November 20 – Disentangling the causes of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 20th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Ada Shaw Graphics: Rebecca Senft In 2016, an estimated 5.4 million Americans were suffering from Alzheimer’s disease; 1 million from Parkinson’s; 400,000 and 30,000 from Huntington’s disease. These numbers are expected to increase as the population ages. One promising approach to studying the causes of neurodegenerative disease … Continue reading November 20 – Disentangling the causes of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Treating Down Syndrome By Treating Stress
Researchers recently showed that stress response controlling protein synthesis in the brain contributes to the cognitive disability in Down Syndrome, and by inhibiting this response, the cognitive defects in mice with Down Syndrome is reversed. Read Wei Li’s article to find out more! Continue reading Treating Down Syndrome By Treating Stress
House Plants Don’t Really Clean Indoor Air
There are many reasons why you might want house plants. Cleaning your indoor air probably shouldn’t be one of them. Read @Jordan Wilkerson’s article to learn why! Continue reading House Plants Don’t Really Clean Indoor Air
Zombie Fungus Cannon Sheds Insight into Fungus Reproduction
A team of European researchers builds a zombie fungus cannon to understand how the fungus spreads its spores. Continue reading Zombie Fungus Cannon Sheds Insight into Fungus Reproduction
‘Double-sided tape’ could replace surgical stitches
Sutures are commonly used to close wounds in the skin or other tissues. Similar to sewing fabric, the doctors will use a needle attached to a thread to penetrate the tissue and close the edges of the wound together, facilitating quick healing. Although surgical sutures have been used for thousands of years, they still have some limitations: 1) the needles cause some damage to the … Continue reading ‘Double-sided tape’ could replace surgical stitches
Brain-machine interfaces may be used to study and regulate mood
Brain-machine interfaces translate brain signals into information that can be used to control robotic limbs, and now even predict an individual’s mood state. Researchers envision using BMIs together with electrical stimulation, to regulate abnormal brain signals in patients with treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric disorders. Continue reading Brain-machine interfaces may be used to study and regulate mood
Charles
by Vivek Hv “Well I love that dirty water Oh, Boston, you’re my home” “My first memory of the Charles River is of a song we had growing up – it was love that Dirty water, Oh Boston, you’re my home,” said Susan, a long-time resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as she let out a guffaw. That evening, I sat down with her to learn more … Continue reading Charles
The science behind mother of pearl: what makes Nacre the mother of materials
A new study deems mother of pearl or nacre to be the toughest material. Under pressure, nacre’s structure deforms to withstand force and then retains its original form when released. Unlike plastic, the material also fully recovers its strength once released. Continue reading The science behind mother of pearl: what makes Nacre the mother of materials
November 6 – The many magnitudes of darkness
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 6th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Linda Xu Graphics: Olivia Foster Rhoades The search for dark matter is one of the defining physics challenges of our generation, driving collaborations and progress across many disciplines both experimental and theoretical. The abundance of evidence for its existence and continued elusiveness of any particle interaction is … Continue reading November 6 – The many magnitudes of darkness
The Universe is Expanding Faster than Scientists Thought
A new study shows that the universe is expanding faster than scientists had initially predicted, sparking an effort to determine what unknown force in space is responsible. Read Ben Andreone’s article to learn more! Continue reading The Universe is Expanding Faster than Scientists Thought