Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 27, 2024

Science & Technology



Animal Antics: Inbreeding koalas compromised their genetic diversity

Sleeping, eating and having sex all day — who wouldn’t want to have that kind of life? Australian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), widely known as the biggest sleepers in the animal kingdom, are doing just that. In order to digest the high-tannin eucalyptus foliage that comprise the majority of their diets, these cuddly marsupials spend most of their day (a stunning 16 to 18 hours) motionless.


Romney vs. Obama: Healthcare Reform

With the election less than three weeks away, the Hopkins Undergraduate Bioethics Society (HUBS) hosted an open forum titled “Who has a better vision for healthcare, Obama or Romney?”


Tainted steroids cause meningitis outbreak

Steroid injections are a common form of relief for severe back and neck pain. Instead of comfort, however, patients who recently received injections may be facing a graver issue: meningitis.


Man jumps from record-breaking height

This past Sunday morning, daredevil extraordinaire Felix Baumgartner completed a record-breaking plummet to Earth from 128,100 feet above the ground. To get an idea of how high that is, the camera view from Baumgartner’s helmet showed that the diver could see the Earth’s curvature from his vantage point. Carried in a small pod lifted by a helium balloon, Baumgartner rose to a distance of 24.26 miles. Through the mission, coined “Red Bull Stratos,” Baumgartner hoped to become the first man to break the sound barrier.


Hopkins CLF explores sustainable fishing

With another effort to push the boundaries of the local, sustainable living scene, the Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) recently held the grand opening for its new Aquaponics Project, based at the Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore.


IAA recognizes MESSENGER mission

The 2012 Laurels for Team Achievement, presented annually by the International Academy of Astronautics, has been presented this year to the collaborators working on NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER mission).


Vitamin D correlated with multiple sclerosis

An easily obtainable nutrient, vitamin D, is essential to the human body. Moreover, a recent study shows that the level of vitamin D in the body seems to have an effect on the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks. The study, conducted by Ellen Mowry at the Hopkins School of Medicine, correlates low vitamin D level with symptoms from multiple sclerosis patients.




$6M granted to wind energy research

In the last few years, research into alternative forms of energy has become very important. 38 states now have ambitious goals for how much electricity they want to come from renewable and alternative sources, and the U.S. Department of Energy wants 20 percent of electricity to be supplied by wind power by 2020.


Media encourages teen drinking

Alcohol is not unfamiliar to college students. The problem of over-consumption has been linked to approximately 4,700 deaths in adolescents every year. Furthermore, alcohol has a disproportionate effect on different racial groups.


Joy linked to reduced responsibility

Would you rather have a choice, or do you want to be told what to do? Chances are, you’re smirking at the question thinking, of course I want to have choices! Research shows, however, that in some situations, people are happier when they are told what to do.


Popular HIV drug may cause cognitive impairment

Despite the development of new anti-retroviral drugs, commonly regarded as “good news” for HIV patients, 30 to 50 percent of these patients will still develop some form of cognitive impairment in the long-term.


Scaffolding organs is new approach to transplants

In 2010, doctors diagnosed Andemariam Beyene, a man from Eritrea, with a tumor growing in his windpipe and determined his odds of survival to be slim. Its growth unhindered by both radiation therapy and surgery, the tumor appeared to be unmanageable.


Mechanisms for maintaining erection identified

Men suffering from erectile dysfunction may have a new treatment on the way after work by Arthur Burnett, a professor of urology at the Hopkins School of Medicine, lifted the cover on how penile erections are maintained after initial arousal.


Muscle regeneration possible without stem cells

Until now, no cure was available for muscular dystrophy. However, recent research findings are about to change that. Se-Jin Lee, from the Hopkins School of Medicine, published an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about a promising solution for muscle hypertrophy that does not involve stem cells.


Elephants use their body hair to dissipate heat

You might already know that the mammals hold the world record in hairiness. What you might not know is that not all animals use their hairs to keep themselves warm. Weighing up to 12 tons and reaching heights up to 13 feet, elephants are the largest living land animals on this planet. In other words, they are massive!


Climate change may decrease wine quality

With global warming causing extreme weather around the world, it may seem like a glass of wine is the only thing people can count on.  As climate change worsens though, the harvest season for wine grapes will change. This will affect the quality of wine produced and force vineyards to be relocated in the future, chasing the cold weather that the crops require.


Astronomers find most distant galaxy to date

With the help of NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, a team of astronomers led by Hopkins’ Wei Zheng has discovered the most distant – and, hence, the youngest – galaxy ever observed with high confidence.


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