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December 1, 2025 December 1, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology

JOEL KOWSKY / PUBLIC DOMAIN Following a postponed launch, four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Crew-6 arrived at the International Space Station on March 3.

Science news in review: March 5

By KAIYUAN DU | March 5, 2023

This week, we'll take a closer look at some of the most exciting scientific developments and technology updates. From space explorations to the genome of grapes, this week has it all.

RYAN HODNETT / CC BY-SA 4.0 Scientists have discovered that Fomes fomentarius, commonly referred to as hoof fungus, has a unique microstructure that makes it stronger than most plastics. 

Science news in review: Feb. 27

By AKUL KESARWANI | February 27, 2023

As we reach the end of February, let’s recap some of the biggest headlines of the week. This week featured some big discoveries about a new layer of the Earth, fungal plants replacing common building materials, surprising massive early galaxies and advances in quantum computing.

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH / CC BY-NC 2.0 Sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder that interferes with red blood cells, may be linked to increased maternal mortality. 

Sickle cell disease found to be linked to maternal mortality

By VICKY ZHU | February 25, 2023

Macy Early, Dr. Lydia Pecker and other researchers at Hopkins recently found a higher risk for severe maternal mortality (SMM) among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) than those without. The study also identified a racial disparity; Black SCD patients had a 10% higher SMM. Their results were published in Jama Network Open.

WOODLEYWONDERWORKS /  CC BY 2.0 Pre-med students are recommended to participate in several categories of extracurriculars to prepare them for medical school.

Project MD 2027: Which extracurricular makes you look better?

By ELLIE ROSE MATTOON | February 22, 2023

Shihua Chen had a polished answer ready when asked why she wanted to be a doctor in an interview with The News-Letter. After all, she had already prepared for her medical school interviews this past fall. Chen first explained how her father’s doctorate in chemistry encouraged her love of science when she was young, but she became interested in the human mind and behavior as she got older. 

JEAN-ETIENNE MINDH-DUY POIRRIER / CC BY-SA 2.0 10 Hopkins affiliates were recently named among the 2023 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows.

10 Hopkins professors named AAAS fellows

By AKUL KESARWANI | February 21, 2023

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society and publisher of Science, recently named 505 AAAS Fellows to the 2022 class. Among them, 10 Hopkins professors were elected. The AAAS Fellowship has been awarded annually since 1874 and recognizes scientific and social achievements in advancing the field of science.

PUBLIC DOMAIN /  CC0 1.0 Though the Coronavirus Research Center is ceasing its operations on March 10, the data from the past three years will remain freely accessible online.

Coronavirus Research Center will cease data collection after three years

By ZACHARY BAHAR | February 20, 2023

After three years of round-the-clock work, the Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center (CRC) announced that it will no longer collect and report data on the COVID-19 pandemic on March 10. This decision comes after consistent declines in state-level pandemic data reporting and the federal government’s increased data capabilities.

JEANNE MENJOULET /  CC BY-ND 2.0 Narvekar discusses ineffective methods of climate activism.

What does productive climate activism look like?

By TANVI NARVEKAR | February 20, 2023

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address, noting that there is a still lot more to do for climate change reform. Looking at this remark as a climate change columnist, I recognize there has been some headway in climate change reform, but it seems that President Biden glossed over properly discussing the issue of climate change.

ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research have advanced acoustic levitation technology, devising methods to control microscopic objects in three dimensions.

Science news in review: Feb. 19

By ZACHARY BAHAR and ARMAAN AHMED | February 19, 2023

Valentine’s Day may have come and gone but our love of science is as strong as ever. Some of this week’s greatest discoveries include two unique animals, ant-like robots and breakthroughs in the use of acoustic levitation.

COURTESY OF MIKE MAC MARKETING /  CC BY 2.0

Science news in review: Feb. 16

By KAIYUAN DU | February 16, 2023

Though upcoming midterms might seem overwhelming, it doesn’t hurt to take five minutes to look at the cutting-edge updates in science and technology. This week, the latest research includes Google’s plan for a new artificial intelligence (AI), a discovery of a new type of ice and an innovative way to study mosquitoes.  

ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Many proteins have complex, convoluted folding patterns. 

Some secrets of aging could be explained by protein folding

By VICKY ZHU | February 7, 2023

Stephen Fried, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, and his lab recently identified a cohort of proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) that cannot refold even in the presence of molecular chaperones, which recognize and undo folding mistakes. Their results, which may have applications in studying aging, were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

L. HUSTAK, J. OLMSTED (STSCI) / CC-BY-2.0 The APL team’s recent findings bring researchers closer to determining the existence of extraterrestrial life.

APL team uses James Webb Space Telescope to detect Earth-like planet

By ZACHARY BAHAR | February 6, 2023

Just more than a year after its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed the existence of its first exoplanet, discovered by a team of astronomers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The Earth-sized planet, LHS 475 b, orbits a red dwarf star approximately 41 light years from Earth in the constellation Octans.

BRIAN GRATWICKE / CC BY 2.0 In the news this week, scientists from the University of Cincinnati recently discovered a species of “spiny-throated” reed frog that only communicates using touch. 

Science news in review: Feb. 5

By ARMAAN AHMED | February 5, 2023

While the weather outside is frightful, the warmth of scientific discovery is delightful. This past week has seen various new developments, from novel vaccine technologies to the effect of language learning in polyglots. Take a look at these fascinating discoveries as you read our first print issue of the semester.

PIETRO IZZO /  CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is behind the spike in egg prices.

Science news in review: Jan. 29

By ELLIE ROSE MATTOON | January 28, 2023

Welcome back from winter break! Even though the weather might be cold outside, the science world is still hot with new stories! This week, we have details about the virus causing the spike in egg prices, a change in the Doomsday Clock and the possibility of science slowing down.

COURTESY OF NATTU / CC BY 2.0 As sea levels rise, island nations are especially at risk.

On the rise: The impact of climate change on sea levels

By TANVI NARVEKAR | January 24, 2023

What would you do if the island you were living on was sinking? While this is definitely not an easy question to answer, it is a question that those who are living on many small, tropic islands are facing. Inundation is a threat that many islands are now facing due to climate change and rising sea levels. 

STEVEN SIMPSON / PHOTO EDITOR Brody Learning Commons is open 24 hours during reading period. 

The science of studying for finals

By AKUL KESARWANI | December 13, 2022

It’s almost time for finals here at Hopkins! For many students, that means a lot of late-night study sessions at the library pumped with caffeine. In this stressful time, it’s important to understand how students study most effectively to achieve the best results.

COURTESY OF NASA, ESA, CSA AND STScI Scientists used recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope to investigate the origins of the Southern Ring Nebula, determining that two companion stars led to an early stellar death.

Science news in review: Dec. 12

By AKUL KESARWANI | December 12, 2022

As we head into finals season, read our last science news review piece of the semester to learn the biggest science headlines from this past week! This week sees records being broken, new studies on star deaths and innovative food technologies. 

TRAVIS S. / CC BY-NC 2.0 The U.S. government has distributed $115 million to tribal nations across the Pacific Northwest to prepare for the growing threat of climate change. Read more about this and other science news in our weekly recap. 

Science news in review: Dec. 8

By ZACHARY BAHAR and NEEL GODBOLE | December 8, 2022

As we approach the end of the semester, take a moment to read the latest news in science! News from this past week includes building a new U.S. tribal climate policy, an aquatic dinosaur and the use of technology in both military and police settings.

RICCARDO MARIA MANTERO /  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Climate change has the potential to affect how different areas of the world look. 

On being an imperfect environmentalist

By TANVI NARVEKAR | December 7, 2022

Only a couple of weeks ago, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, convened to discuss major issues around climate change. While these big conversations are great, it is important that smaller conversations on a community or individual scale happen as well. Starting to discuss climate change is undoubtedly difficult. 

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