Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 30, 2025 April 30, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology

PATORJK / CC BY-SA 4.0 Sangree, from the Hopkins Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, used her expertise to share reasons behind the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.  

The Key Bridge collapse: Engineering lessons and perspectives from the tragedy that shook Baltimore

By SHREYA TIWARI | April 9, 2024

On March 26 at about 1:30 a.m., the cargo ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a disastrous collapse that sent shockwaves through the city of Baltimore and the structural engineering community nationwide. Questions arose about the safety of the bridge and how such a disastrous event occurred. My deepest condolences go out to the families of those lost in the collapse. Shedding light on what caused such a catastrophic disaster is critical to ensuring that such a failure doesn’t occur again. 

PHIL HART / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 This week's most significant science news is the forthcoming total solar eclipse which will be seen across North America on Monday, April 8.

Science news in review: April 7

By PRIYA DUBEY | April 7, 2024

As the semester winds down, take a moment to learn about this week's breaking science news. We learned about scientists’ preparations for studying the total solar eclipse, the rediscovery of the world's first police crime lab, how AI can detect severe floods worldwide and the necessary re-evaluation of air pollution’s impact on public health.

WAYNE HSIEH / CC BY-NC 2.0 Friedman discussed his work earthquake-proofing buildings, including the California Memorial Stadium.

David Friedman gives talk on earthquake safety engineering

By PRIYA DUBEY | April 5, 2024

On Thursday, March 28, the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering hosted David Friedman, emeritus CEO and board chair of Forell Elsesser Structural Engineers. The talk, titled “The Practice of Structural and Earthquake Engineering Today and Three Unique Structural Engineering Projects," touched on Friedman’s projects and methodologies as well as the challenges posed by the constraints of the environment. Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jeremy Brown organized the event. 

DEVIANTARTS / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Liu shared her work on non-invasive optical imaging techniques that allow real-time visualization of neuronal networks and functions in free-moving model organisms. 

Biophotonics imaging transforms studies of neuronal activities

By ANNIE HUANG | April 4, 2024

Yuehan Liu is a fifth-year doctoral candidate affiliated with the Biophotonics Imaging Technology Lab (BIT) advised by Xingde Li. She recently gave a talk at SPIE Photonics West BiOS entitled "Two-photon fiberscope with a proactive optoelectrical commutator for rotational resistance-free neuroimaging in freely-behaving rodents." Her talk focused on the recent progress of non-invasive imaging technologies that could revolutionize the study of brain function and diseases.

DEFENSE VISUAL INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SERVICE / PUBLIC DOMAIN Scientists recently advocated against a reduced budget for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Science news in review: April 2

By PRIYA DUBEY | April 2, 2024

In 2016, many U.S. diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Havana fell ill with mysterious symptoms. They reported feeling hearing loud noises or experiencing intense headaches.  The illness was dubbed Havana syndrome, though it is sometimes referred to as anomalous health incidents (AHIs).

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN Weisser shared how printers and booksellers contributed to distributing treatment for venereal disease in 17th- and 18th-century London. 

Medicinal practices of the past: Purchasing cures in 18th-century London

By JOSSELYN ROBLETO | March 13, 2024

On Thursday, March 7, the Virginia Fox Stern Center for the Study of the Book in the Renaissance, situated at Hopkins Sheridan Libraries, hosted Olivia Weisser, professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a historian of medicine. Weisser’s research focuses on health in 16th- to 18th-century Britain, and her lecture titled “Shopping for Pox Cures in Early Modern London” analyzed the process of purchasing treatments for venereal disease, a term that encompasses what are today known as sexually transmitted diseases. 

DWIGHT SIPLER / CC BY 2.0  A recent study from the Prasse lab analyzed contaminant levels in Baltimore-grown kale with positive results.

Green and clean: An investigation of contaminants in locally grown kale

By RITWIK RAJ | March 12, 2024

In a recent study, a team of Hopkins researchers analyzed contaminants found in kale grown on Baltimore farms. The findings, published in Environmental Sciences & Technology, are a reassurance that local-grown kale is safe to eat, and the innovative approach used is paving the way for future research in environmental science. 

CMB IMAGES / PUBLIC DOMAIN A recent analysis of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background sheds light on the universe's development.

CLASS furthers understanding of the Cosmic Microwave Background

By ZACHARY BAHAR | March 12, 2024

A recent paper published by a team of Hopkins physicists and astronomers has permanently changed the landscape of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) — in this case, literally. The paper, published in The Astrophysical Journal on Monday, March 4, includes the most detailed observations of the CMB taken from Earth.

FLAVIO SERAFINI / CC BY-NC 2.0 Chung reflects on the iterative but reflective nature of research through which she learns important skills and obtains cherished moments in her research lab. 

Finding my place in the vast world of research

By CLAIRE CHUNG | March 11, 2024

When I was younger, I had always imagined a research lab as the kind of fancy modern room that we see in sci-fi movies — full of scientists in pristine white coats operating sleek machines and furiously pipetting into empty beakers (without any aseptic technique). Thus, my perception of a research lab was completely renewed when, as a freshman last winter, I joined Dr. Peter Searson’s lab at the Institute for NanoBioTechnology.

