Paul Higgins, the director of the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Policy Program, gave a talk on Feb. 7 titled “Climate Change As a Public Issue: The Role of Science in Policy” as a part of the Randolph Bromery Spring 2019 Seminar Series.
The p53 gene is widely known as a cancer suppressor gene that reduces the frequency of tumors – but what if that wasn’t the case? The highly cited statistic that p53 mutations are found in just over 50 percent of all human cancers suggests that when the gene is not functioning properly, cancer becomes more likely.
Those who have always dreamed of being a little more productive during sleep are in luck. A group of researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland have recently demonstrated that individuals can indeed learn new words while sleeping. Their findings were reported in a university media release.
Scientists have recently discovered male reproductive organs on a female insect. This finding demonstrates the significant role that evolution plays in developing male and female genitalia and also challenges the concept of sex – what it means to be male or female.
To this day, many people still recall the widespread Zika outbreak in the wake of 2016 that caught the majority of South and North America off guard. In November 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the epidemic after many months of struggle.
Though many of us experience it every day, static electricity remains somewhat poorly understood. Researchers have recently begun to look into the details behind how electricity is generated through frictional contact; that is, the molecular physics behind your hair’s propensity to stick to balloons. The research being conducted at the University of Buffalo and Kansas State University has so far uncovered some interesting twists to the electron exchange known as triboelectrification that takes place between two materials in contact with one another.
Although the controversy over whether or not to extend the 650-mile border wall between the United States and Mexico largely centers around immigration, it is also important to consider the effects a wall would have on the environment of the borderlands.
Mars is one of the closest planets to Earth within our solar system and a strong contender for habitability under controlled conditions. Considering its unique status, it makes sense that many missions have been launched for the purpose of characterizing the planet. This would allow astronomers and scientists to better understand Mars and determine whether life could possibly exist there in the future. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars Opportunity rover is one of two rovers launched back in 2003 to probe Mars for any signs of past life.
One unexpected impact of climate change may be an altered ratio of male to female children born, a recent study suggests. Research published by a team of Japanese and Danish scientists in Fertility and Sterility indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between temperature differentials and the male-to-female birth ratio.
Cancer research is constantly ongoing with new discoveries left and right and a potential breakthrough scattered here and there. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, San Diego, Calif., have recently discovered a process that may potentially put an end to the controversial topic on the role of autophagy in cancer.
In the past decade alone, anxiety and depression have become increasingly prevalent issues in American society.
It is a well-established and often taught principle of evolution that new genes are introduced into the gene pool through both random mutations as well as introgressions. Introgressions are insertions into the gene pool through crossbreeding with another species (or related group).
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of 10 global health threats may surprise some this year, with uninformed parents and germs straight out of a science fiction novel making the cut. Diseases that were previously pushed to the brink of eradication are making a comeback, thanks in part to the anti-vaccination movement.
According to a recent study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Germany, a blood test might be able to reliably detect signs of brain damage in a person who is on the way to developing Alzheimer’s disease. This simple blood test can provide results even before the person begins showing hallmark symptoms of the disease, such as confusion and memory loss.
Many people might recall an experience where simply looking at an image of someone yawning triggers them to yawn. This is no magic; in fact, it is a popular phenomenon known as contagious yawning. Studies in the past have shown that approximately 50 percent of adults would yawn in response to other people’s yawning.
An ideal diet would be both healthy for the individual and sustainable for the planet, but according to an international team of researchers, we are falling short of that goal around the world.
Scientists at the University of British Columbia have recently made a breakthrough in diabetes research. For the first time, researchers were able to grow human blood vessels as organoids in a petri dish, which will dramatically enhance research in cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes.
Chicago natives are no stranger to arctic weather, suffering through subzero temperatures at least once a year. But this winter, temperatures are plummeting to near negative 55 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill, making Chicago colder than even the South Pole. And the reason may be surprising: global warming.
According to predictions from the Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Baltimore will encounter severe public health, infrastructural and economic issues as a result of global warming, from expanding rates of respiratory problems to extreme flooding.
Paralysis is a debilitating condition, but one that affects nearly two percent of the population in the U.S. — approximately 5.4 million people. Many paralyzed patients suffer from quadriplegia, a condition signified by partial or complete lack of motor function in all four limbs. Often the result of a traumatic injury, paralysis is caused by an inability of the spinal cord to pass signals from the brain to the peripheral nervous system.
