Science & Technology

National number of STD cases continues to climb

By CINDY JIANG
September 6, 2018

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 ...

PUBLIC DOMAIN   CDC recently released statistics on increasing STD diagnoses across the nation.
PUBLIC DOMAIN Mono virus attacks B cells, which produces proteins to turn genes on and off.

New diseases found to be linked to mono virus

By ANNA CHEN | May 2, 2018

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. 

Antioxidants can reduce cardiovascular diseases

By CINDY JIANG | May 2, 2018

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. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Antioxidants, commonly found in fruits and vegetables, can improve health.
TRAVELBAG LTD./CC BY 2.0 The likelihood of being fatally attacked by a shark is one in 3,700,000.

Sharks should not get such a bad reputation

By CATHERINE PALMER | May 3, 2018

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. 

Eating dark chocolate has neurological benefits

By ELAINE CHIAO | May 2, 2018

Researchers at Loma Linda University have recently announced good news for people with a sweet tooth. After many experimental trials, they discovered that the consumption of certain types of dark chocolate noticeably improves people’s cognitive abilities.

PUBLIC DOMAIN NASA, along with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, launched TESS, an exoplanet explorer.

NASA launches a new satellite to detect planets

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | May 2, 2018

While the exploration of the solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life has been going on for decades, NASA recently took a huge step forward with the launch of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Exoplanets are planets outside the solar system that orbit a star.

3-D brains offer new way to study mental illnesses

By ISAAC CHEN | May 2, 2018

While there is currently no cure for schizophrenia, research has continued to develop new ways of understanding this disease. In fact, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston have recently used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells to develop 3-D cerebral organoids, which are artificially grown models of the brain.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Scientists have developed 3-D mini-brains to aid in studying brain development.

Wrap up: the latest in technology...

By WILLIAM XIE | April 25, 2018

Nest Labs Provides Low-Income Families with Thermostats Nest Labs, a producer of sensor-driven thermostats, smoke detectors and security systems, recently announced that it will donate up to one million thermostats to low-income families. The company is involved in Power Project, an initiative to improve energy costs for low-income families.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Students who practice yoga seem to have better performance at school.

Yoga in schools offers mental health benefits

By TRISHA PARAYIL | April 25, 2018

Breathe in, stretch your arms to the sky in tree pose, breathe out. Many practice yoga to relax and help them with their mental health. Yoga practices were first recorded in the Rig-Veda, an ancient religious Hindu text. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Research done on both genders shows that night owls might have a ten percent increased chance to die earlier.

Staying up later correlated with shorter life span

By RACHEL HUANG | April 25, 2018

In a study published in Chronobiology International, researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom have discovered a correlation between chronotypes (the time a person prefers to sleep) and mortality.

Manhattan mice carry disease-causing bacteria

By SABRINA CHEN | April 25, 2018

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.

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

Alcohol consumption has grave health risks

By JAEMIE BENNETT | April 25, 2018

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.