Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 1, 2024

Science & Technology




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Blood glutamine levels might reveal patients who are more susceptible to therapy resistance.

Hormone therapy may not effectively treat prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin-related cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. With the largest risk factor being age, all men have the risk of developing prostate cancer during their lifetime. 



 
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The moving Target Defense system can protect consumers from hackers.

New cyber technology develops moving target defense

It seems that every day a new online privacy breach or cyber attack is underway. From Facebook’s scandal with Cambridge Analytica and the proliferation of fake news to the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, today’s news demonstrates the destructive power that modern hackers possess. 


Our search for life on Mars

Those funny-looking, little green Martians have captivated human imagination since their first appearance in print in 1877. And maybe the intelligent version of Mars-based life doesn’t exist, but we’ve recently come closer to finding their long-lost cousins, microbes.


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An electrophphoretic neural implant used in mice can control epilepsy.

Novel neural implant controls epilepsy in rodents

Collaborating researchers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K., the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines in Paris, and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) recently engineered an electrophoretic drug delivery method to treat neurological disorders via a neural probe implant in rodents.


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Researchers at the Allen Institute have discovered new human neurons called “roseship cells.”

Scientists discover a new uniquely human neuron

For millennia, scientists and philosophers have pondered what separates man from animal. Whether it was utilizing the mirror recognition test, examining ancient weapons and tools, or even looking into our own choices and decisions, we have always wondered what makes us so different. 


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Researchers around the world are trying to stimulate growth of nerve fibers.

Method to regenerate nerve fibers discovered

Spinal cord injuries are among the most alarming and unpredictable of injuries, carrying the possibility of paralysis. Compounding this fact, since severed nerve fibers in the central nervous system, which comprises the brain and spinal cord, do not regenerate, the paralysis has the potential to be permanent. 



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Researchers at the RIKEN Center for BDR found that two acetylcholine receptors in the brain are linked to dreaming.

Brain receptors govern how much we dream

Sleeping is often considered one of the most primitive and mundane aspects of biological existence. Some scientists claim that it is a survival instinct that has evolved for millions of years. However, despite its ancestral roots, sleep is not very well understood. In fact, countless mysteries take place when we sleep: How does the mind create dreams? Do dreams come in colors or black-and-white? Most importantly, how does the brain sustain and maintain high levels of activity during certain periods of the sleep cycle? 


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A person’s appearance may greatly affect how others perceive their personality, according to a study from NYU.

Facial appearance is linked to personality traits

While it may be the norm for one to put great effort into making good first impressions in social situations, recent studies are leading scientists to believe that one may have less control over first impressions than they may believe. 


Chiral molecules found on Murchison meteorite

As the only known planet with life, it makes sense to assume that life began on Earth. Numerous experiments have recreated the environment of the early Earth and determined that biological molecules could have first formed on our planet.


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Bone marrow in the skull has been identified to contribute greatly to the migration of immune cells.

Immune cells do not have a homogenous response

In human diseases and injuries, inflammation is a critical defense and repair mechanism. In response to a physical injury or infection, immune cells are recruited to the site of inflammation to defend against the foreign injury or pathogen. However, immune cells also have destructive properties. Persisting inflammation can create an opposite effect, causing more harm than benefit.


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CDC recently released statistics on increasing STD diagnoses across the nation.

National number of STD cases continues to climb

For the past half-decade, statistics for the number of sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnoses have shown an upward trend. All together, the numbers for novel cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis total to nearly 2.3 million for 2017 in the United States alone. 


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Mono virus attacks B cells, which produces proteins to turn genes on and off.

New diseases found to be linked to mono virus

Mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is estimated to infect 90 percent of people in the U.S. by age 20 and 90 percent of the people in developing countries by the age of two. Ninety-eight percent of the world’s population carries EBV, since once it infects, it remains in a person for the rest of their lives. 


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Antioxidants, commonly found in fruits and vegetables, can improve health.

Antioxidants can reduce cardiovascular diseases

In this day and age, antioxidants seem to have flooded popular media with their promises of youth and good health. According to a new study published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, the use of oral antioxidants may produce considerable health benefits. 


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The likelihood of being fatally attacked by a shark is one in 3,700,000.

Sharks should not get such a bad reputation

According to National Geographic, “You have a one in 63 chance of dying from the flu and a one in 3,700,000 chance of being killed by a shark during your lifetime.” And yet, do we fear the flu? No. But we’re convinced that we may very well be fatally attacked by a shark whenever stepping foot in the ocean. 




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