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
A fossil proved that evolutionary ancestors of reptiles gave live births.

Fossil sheds light on reproductive evolution

Professor Jonathan Aitchison, head of the University of Queensland’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, recently proposed a theory that, if proven true, would revolutionize established archaeological models and deductions.


 ED uthman/cc-by-2.0
Molecules outside the cell may show pancreatic cancer development.

Extracellular vesicles can act as biomarkers

Formerly dismissed as mere by-products from cellular metabolic activities, extracellular vesicles are now regarded as potential biomarkers in diseases such as pancreatic cancer. These vesicles transfer nucleic acids, proteins and lipids, resulting in modifications of both parent and target cells. In the case of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles, target cells are changed so that they comprise an environment favorable for tumor invasion and growth.




Sex of fetus influences mother’s immune state

It is an old wives’ tale that being pregnant with a boy is different than being pregnant with a girl. If a woman is pregnant with a girl, it is rumored she will have a wider stomach, more nausea and overall worse pregnancy symptoms due to a higher level of hormones.



COURTESY OF SABRINA CHEN
The Kata box, now inside the BLC, was developed by the Kata Design Project.

Kata table engages students and stroke patients

Returning to Brody Atrium after a restful winter break, you might have noticed the absence of the BALAUR Wall. In its place lies a mysterious wooden box with intricate designs carved into its sides. As you approach the box you see that it appears to control the screen in front of it, which displays some video game-like sequence.


PUBLIC DOMAIN
The rapidly declining bee population raises agricultural concerns.

Researchers developing drone for pollination

One of the most contentious topics in the world today is the use of drones by the U.S. military to target terrorist threats. However, a different kind of drone may help promote agricultural and economic growth along with maintaining wildlife diversity.



 COURTESY OF MICHAEL BEER
Beer’s research deals with the control elements of the genome.

Professor Beer awarded $1.8 million NIH grant

Early last week, Professor Michael Beer, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Hopkins, was awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his work as part of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Consortium (ENCODE), a collaboration of 18 labs striving to catalog all coding and regulatory regions of the human genome.


 KIT LARSON/CC-BY-SA-3.0
Coating drugs in a layer of milk protein makes them easier to swallow.

Protein-based drug delivery system developed

Your mom places a cockroach-sized pill on the table and tells you to swallow it. You take a deep breath, take a large gulp of water and pop it into your mouth. But no matter what you do, you can’t seem to send the medicine down. Sometimes, it doesn’t even make it past the back of your tongue. Other times, it gets stuck in your throat and causes you to gag.



 HUME/CC-By-3.0
This species of Dryas monkey was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Population of endangered monkeys discovered

Researchers from the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) have discovered an entirely new population of critically endangered monkeys in one of the most isolated regions on Earth. Utilizing remote sensing cameras and audio recorders, the team is the first to capture footage of the rare, largely unknown monkey population known as the Dryas. The monkey species has long been thought to be solely native to a small area in the Congo basin, a hypothesis that has been recently debunked.


Graham beards/cc-by-sa-3.0
Phages exhibit decision-making processes that makes them appear more intelligent than we thought.

Phage research may provide cure for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

It might be difficult to imagine essentially inanimate objects having a sense of brain and self, but this is virtually the case for viruses. Viruses occupy a gray area. They are generally believed to hover between living and nonliving. Their main purpose for existence is to invade hosts as a sort of intracellular parasite.



 Courtesy of TOMMY KOH
Tommy Koh, a DURA recepient, has researched Singapore’s semi-democratic and authoritative regime.

Hopkins awards annual research scholarships

At Hopkins, there is a kind of research for everyone, whether it is wet lab research at the Hopkins Hospital, clinical research at the Bloomberg School of Public Health or research through other institutions and study abroad programs. Amidst all of these opportunities, Hopkins also provides research scholarships for students that wish to investigate independent research projects.


 PUBLIC DOMAIN
Five galaxies were used to measure current universe expansion rate.

Universe is expanding faster than expected

A group of international astronomers, led by Sherry Suyu of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, made new and independent measurements of how fast our current universe is expanding. This expansion rate, also known as the Hubble Constant, plays a crucial role in modern astronomy for its ability to help verify our picture of the universe.



Personality linked to brain structure

Personality is a multi-faceted quality with numerous possible influencing factors, making it intriguing and yet difficult to measure and study. We are constantly shaped by our experiences and environment.


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