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April 2, 2026 April 2, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology

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Scientists explore how caffeine affects taste buds

By RACHEL HUANG | September 7, 2017

Coffee is often considered to be an important part of one’s daily morning routine. On the way to work or class, most people stop by the nearest coffee shop to grab a cup of caffeine to help kick start the day. Along with their coffee, people will often reach for a donut or muffin in the nearest display case. According to researchers at Cornell University, there’s a scientific explanation for why we’re tempted to grab that sweet treat.

Courtesy of NOAH PRESLER Presler, Semester.ly co-founder

Semester.ly platform becomes open source

By ELAINE CHIAO | September 7, 2017

Noah Presler, a recent Hopkins graduate who received his B.S. in computer science, is one of the three co-founders of Semester.ly. This website serves as  an course scheduling platform for college students originally established at Johns Hopkins and quickly spreading across many institutions across the United States and Canada.

COURTESY OF ROLLIN HU Students, staff and families gathered on the Beach to watch the Aug. 21 partial solar eclipse.

Partial solar eclipse leaves Hopkins in awe

By PAIGE FRANK | September 7, 2017

During the year of our nation’s founding in 1776, there was a solar eclipse visible only in America. On Aug. 21, 2017 it happened again. Over 500 million Americans were in a position to view the total eclipse, and many more rushed from all over the country to join them.

Protein reverses eye disorder symptoms

By RACHEL HUANG | May 4, 2017

Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Shiley Eye Institute have collaborated with researchers in China to discover a way to reverse the effects of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in mice.

17P drugs is marketed as being able to reduce pre-term births.

Preterm birth prevention drug proves ineffective

By JOAN YEA | May 4, 2017

Makena is the only drug to date that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for preventing recurrent preterm births. Makena’s chemical compund name is 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) and it was approved by the FDA in 2011.

2D liquid crystals are commonly used in smart phone and television display screens.

Quantum computing utilizes 3D crystals

By WILLIAM XIE | May 4, 2017

Researchers at the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) recently discovered a new state of matter, the 3D quantum liquid crystal.

Researchers have found that umbilical cord protein TIMP2 increases brain function in mice.

Umbilical cord protein increases brain power

By CINDY JIANG | May 4, 2017

It has been a recent trend for scientists to research the use of body parts from younger organisms to improve the functions of their older counterparts. Cells in older organisms are already specialized as opposed to cells from younger organisms. The An example of this trend is the recent stem cell craze.

Researchers hope to give glass waste a new use as anodes for lithium batteries.

Glass waste may be recycled as lithium-ion batteries

By ISAAC CHEN | May 4, 2017

Each year tons of non-recycled glass waste ends up in landfills, which adds a possibly unnecessary burden in the waste disposal process. Some argue that a solution to this issue is needed to improve the sustainability of our environment.

Asian-American breast cancer rate increases

By CATHY NIE | May 4, 2017

In a 2017 study, researchers at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) concluded that Asian Americans exhibit higher rates of breast cancer than other minorities. The study was conducted among women from seven different Asian-American ethnic groups in California from 1988 to 2013.

The researchers extracted proteins from Tyrannosaurus rex bones.

Dinosaur proteins offer clues to the genetic past

By ELAINE CHIAO | May 4, 2017

Throughout history biological research has often focused on the study of DNA. The scientific community has, at times, neglected a category of macromolecules that play a crucial role in regulating genetic inheritance: proteins.

The Hydrophylax bahuvistara frog species has protective slime that can explode flu viruses in mice.

Frog slime has potential to cure flu viruses

By ANNA CHEN | May 4, 2017

Influenza, or the flu, kills tens of thousands of people every year. Even with the rapidly evolving medical and pharmaceutical industries, scientists have not been able to develop a complete cure for the flu.

Listen To Relaxes Music Girl Woman Headphones

Scientists study music’s effects on brain with fMRI

By RACHEL HUANG | April 27, 2017

Everyone experiences the occasional earworm, when a catchy piece of music seems to stick in your mind, even after it’s no longer playing. Recent studies have indicated that music may have significant effects in the brain, and researchers can now visualize it.

Public Domain Dinosaurs may be more closely related to crocodiles than first thought.

Ancestor of modern-day bird uncovered

By SHERRY SIMKOVIC | April 27, 2017

Paleobiologists at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) recently found a new fossil that    displayed the anatomy of a dinosaur predecessor known to be one of the earliest ancestors of the modern-day bird.

Courtesy of RUCHITA KOTHARI (Left to right) former speaker Mark Shelhamer, Chairs Ruchita Kothari and Ami Mange and Jonathan Clark.

Symposium brings flight surgeon to campus

By ANNA CHEN | April 27, 2017

Continuing this year’s theme “Unconventional Medicine,” Conversations in Medicine  (CiM) presented the symposium’s final talk  given by space physician and flight surgeon Dr. Jonathan Clark on April 17.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Growing crops will be necessary for survival in space, a possibility due to the new NASA bill.

It may be feasible to farm in outer space

By AVERY GULINO | April 20, 2017

In Andy Weir’s novel The Martian, Mark Watney colonized Mars by growing potatoes from his own fecal matter. In reality, that small piece of science fiction may not be so fictional after all.

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