Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
May 4, 2025
May 4, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology



PUBLIC DOMAIN
Stem cells can be embedded into scaffolds to repair spinal cord injury.

Epithelial stem cells can treat spinal cord injury

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 250,000 to 500,000 people suffer from spinal cord injuries each year. A lot of these injuries are due to preventable causes, such as car crashes and falls.





PUBLIC DOMAIN
Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, may temporarily remedy brain loss due to memory diseases.

Exercising can prevent brains from shrinking

In this day and age, there is hardly a need for another reason to pick up a gym membership. The apparent benefits of exercise are seemingly endless, with a number of positive physical and emotional changes associated with taking a bit of time to sweat.


HORTON HARVEY/CC BY 2.0
When a high-calorie diet is introduced, weight gain is particularly noticeable.

A single gene may affect susceptibility to obesity

Obesity is a health issue that has been affecting growing numbers of Americans in recent years. While people generally believe that obesity is caused by eating and various lifestyle habits, researchers are working to pinpoint a gene that might be directly responsible for obesity.


ROCKYROE/AUSAID/CC BY 2.0
Diastolic heart failure can be treated by surgically implanting a shunt that reduces pressure build up in the heart.

Researchers find new treatment for heart failure

It’s widely known that the heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. With its contracting and relaxing motions, the heart is able to pump blood to different areas within the body, thus providing nutrients and various necessary hormones to ensure the body operates at an optimal level.


PUBLIC DOMAIN
Limiting fat content through a low-calorie diet improves the liver’s response to insulin in rats.

Low-calorie diet reverses type 2 diabetes in rats

In the United States 9.4 percent of the population suffers from diabetes, affecting over 30 million people. The disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes is $245 billion. Clearly diabetes is no small issue.


CC BY-SA 3.0 / JJ Harrison
Scientists and virologists suggest that Zika may be around indefinitely.

Scientists worry Zika virus will return soon

Recently, the number of people suffering from Zika virus throughout the world has significantly decreased. However, biologists predict that Zika will return with a vengeance, potentially leading to more infections.






Researchers regrow boy’s skin cells from stem cells

Stem cells are special cells in our body that have the potential to develop into many different types of cells during proliferation. A stem cell divides by producing a new cell with the potential either to remain a stem cell or to become a cell with a more specialized function such as a muscle cell, a brain cell or a red blood cell.


SCOTT KINMARTIN/CC BY 2.0
A new study looks into the details of how an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs could have survived the asteroid hit

The age of dinosaurs drew to a close some 66 million years ago when a large asteroid struck the Yucatán Peninsula. The asteroid was about nine kilometers in diameter and released large amounts of stratospheric soot and sulfate aerosols when it collided with the hydrocarbon-rich sedimentary rocks on Earth.



PUBLIC DOMAIN
Fish have a neurochemistry similar to humans and illustrate signs of depression.

Research shows that fish can also get depressed

Recent studies have shown that some species of fish can show symptoms of major depressive disorder. While one might find this claim bizarre and dismiss fish as simple organisms incapable of complex emotion, there are actually several striking similarities we share with fish.




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