Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 25, 2024

Science & Technology




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Mice in Manhattan are found to carry various antibiotic-resistant strains.

Manhattan mice carry disease-causing bacteria

It’s not uncommon to see huge mice running around the streets of New York City at night. Recent research done at Columbia University shows that these mice are more than just disgusting — they also carry novel disease-causing bacteria and antibiotic-resistant viruses. These bacteria include the bacteria responsible for life-threatening gastroenteritis in people.


Alcohol consumption has grave health risks

The jury has been out for a long time on the health effects of drinking alcohol. Is it good for your heart or bad? Previous studies have come to both conclusions, but researchers at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, conducted a long-term study on nearly 600,000 participants from 19 high-income countries to fully analyze the health effects of alcohol consumption.


COURTESY OF KATHY HU
Medhacks volunteers worked with Baltimore high schoolers at the event.

Teens participate in Mini-Medhacks event

On Saturday, April 7, MedHacks hosted its first Mini-MedHacks event, involving 30 high school seniors from schools around Baltimore. MedHacks hosts an annual medical hackathon at Hopkins, and Mini-MedHacks 2018 was intended to provide younger students with a similar experience.


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Self-driving vehicles could replace more than 300,000 jobs each year.

Self-driving trucks may be good for the industry

Does automation help or harm low-skilled workers? The answer is perhaps that it depends on industry context and social trends. The trucking industry gives us intriguing insight into the way automation might be good for both an industry and its workers -- with minimal need for re-training that workers may be unable or unwilling to undergo. 


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In California, a new regulation to add cancer warning labels to coffee might soon take place.

Coffee might soon have cancer warning labels

How many of us are guilty of beginning the day with a nice, hot cup of joe? For countless Americans, the day doesn’t start without some caffeine to remedy the pain that comes with waking up to go to work or school. However, the quest to obtain a drink of coffee continues to be riddled with scrutiny from various sources.


EPA leader must be fired for denying basic science

With the recent resignation of now former Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert, the list of newly unemployed, former high-level White House and federal officials grows. To date, over 20 top-level officials within the Trump administration, including a secretary of state, a White House chief of staff and two national security advisors, have either resigned or been fired. 



Scientists show that adult brains do grow neurons

The brain is one of the most complex organs in the body. Not only does this three-pound organ control all the movements, thoughts, emotions and sensory perceptions that occur in our day-to-day lives, it is also constantly changing. In fact, the structure of your brain now is different than it was five seconds ago because of all the new stimuli feeding through the nervous system. 


COURTESY OF KIMBERLY WONG 
Researchers in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab tested participants in identifying the correct loop tailed letter “g”.

Hopkins student finds we can’t recognize “g”s

Kimberly Wong, a junior at Hopkins who is studying cognitive neuroscience, is the first author on a published paper titled, “The Devil’s in the g-tails: Deficient letter-shape knowledge and awareness despite massive visual experience.”


Antarctica’s ice sheet is significantly retreating

Global warming has been a key term in conversations about the environment throughout the past few decades. It is the term attributed to the annual increase in rising temperatures on Earth, influenced by factors such as the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities. These endeavors contribute a considerable amount of greenhouse, or heat-trapping gases, to the atmosphere and consequently raise the surface temperature. 


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Only a small number of depressed adolescents are treated by doctors.

Adolescents face difficulty getting depression treatment

In February of this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced its intentions to initiate change by calling for every child to receive an annual screening for depression beginning at the age of 12. This is a big step forward, but is it enough?


 
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Panamanian golden frogs may be developing a resistance to the BD skin fungus. 

Endangered frog species may be on rebound

The decline of many different forms of endangered species continues to be an issue worldwide. The Panamanian golden frog is native to the rainforests of Central America. While this species could easily be found in the rain forests of Panama as recent as 20 years ago, scientists noticed a sharp decline in the species’ population in recent years.


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The study showed the importance of schedules that align to your body clock.

New study links poor grades to class times

In what is thought to be the largest ever study of its kind, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Northeastern Illinois University have reached an interesting conclusion concerning the battle between body clock and class schedule. 


 
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Astrophysicists discovered thousands of black holes situated at the center of the Milky Way.

Black holes found at the center of Milky Way

The Milky Way Galaxy is more than 100,000 light years in diameter. In between this vast space occupied by so many unknowns, how do humans advance their quest in determining the existence and locations of black holes?



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Nicotinamide riboside supplements may lower blood pressure in elderly.

Low-fat and low-carb diets equally beneficial

Obesity is a leading issue in American culture. More than one in three adults in the United States are considered obese, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Low-fat diets and low-carbohydrate diets are two popular strategies for weight loss.



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Nicotinamide riboside supplements may lower blood pressure in the elderly.

Dietary supplement may delay physiological aging

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) indicates that nicotinamide riboside (NR), a dietary supplement, may provide the same health benefits as restricting calories. The findings were reported in a paper published on March 29 in Nature Communications. 


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