October 30 – Masters of Disguise: How cephalopods change their colors
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 30th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Juliana Rhee Graphics: Olivia Foster Rhoades Have you ever wished you had an invisibility cloak? While this may sound like science fiction to us, coleoid cephalopods – octopus, cuttlefish, and squid – can change the color of their skin to disappear into the background in the blink … Continue reading October 30 – Masters of Disguise: How cephalopods change their colors
The Key to Taming Bacteria: Mucus Sugars
Mucus is not just the awful phlegm from your cough, it actually has the ability to tame bacteria infection! Scientists at MIT recently discovered that the glycans on our mucus can actually trigger biochemical responses that protect us from pathogens. Read Wei Li’s article to learn more. Continue reading The Key to Taming Bacteria: Mucus Sugars
Individual Genetic Medicine Helps Treat Genetic Disease
Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital engineered a unique medicine to treat a young girl’s disease: they reverse engineered a blocker from her DNA to inhibit the gene causing the disease. Continue reading Individual Genetic Medicine Helps Treat Genetic Disease
October 23 – Computers Dream of a Better Future: Artificial Intelligence in Materials Science
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 23rd Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Steven Torrisi Graphics: Jovana Andrejevic The problems facing society have technological solutions, but need materials we don’t have yet. Computers are one of our biggest tools in the quest for finding the materials of the future. We have a new and exciting edge against the problems of … Continue reading October 23 – Computers Dream of a Better Future: Artificial Intelligence in Materials Science
Magnetic field-controlled drug delivery to the brain
Researchers have developed a minimally-invasive and precise brain drug delivery system that is controlled by an external magnetic field. Read Anqi Zhang’s article to learn more about neuron modulation by drug delivery! Continue reading Magnetic field-controlled drug delivery to the brain
A Step Forward for Bionic Legs
Neuroengineers from Europe have shown preliminary evidence that restoring limited sensory feedback from upper-leg amputees improves mobility, reduces risk of falls, and improves integration of prosthetic devices compared to standard prostheses. Continue reading A Step Forward for Bionic Legs
October 16 – Mutants on the Rise: Survival tricks of a flu virus
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 16th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Anna Ponomarenko Graphics: Aparna Nathan Every year the world prepares for a new flu season. Scientists keep modifying and updating vaccines, as well as researching and testing novel anti-flu drugs. And the next season the race with the ever changing virus starts over. But why does flu … Continue reading October 16 – Mutants on the Rise: Survival tricks of a flu virus
North American Birds have Disappeared in Droves
By co-opting weather tracking data and using surveys, scientists have determined that the populations of hundreds of North American bird species are in decline – with the exception of wetland species, which might be increasing due to conservation efforts. Continue reading North American Birds have Disappeared in Droves
Turkish Environmental Researcher Imprisoned for Publicizing Cancer Study
Turkish engineer and activist Bülent Şık was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for publishing confidential results of a government study. His team discovered poisonous chemicals in food and water samples, linked to the high cancer incidence in western Turkey. Continue reading Turkish Environmental Researcher Imprisoned for Publicizing Cancer Study
Global warming threatens most of the world’s wheat production, and the Paris Agreement cannot prevent it
Study predicts that global warming will affect 60% of the world’s wheat-growing areas by 2100, even if the Paris Agreement’s targets are met. Damage would be global but developing countries and low-income regions likely to suffer most as rising temperatures affect global food production.
Continue reading Global warming threatens most of the world’s wheat production, and the Paris Agreement cannot prevent it