Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
October 21, 2025
October 21, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology




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Researchers tested birth control in the form of an injection for men.

Male birth control study terminated early

According to a new study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, male birth control was tested for the first time. A new way of preventing pregnancies, these “birth control shots” were given to sexually active males.


LOUISA HOWARD/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Mitochondrial DNA mutations can occur spontaneously or be inherited from the mother.

Mitochondria DNA mutations linked to autism

Studying mitochondrial DNA may be the key to unlocking autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. New research suggests that mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may correlate with neurodevelopmental disorders like ASD.


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Researchers have identified a fossil dug up in 2004 as a piece of dinosaur brain tissue.

Fossilized dinosaur brain tissue discovered

A fossil hunter in East Sussex, England dug up a seemingly plain and ordinary brown pebble that has now officially been confirmed as fossilized brain tissue from a dinosaur in 2004. Although it took more than a decade for scientists to categorize the fossil, the tissue is the first fossilized dinosaur brain matter that has ever been discovered.




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Adding more physicians’ assistants to hospital groups can free up physicians’ time.

Adding physicians’ assistants cuts hospital costs

As health care expenditures rise, policy makers and administrators are scrambling to find ways to cut costs. The results of a recently published study indicate that it’s possible for hospitals to decrease expenditures without compromising the quality of patient care by adding more physicians’ assistants (PAs).


 GENERAL DYNAMICS BATH IRON WORKS /CC-BY-2.0
The USS Zumwalt was commissioned in Baltimore and is making its way to San Diego.

U.S. Navy commissions world’s largest battleship

The United States Navy’s latest addition to its battleship fleet, the USS Zumwalt, is the largest and most technologically advanced warship. The vessel was commissioned, or officially placed into active service in Baltimore on Oct. 15.


Study challenges past physics Nobel Prize results

In 2011, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three physicists for their discovery that confirmed that not only was the universe expanding, but also that it was doing so at an accelerated rate driven by the repulsive force of the strange and elusive substance, dark energy.



 COURTESY OF CATHY NIE
Thirty-one students presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, hosted by Nu Rho Psi.

Students present at Nu Rho Psi symposium

“The impossibility of today is tomorrow’s possibility,” Moran Cerf, a professor from Northwestern University (NU), announced during his keynote presentation at the Oct. 25 Nu Rho Psi Undergraduate Research Symposium.


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Migraineurs have a higher amount of nitrate-reducing oral bacteria.

Oral bacteria linked to onset of migraines

Surveying the food in the Fresh Food Café, you see that juicy sausage and mouth-watering bacon. All these processed meats, containing high levels of nitrates and nitrites, are commonly known to be correlated with cancer and heart diseases. On top of that, these nitrate-containing foods have been recently identified as triggering headaches.





 JANET STEPHENS/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Organs-on-chips may dramatically reduce the need for animal testing.

3D printing used to construct organ tissue

Researchers from Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have expanded the frontiers of 3D printing. Recently, 3D printing has enabled researchers to construct synthetic organ tissue that can mimic the functions and structures of human cells.



 Kunal MAITI/Photography Staff
HopHacks brought together students with different coding skill sets to compete in an app building contest.

330 students compete in biannual HopHacks

Hopkins hosted the biannual hackathon, HopHacks, on Oct. 21. Twice a year, coders from all over the country arrive in Baltimore to compete in a 36-hour app building challenge. This year, HopHacks was co-hosted by Booz Allen Hamilton.


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Dwarf planet 2014 UZ224 takes 1,100 Earth years to orbit the sun.

New dwarf planet found in Kuiper Belt

Ever since the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006, people have begun to pay significantly more attention and draw more definitive lines to the concept of a “dwarf planet.”


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