Space travel introduces numerous environmental stressors, including microgravity, isolation and radiation. While the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) consistently studies the effects of space on the human body as part of their Human Research Program.
It has long been known that some diseases are genetically inherited. For example, sickle cell anemia is caused by a single mutation at a specific point in a gene responsible for hemoglobin. Having two copies of this mutated gene guarantees the disease. However, the relationship between one’s genes and disease is not always direct.
It’s that time of year again. As we welcome spring and the return of warm weather with open arms, we must also greet the pollen and other allergy-inducing irritants that can make this magical time of year unbearable.
Researchers recently discovered the remains of a species of human that existed over 50,000 years ago in the Philippines, showing scientists that the Southeast Asian region played a larger role in human evolution than previously thought.
In recent years, the rapidly evolving world of 3D printing has given rise to numerous products that serve functional or aesthetic purposes. In an ambitious effort, scientists even successfully engineered simple human tissues using 3D printing. However, the latest breakthrough in the field is the creation of a product whose intricacy and complexity exceeds many’s expectations — a complete heart.
According to glaciology experts, the 150-meter thick Brunt Ice Shelf made from freshwater ice, is going to release an iceberg measuring over 1,500 square kilometers.
In Kibera, an impoverished area in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, widespread and uncontrolled antibiotic use is contributing to a significant increase in drug-resistant infections. Far from being an isolated example, Kibera is just one of a growing list of poor urban locations in developing countries where antibiotic resistance has become a deadly issue through a similar combination of factors. Dr. Guy Palmer, a professor at Washington State University who studies global health and infectious diseases, discussed this in an interview with the New York Times.
On April 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 72 people in five different states were ill as the result of a multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli (E. coli) with no confirmed cause. Now the outbreak has spread to at least 109 individuals, and the CDC reports that the source is most likely ground beef.
We’ve all heard that you can’t overdose on cannabis. This raises the question as to why, according to a recent study, a hospital in Colorado saw 9,973 cannabis-related emergency room (ER) visits between 2012 to 2016.
Ever since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. last year, gun control has been at the center of political debate. Though millions have marched for their lives, countless town halls have been held, and thousands more lives have been lost to gun violence in the U.S. since Feb. 14, 2018, minimal steps have been taken to address this issue.
The Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs and the National Academy of Sciences will host a Climate Change Symposium on May 3 called Changing by Degrees: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Climate Change. In light of this, students and faculty are identifying different methods of achieving sustainability.
When Charles Darwin observed the wide variety of species in the Galápagos Islands, he may have been unknowingly contributing to it. A new study in Aquatic Invasions shows that 10 times more non-native aquatic species are present on the islands than previously thought.
Lately there has been a buzz in the field of astronomy. On April 10, a network of telescopes all across the globe was used to produce the first image of a supermassive black hole and its shadow located in the Messier 87 galaxy.
A research team at Washington University in St. Louis has been working on understanding the metabolic processes of a strain of Rhodopseudomonas palustris. This microbe is commonly found in swine waste lagoons, earthworm droppings and pond water.
From happily munching on chili peppers and feeling little to no pain during childbirth to accidentally ironing over her arms and being unaware of painful joint degeneration, Jo Cameron has lived a life of little pain, fear or anxiety.
Representation matters. Studies have shown that a major factor driving young women away from STEM careers is the lack of female STEM characters in modern media.
The two current New York measles outbreaks, which began in late 2018 among primarily Orthodox Jewish communities, have seen limited containment in the past few months.
On Saturday, April 6, Women of Whiting (WOW) hosted their second annual Women in STEM Symposium, bringing undergraduates, graduates, and professionals together for a day to help empower women in STEM careers.
Kevin Lewis’ most recent project was to use gravity to “weigh a mountain” on Mars. In introductory physics classes, gravity is taught to be a constant equal to 9.8 meters per second. In reality, it varies from place to place depending on what is beneath you. If you stand on an iron ore, the pull of gravity will be a bit stronger. This quality makes gravity a useful geological tool to interrogate the subsurface of a planet. If gravity measurements do not match previously established expectations, then scientists can discern the density of the rocks underneath the surface.
A new study from the Washington University in St. Louis revealed that involvement in sports is associated with changes in young children’s brains. The study was published last February in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
