Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 28, 2026 September 28, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology

NASA/JPL/CORNELL UNIVERSITY NASA’s Opportunity rover might have to end its 15-year orbit on Mars.

NASA lost contact with its Mars Opportunity rover in a dust storm

By CINDY JIANG | February 7, 2019

Mars is one of the closest planets to Earth within our solar system and a strong contender for habitability under controlled conditions. Considering its unique status, it makes sense that many missions have been launched for the purpose of characterizing the planet. This would allow astronomers and scientists to better understand Mars and determine whether life could possibly exist there in the future. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars Opportunity rover is one of two rovers launched back in 2003 to probe Mars for any signs of past life.

PUBLIC DOMAIN The ratio of male to female births may be affected by temperature.

Global warming might mean fewer baby boys

By ALLISON CHEN | February 7, 2019

One unexpected impact of climate change may be an altered ratio of male to female children born, a recent study suggests. Research published by a team of Japanese and Danish scientists in Fertility and Sterility indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between temperature differentials and the male-to-female birth ratio. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Scientists are ever closer to the cure for cancer after the discovery that autophagy fights cancer.

Autophagy naturally destroys cancerous cells

By RACHEL HUANG | February 7, 2019

Cancer research is constantly ongoing with new discoveries left and right and a potential breakthrough scattered here and there. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, San Diego, Calif., have recently discovered a process that may potentially put an end to the controversial topic on the role of autophagy in cancer. 

 PUBLIC DOMAIN Researchers used AI to help analyze evolutionary and genomic datasets.

New human ancestor discovered through machine learning methods

By WILL EDMONDS | January 31, 2019

It is a well-established and often taught principle of evolution that new genes are introduced into the gene pool through both random mutations as well as introgressions. Introgressions are insertions into the gene pool through crossbreeding with another species (or related group).

PUBLIC DOMAIN The WHO attributed the drastic increase of measles to the growing number of anti-vaxxers.

Superbugs and anti-vaxxers threaten global health

By LAURA WADSTEN | January 31, 2019

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of 10 global health threats may surprise some this year, with uninformed parents and germs straight out of a science fiction novel making the cut. Diseases that were previously pushed to the brink of eradication are making a comeback, thanks in part to the anti-vaccination movement. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN   A recently developed blood test might help detect certain neurological diseases before symptom onset.

New test detects Alzheimer’s before symptoms show

By SHIRLEY MARINO LEE | January 31, 2019

According to a recent study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Germany, a blood test might be able to reliably detect signs of brain damage in a person who is on the way to developing Alzheimer’s disease. This simple blood test can provide results even before the person begins showing hallmark symptoms of the disease, such as confusion and memory loss.

Virtual reality fails to stimulate real responses

By ELAINE CHIAO | January 31, 2019

Many people might recall an experience where simply looking at an image of someone yawning triggers them to yawn. This is no magic; in fact, it is a popular phenomenon known as contagious yawning. Studies in the past have shown that approximately 50 percent of adults would yawn in response to other people’s yawning.

Blood vessels in petri dish help diabetes research

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | January 31, 2019

Scientists at the University of British Columbia have recently made a breakthrough in diabetes research. For the first time, researchers were able to grow human blood vessels as organoids in a petri dish, which will dramatically enhance research in cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes.

Global warming causes shorter, colder winters

By JAEMIE BENNETT | January 31, 2019

Chicago natives are no stranger to arctic weather, suffering through subzero temperatures at least once a year. But this winter, temperatures are plummeting to near negative 55 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill, making Chicago colder than even the South Pole. And the reason may be surprising: global warming.

  Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0  Blue Water Baltimore focuses on cleaning up the Harbor and streams.

Blue Water Baltimore’s Jenn Aiosa reflects on career

By LAUREN PADILLA | January 31, 2019

According to predictions from the Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Baltimore will encounter severe public health, infrastructural and economic issues as a result of global warming, from expanding rates of respiratory problems to extreme flooding. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN BrainGate researchers have previously developed prosthetic limbs that react to neural signals.

Quadriplegics wirelessly control computer systems

By WILL EDMONDS | December 6, 2018

Paralysis is a debilitating condition, but one that affects nearly two percent of the population in the U.S. — approximately 5.4 million people. Many paralyzed patients suffer from quadriplegia, a condition signified by partial or complete lack of motor function in all four limbs. Often the result of a traumatic injury, paralysis is caused by an inability of the spinal cord to pass signals from the brain to the peripheral nervous system.

PUBLIC DOMAIN HopAI brings disciplines together to talk about the importance of AI.

HopAI launches with its first symposium at Hopkins

By JAMES SCHARF | December 6, 2018

HopAI held its inaugural event on Thursday, Nov. 29. The organization, which seeks to connect and expose Hopkins students to artificial intelligence (AI), invited three speakers from different areas of study to describe their work with the diverse technologies.

COURTESY OF TAL LINZEN Tal Linzen, an assistant professor in the Cognitive Science Department, studies cognitive processes involved in AI.

Lab Spotlight: Professor Tal Linzen

By JAEMIE BENNETT | December 6, 2018

Yes, the machines might take over one day – but that’s (probably) still a long way away. In reality, human intelligence may be the key to developing artificial intelligence (AI). 

Bernoulli, Jurin and the math behind smallpox

By ALLISON CHEN | December 6, 2018

In December of 1694, Mary II of England fell ill. Physicians who attended the stricken queen, half of the pair known as William and Mary, argued over a diagnosis, but before long it became clear that she had contracted a severe form of smallpox. She died three days after Christmas, and the news was carried across London by tolling bells.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Researchers believe changes in climate led to the extinction of mammals.

Climate change caused ancient mammal extinction

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | December 6, 2018

While it has been a long-standing belief that pre-modern hominins, the ancestors of modern-day humans, contributed to the extinctions of large mammals in ancient Africa, researchers at the University of Utah have recently uncovered evidence that this may not be the case. Instead, these researchers believe that changes to atmospheric conditions, mainly the decrease of carbon dioxide as a result of increasing grassland, led to the extinction of these mammals.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Insomnia is a process that can be triggered by exposure to artificial light.

Artificial light can disrupt innate circadian rhythm

By RACHEL HUANG | December 6, 2018

According to the American Sleep Association, approximately 50 to 70 million American adults experience some form of sleep disorder. The term insomnia is used to describe the inability to fall, and stay, asleep. About 30 percent of American adults report issues with insomnia, of which 10 percent report having been diagnosed with chronic insomnia. These numbers are gradually on the rise.

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 in regard to mental health. In response to increased globalization over the last century, many countries have seen stigma against and support networks for the mentally ill change. Regardless, most cultures still have perspectives about mental illness that greatly reflect their regions’ traditions.

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