Tag: featured

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You Asked: How are pets different from wild animals?

by Katherine J. Wu The pets in our households are all descendants of wild animals, many of which still run free today. But dogs, cats, and rodents are all domesticated to varying degrees, with a wide range of consequences for their behavior and genetics. To understand the nitty gritty of this, let’s get some terminology out of the way first. When we discuss domestication, we’re … Continue reading You Asked: How are pets different from wild animals?

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Blog

Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time

by Trevor Haynes figures by Rebecca Clements “I feel tremendous guilt,” admitted Chamath Palihapitiya, former Vice President of User Growth at Facebook, to an audience of Stanford students. He was responding to a question about his involvement in exploiting consumer behavior. “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works,” he explained. In Palihapitiya’s talk, he highlighted something most of … Continue reading Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time

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Sit'N Listen

Episode 12: Urban Planning for a Changing Climate

Amidst talk about the Paris climate accord and other multinational efforts to combat climate change, it’s easy to lose sight of the extensive efforts occurring at the city and state levels to plan for and preempt the effects of environmental changes. To celebrate Earth Day 2018, we’re taking a look at some of the strategies local communities are adopting to address the challenges climate change … Continue reading Episode 12: Urban Planning for a Changing Climate

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Seminars

May 2 – “Super Black” Birds, Spiders, and Snakes

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, May 2nd Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Cody McCoy Incredibly dark, velvety, super-black surfaces have evolved many times in nature. What makes them so black, why did they evolve, and can engineers learn something from them? Continue reading May 2 – “Super Black” Birds, Spiders, and Snakes

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Blog, Science Policy

The Most Widely Used Pesticide, One Year Later

by Xindi (Cindy) Hu figures by Lillian Horin In March 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided not to ban Chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide. One year later, in February 2018, a bill was introduced in Hawaii to ban the manufacturing, distribution, and use of chlorpyrifos across all Hawaiian islands. Hawaii House Rep Richard Creagan said the legislation was prompted by the inaction in … Continue reading The Most Widely Used Pesticide, One Year Later

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Biomass over Coal: Burning Different Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change

by Jordan Wilkerson figures by Daniel Utter Ever since the Industrial Revolution around 150 years ago, most of the electricity used in the United States has come from burning fossil fuels. These fuels, such as coal and oil, are all made of carbon. They’re such an important form of the element that the name “carbon” comes from the Latin word for coal. However, burning all … Continue reading Biomass over Coal: Burning Different Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change

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Loneliness: An Epidemic?

by Hannah Schulze figures by Sean Wilson If you’ve ever felt lonely, know that you’re not alone. According to a study from the British Red Cross, over nine million adults in the U.K. feel the same way—that’s about 1/5 of the country’s population! Loneliness is increasingly being considered a hazard to human health comparable to obesity and smoking. Now, even governments are getting involved—in 2018, … Continue reading Loneliness: An Epidemic?

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You Asked: What’s the deal with gluten?

by Katherine J. Wu As an aging and increasingly cynical graduate student, I’ve found that my ability to keep up with the hip lingo has been waning in recent years. But even I know that “gluten” has become the dirty culinary word of the decade. One in five adults now avoid or completely eliminate gluten from their diets; in millennials, the fad is even more … Continue reading You Asked: What’s the deal with gluten?

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Sit'N Listen

Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

The oceans cover 70% of our planet, but did you know that less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored? In the face of rapid climate change, ocean scientists are racing to understand what makes a healthy ocean and how rapid changes in ocean temperature, currents and chemistry will affect biodiversity, fishing, tourism, land erosion and myriad of other aspects that will affect … Continue reading Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

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Blog

Hit Me with the Flu Shot: Why you need the flu shot every year

by Catherine Weiner figures by Rebecca Senft Every winter, as we avoid the sneezing stranger on the sidewalk and the coughing coworker in the coffee room, the same thought races through our heads: “I hope it’s not the flu.” This year, the United States has been hit with a devastating flu season. As of March 17th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded … Continue reading Hit Me with the Flu Shot: Why you need the flu shot every year

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