ANDREW REDING / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Gynandromorphism, a phenotypic trait where an animal has both male and female characteristics, is found in birds such as ducks, chickens and a green honeycreeper that was recently spotted in Colombia. 

Science news in review: March 10

By VICKY ZHU | March 10, 2024

As we approach the final stretch before spring break, let’s look beyond our class content and appreciate how scientists around the world have applied textbook knowledge to generate meaningful research findings. This week’s science news focuses on fascinating biodiversity in nature, humans’ impact on the environment and the potential to restore past lives on Earth. 

LARA JAMESON / PEXELS LICENSE Michael Goldfarb shared his experiences developing prosthetic limbs during a recent lecture.

Revolutionizing prosthetics: Balancing power and passivity

By SHREYA TIWARI | March 8, 2024

On Thursday, Feb. 29, The Johns Hopkins Department of Mechanical Engineering hosted Michael Goldfarb, the H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director at the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics at Vanderbilt University. The talk shed light on novel perspectives regarding powered lower limb prostheses. 

MICROBE WORLD / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 This week, a team at Rockefeller University published a study surveying Mtb's intentionally disrupted RNA sequencing.

Science News in Review: March 3

By VICKY ZHU and ZACHARY BAHAR | March 5, 2024

As the semester reaches its halfway mark and midterms ramp up before spring break, take a break to learn about this week’s breaking science news. This week includes (intentional) breaks in tuberculosis RNA, (unintentional) breakdowns on the moon, gene editing and particle masses.

WORLD WILDLIFE / CC0 1.0  Amy Balanoff discusses her research into the development of avian flight with The News-Letter.

New insights into the evolution of flight

By RITWIK RAJ | February 28, 2024

Researchers at Hopkins have made significant progress in unraveling the mystery of flight evolution. The findings, published in The Proceedings of The Royal Society, shed light on the evolutionary adaptations that enabled dinosaurs and birds to take to the skies.

NASA/ESA/STScI / PUBLIC DOMAIN This week, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered a shocking stellar display in the ancient universe.

Science news in review: Feb. 25

By JOSSELYN ROBLETO | February 28, 2024

With February rapidly drawing to a close, let’s dive into last week’s science and technology headlines: Microplastics are complicating efforts to define a new epoch in Earth’s history, poor metabolisms may be the cause of intestinal knotting, machines are reading minds to learn more about the mystery of the brain, and astronomers have discovered a billion-year-old black hole eruption that may have led to an unusual formation of stars.

MICHAEL HIMBEAULT / CC BY 2.0 Jessica Sorrell highlighted the different reasons why machine learning algorithms might be difficult to replicate.

Addressing the replication crisis in computer science

By SHIRLENE JOHN | February 21, 2024

The Department of Computer Science hosted Jessica Sorrell, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, for its seminar series on Feb. 15. In her talk, titled “Replicability in Machine Learning,” Sorrell examined a new approach to formalize a definition of replicability for machine learning algorithms.

CHAVAL BRASIL / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Miao shares her discovery of the parallels between two of her interests, research and skiing. 

Hypothesis testing in lab and on the slopes

By JUSTINA MIAO | February 20, 2024

As I stood at the top of a ski slope in a terrain park, I looked down upon the 20-foot jump that my friends and I wanted to hit. One critical question arose in my head: How fast should we hit the jump? 

ESO/M. KORNMESSER / CC BY 4.0 Cosmologist Joseph Silk explores the role of supermassive black holes in the early universe in a recent paper.

New paper demonstrates link between black holes and early star formation

By ZACHARY BAHAR | February 19, 2024

Supermassive black holes have long fascinated physicists and astronomers. Almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole located at its center, and with solar masses ranging from 100,000 to billions or even hundreds of billions, these structures bind galaxies. As gas falls onto its accretion disks, it heats up and releases powerful waves of electromagnetic energy. How do these cosmic maelstroms emerge? What could enable their formation?

ALEXAS_FOTOS / CC0 1.0 A new study reveals smoking’s long-lasting effects on immune system function and genetic activity even after individuals have quit smoking. 

Science news in review: Feb. 18

By SONYA ZHANG | February 18, 2024

As the midterm season begins to pick up, we recommend taking a breather and reading about this week’s biggest headliners in science and technology: Smoking causes even more harm than previously anticipated, SpaceX is launching a spacecraft to reach the moon, scientists discovered a reason behind long-lasting allergies and newly engineered beef-rice may help address food insecurity.

THISISENGINEERING / PUBLIC DOMAIN The Leading Change in Medicine series discussed the power of open-source software technology.

WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg discusses innovation at Hopkins lecture series

By SHREYA TIWARI | February 18, 2024

Matt Mullenweg participated in a discussion discussion led by Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science Elliot Fishman on Tuesday, Feb. 13 as part of the Leading Change: Perspective from Outside of Medicine Conversation series. Mullenweg is the founder of WordPress, and he shared insights from his journey with open-source technology, his leadership style and his vision for a more inclusive and innovative future.

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