Tag: featured

Blog, Special Edition: Water

Blue-Green Planet: It’s a cyanobacterial world, and we just live on it.

by Olivia Foster Rhoades Green globs coat the shore and placards caution visitors from touching the water. First it was New Jersey’s Lake Hopatcong, then the Pacific Northwest, and most recently in Central Park. The culprit? An ancient and prolific family of microbes that have been shaping our world for millennia—cyanobacteria.” Cyanobacteria are bacteria that thrive in the same conditions that make algae flourish and … Continue reading Blue-Green Planet: It’s a cyanobacterial world, and we just live on it.

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Blog, Opinion

America’s Turn to Protect 9/11 Responders this Mesothelioma Awareness Day

by Rosie Rosati On September, 11th 2001, hundreds of thousands of firefighters, responders, and volunteers rushed to Lower Manhattan to aid those lost in the destruction of the World Trade Center. U.S. citizens will never forget the devastation that swept the nation that day, however, those who so graciously lent a helping hand are still suffering the consequences of toxic airborne emissions. Upon the attacks, … Continue reading America’s Turn to Protect 9/11 Responders this Mesothelioma Awareness Day

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Blog, Science Policy

Breaking Down Brexit: Potential impacts on science in the UK

by Michael Foley figures by Abagail Burrus When asked to describe the roles of a scientist, most people probably wouldn’t list ‘applying for grants’ or ‘travel’ very highly. However, modern science relies on significant efforts from researchers to obtain much of their own funding and build their own international networks. In the UK, equipment, travel, funds for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and other costs associated with … Continue reading Breaking Down Brexit: Potential impacts on science in the UK

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Blog

From Genes to Disease: the release of the UK Biobank

by Layla Siraj figures by Rebecca Senft Imagine if you could tell, through some combination of your environment and your genetics, what illnesses you might develop. This could give you the ability to either prevent these illnesses before they even happen or catch and treat the illnesses early enough to prevent long-lasting effects. This reality is one step closer with the release of the UK … Continue reading From Genes to Disease: the release of the UK Biobank

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Blog

I Didn’t Get It from My Mama: Children with DNA almost exclusively from their dads

by Marina Watanabe figures by Elayne Fivenson Hours after giving birth, my sister sent a picture of her newborn baby to our family group text. In what I can only assume was a painkiller-induced haze, she wrote, “The baby looks exactly like me!!!” The baby did not look exactly like her. The baby, like all newborn babies, looked exactly like a potato. This idea of … Continue reading I Didn’t Get It from My Mama: Children with DNA almost exclusively from their dads

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Blog

A Battle of Time: Biological clocks have a hand in defense against infection

by Ziqi Chen figures by Rebecca Senft Have you ever travelled across time zones? If the answer is yes, you might be familiar with jet lag, a condition that results from an altered internal clock. Jet lag causes symptoms such as disturbed sleep, stomach problems, and mood swings. In recent years, emerging lines of evidence show that jet lag might also affect our immune system, and … Continue reading A Battle of Time: Biological clocks have a hand in defense against infection

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Blog

Going Back to the Moon to Uncover its Origins

by Yaray Ku figures by Aparna Nathan Our understanding of Earth’s Moon formation relies heavily on rock samples obtained during the Apollo missions as long as 50 years ago. As tempting as it is to believe, these samples unequivocally prove that the Moon is not, in fact, made of cheese. The prevailing theory on Moon formation, called “The Giant Impact” hypothesis, proposes that the Moon … Continue reading Going Back to the Moon to Uncover its Origins

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Blog

Nanowire Army Glances at the Interior of Neurons

by Anqi Zhang figures by Yunlong Zhao Cyborgs may sound like science fiction, but the field of brain-machine interfaces has been around for quite some time. If you paid attention to Elon Musk’s brain implant announcement, they are aiming to test the system on a human patient by the end of 2020. In reality, electricity forms the basis of these novel cyborg-like interfaces. Brain cells called … Continue reading Nanowire Army Glances at the Interior of Neurons

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Blog, Science Policy

Climate is the Newest Gentrifying Force, and its Effects are Already Re-Shaping Cities

by Aparna Nathan Bright blue water, white sand beaches, and all within feet of your front door: these features make beachfront properties in Miami some of the most desirable (and expensive) real estate in the city. But in 2017, Hurricane Irma swept through the city, causing billions of dollars in damage to these sought-after properties. Meanwhile, lower-income inland neighborhoods like Little Haiti and Liberty City … Continue reading Climate is the Newest Gentrifying Force, and its Effects are Already Re-Shaping Cities

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