Science & Technology

Perspectives on mental health around the world

By CLAIRE GOUDREAU
November 29, 2018

The University’s undergraduate population boasts students from 62 different countries, with 11 percent of the current freshman class being international students. With this cultural diversity comes a mix of perspectives, cultures and experiences, especially ...

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It’s not all in your head: the brain and gut connection

By MORGAN OME | November 29, 2018

For as long as I can remember, my stomach has always hurt. Sometimes, I would feel like I was being stabbed with a dull knife, over and over. Other times, my body would break out in a cold sweat from waves of nausea. Even when I wasn’t in pain, my stomach would make noises, prompting people to ask what was wrong. I usually just said that I was hungry, even if I wasn’t. 

Terahertz opens the door to a novel technology for data storage

By WILLIAM EDMONDS | November 29, 2018

There’s a principle in the field of computer science known as Moore’s law. Put simply, this law states that the potential storage capacity on a circuit will grow exponentially every two years. In recent years, however, the promise of Moore’s law has been subjugated to the harsh realities of physics. Transistors are small enough now, at atomic sizes, that there may no longer be a future for conventional circuit design. This seemingly will not, however, put a damper on progress.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Researchers developed a new mechanism to control storage circuits.
PUBLIC DOMAIN Contrary to popular belief, genetics might not be the biggest indicator of longevity.

Longevity may not be an inherited trait in humans

By ELIZABETH IM | November 28, 2018

Many human traits are heritable. Unlike what most people confuse it to be, heritability is not simply whether a trait is inherited but a measure of how much of the variation in a trait can be explained by genetic differences. Your hair color, for example, is highly heritable because it is directly influenced by your parent’s genes. On the other hand, traits like the number of limbs you have or your lifestyle has low heritability. 

Giving holiday gifts that uplift women and fight gendered stereotypes

By LAUREN PADILLA | November 29, 2018

For many people, the end of November marks the start of holiday shopping season. While searching for the perfect present can be fun, it can also be infuriating. Perhaps the most difficult gifts to find are those for young girls interested in STEM. In an age of iPhones and AI, one would expect to find toy options for girls extending beyond baby dolls and play carriages. Unfortunately, many toys aisles today look like they’re designed more for the Stepford Wives than for the intelligent, dynamic young girls of 2018.            

PUBLIC DOMAIN There are frequently gender stereotypes that surround holiday gifts.
  COURTESY OF SUA MYONG Myong is the head of the Single Molecule Imaging Lab.

Lab Spotlight: Sua Myong

By TRISHA PARAYIL | November 28, 2018

In Sua Myong’s lab, proteins dance. To hear Myong talk about single molecule detection, her research specialty, one might think that she was describing a ballet.

Understanding the many complex causes behind mental disorders

By ALYSSA WOODEN | November 29, 2018

The question of what causes mental illnesses and disorders has been debated by doctors, researchers and psychologists for decades. One of the most widely-accepted approaches to understanding the causes of mental illness is the biological approach. This is the assumption that mental illness is due to defective biological mechanisms, such as neural circuitry and biochemistry. 

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Wrap up: the latest in technology...

By WILLIAM XIE | November 28, 2018

Apple rumored to host veteran medical records Apple is allegedly planning with the Department of Veteran Affairs to host veteran medical records on the iPhone. Currently, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hosts the health records of nine million veterans. In order to transfer the information from the VHA to iPhone, Apple needs to create new software that will display veterans’ medical records.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Coronary calcium levels can be used to calculate various types of heart disease risk scores.

Calcium levels can indicate coronary artery disease

By RACHEL HUANG | November 28, 2018

Doctors often discuss the benefits of calcium intake for the body. Not only is calcium beneficial for bone health, but it’s also required for the heart, muscles and nerves to function properly. More recently, a study presented at the 2018 American Heart Association Scientific Session conference in Chicago found that measuring calcium levels can also provide insight in predicting the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD).

Health-related ballots in the midterm elections

By ALLISON CHEN | November 28, 2018

Much of the attention surrounding this year’s midterm elections concerned the candidates, but in addition to electing representatives, citizens also had the opportunity to vote on ballot measures. These questions appear on ballots to be approved or rejected by voters in an example of direct democracy. 

  PUBLIC DOMAIN Health-related measures made the ballot this election in several states.
PUBLIC DOMAIN Patients who have chronic back pain show abnormalities in their neuronal oscillations.

Modulating brain waves may be the key to treat chronic back pain

By ISAAC CHEN | November 29, 2018

Have you been experiencing lower back pain recently? If so, you are not alone. As many as 80 percent of adults experience lower back pain at some point in their lives.  It is a commonly observed job-related disability that can range in intensity from a constant ache to sharp pains. A lower back pain is considered chronic if it continues to persist for 12 weeks or longer. 

Research shows seasonal variation in some illness

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | November 28, 2018

While it may be well-known that flu season is in the winter, it may come as a surprise that other forms of illness, including sexually transmitted diseases, malaria and even chickenpox have “peak seasons” as well, according to a study published in PLOS Pathogens.

Should tigers be classified into six subspecies?

By WILLIAM EDMONDS | November 14, 2018

Tigers are not only the largest cat species in the world, but they are also a keystone species integral to the continued maintenance of the food chain. For decades, researchers have been warning governments around the world about the endangered status of tigers and encouraging more stringent protection on habitats and against poaching. With fewer than four thousand tigers remaining around the world, down from an estimated one hundred thousand in 1990, conservationists have been studying the best ways to keep the species alive. 

 PUBLIC DOMAIN Genetic analysis of tigers shows there may be six distinct subspecies.

Lab spotlight: Professor Lisa Feigenson

By ELIZABETH IM | November 14, 2018

Do you remember the first time you took a shower by yourself without the help of your parents? When you first learned the concept of infinity? Or the day you first noticed that time is a continuous flow — that as you waited for the minute hand to move, dozens of seconds have already passed by?

Courtesy of Lisa Feigenson Feigenson studies young minds.

Experts question FDA’s approval of new opioid

By ISAAC CHEN | November 14, 2018

The opioid epidemic has become one of the greatest concerns in the U.S., with an estimated 29,000 deaths from overdose of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, 115 Americans pass away due to an opioid overdose every day. 

Bitcoin’s electric demand may fuel global warming

By CINDY JIANG | November 15, 2018

Bitcoin is a form of cryptocurrency that shot to fame in 2017 due to its surge in price from below $1,000 to nearly $20,000 on the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (BPI). The spike was good news for those involved with the cryptocurrency and left those who weren’t involved curious. As of today, one bitcoin equals 5,586.01 United States dollars. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Maintaining the Bitcoin platform requires a lot of electricity input.

The gradual evolution of today’s contact lenses

By ALLISON CHEN | November 14, 2018

Contact lenses are the sort of everyday object that have become so commonplace to us, it is hard to appreciate just how strange they are in concept. How exactly did we arrive at putting small pieces of glass or plastic on our eyes to improve vision?