past: Lampreys give teeth to theories of vertebrate immune system evolution
by Aleks Prochera figures by Jovana Andrejevic Imagine wading through the fresh waters of the Paleozoic era over 300 million years ago. You bump into various ancient marine creatures from fishes adorned with horseshoe-shaped shields to aquatic scorpions the size of a modern-day seal. Around you, however, there also exists an unseen world teeming with microbes: viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Despite their deceivingly microscopic size, these organisms pose a … Continue reading Insights from the Past: Lampreys give teeth to theories of vertebrate immune system evolution
Harvard Underwater
by Jenna Lang figures by Hannah Zucker At some point during my lifetime, Harvard’s campus will flood. The waters of Boston Harbor will rush around the Charles River dam and surge onto the Harvard Business School campus on one side of the swelling river and onto the Harvard College campus on the other side. Winthrop House, where my sister will live starting next year, faces … Continue reading Harvard Underwater
Living Nightlights: Advances in creating glow-in-the-dark plants.
Could our streets be illuminated by the trees themselves someday? With the help of a mushroom, researchers make a breakthrough in engineering glow-in-the-dark plants. So, maybe someday is sooner than we think. Learn more about the science behind bioluminescent botanicals here. Continue reading Living Nightlights: Advances in creating glow-in-the-dark plants.
COVID-19: from treatment to prevention
by Apurva Govande figures by Tal Scully COVID-19, the disease caused by the newly discovered virus SARS-CoV-2, is a national emergency. We need a vaccine to prevent severe outcomes of disease, to successfully combat future outbreaks of this virus, and to ensure that businesses and schools can safely reopen. Until one is available, healthcare professionals can mitigate symptoms while deploying existing drugs that may show … Continue reading COVID-19: from treatment to prevention
Ants Store Long-term and Short-term Memories on Separate Sides of the Brain
Researchers from the University of Sussex recently found that wood ants seem to store long-term and short-term memories in different brain hemispheres. They found this by studying ants as they were conditioned to associate a visual input with food.
Continue reading Ants Store Long-term and Short-term Memories on Separate Sides of the Brain
Oktoberfest: Lots and lots of Beer … and Methane
Oktoberfest produces 2 million gallons of beer – and ten times more methane an equivalent area of Boston over 16 days! Scientists are recommending that festivals be added to methane inventories and start using more environmentally-friendly cooking methods. Continue reading Oktoberfest: Lots and lots of Beer … and Methane
Better Late than Never: COVID-19 testing across the United States
by Kayla Davisfigures by Jovana Andrejevic With COVID-19 cases showing up across much of the United States, many people are increasingly curious if they have contracted the disease. Although the COVID-19 infection rate continues to rise, tests are still hard to find and nearly impossible to come by in certain areas of the country. It’s important to understand how widespread the COVID-19 infection rate is … Continue reading Better Late than Never: COVID-19 testing across the United States