Most people have referred to the “five-second rule” in order to save a tasty morsel that has fallen on the germ-covered ground. However, staunch believers of this popular rule may want to reconsider. Scientists from Rutgers University have conducted an experiment that disproves the widely accepted belief that food that was dropped on the ground is clean as long as it is picked up within five seconds.
Winston Timp, a professor in the biomedical engineering department here at Hopkins, heads a lab that explores everything from the fiery metabolism of hummingbirds to the causes of colon and pancreatic cancer. Timp’s lab is located in Clark Hall.
Major depressive disorder (MDD), according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is projected to be one of the three leading causes of premature disability and mortality by 2030. However even if 100 percent of MDD patients utilized currently available evidence-based treatments, two-thirds of the people suffering from the disorder, according to one estimate, would still remain untreated.
An unexpected finding has debunked a once accepted idea that all giraffes are of a single species composed of several subspecies. A recent genetic study done on giraffe relationships shows that the world’s tallest mammalians are not in fact one species, but four distinct species.
Nowadays there is a fever for point-of-care applications to allow physicians easily to assess a patient’s health status. In turn, both academic and industry research teams are looking at engineering principles to automate and scale down clinical assays in a cost-effective manner. Examples include microfluidics, which leverages the high surface to small volume ratio of micro devices to lower assay cost and requires only a prick of blood from the patient, microcontrollers and magnetic-powered technologies.
Results published in the journal Autism Research by researchers from the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, University of Washington Bothell and Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that for children with autism, exposure to diagnostic ultrasound during the first trimester of pregnancy increased the severity of their autism symptoms.
As of now, there is no current vaccine against the M protein, a surface protein of a bacteria cluster called Group A Streptococcus (group A strep). The M protein inhibits the body’s immunity toward this group of bacteria, enabling it to cause detrimental effects on humans. However, a group of researchers headed by Partho Ghosh, chair of University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has recently been able to unearth unknown sequence patterns of the M protein.
Cardiac surgery research is something recent Hopkins alumnus Tom Zhang has always wanted to do. Thanks to the Hibino Lab at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, his dreams of helping cardiac patients are being realized so soon after graduation.
On Sept. 7, Apple held a showcase for the new iPhone 7. However, the presentation was met with controversy. Much of this controversy revolves around the removal of the headphone jack and the functions of the home button.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning , the most serious type of warning, in Oct. 2004, alerting clinicians about the increased risk of suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior in children and adolescents treated with antidepressants.
Bipolar disorder affects approximately five million Americans, and researchers are continuing to seek out its genetic and molecular source. In order to advance the treatment options available to those suffering from bipolar and other similar disorders, scientists must first uncover more about the disease’s development and cause.
Your dogs may understand more than you give them credit for. A study conducted by researchers from Hungary has found that dogs can understand the meaning and intonation of words using brain regions similar to those that humans use.
Recent studies have shown that Americans are living longer. However, this increased life expectancy may come hand in hand with an increase in years spent living with disability.
Neuromodulation techniques, as opposed to standard pharmacological methods, have enabled the direct and localized revitalization of malfunctioning neuronal circuits. Treatment via neuromodulation has been applied to various conditions including neurological disorders, chronic pain and, as of most recently, in disorders of consciousness.
Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our planet (apart from the sun). It is located a little over four light years from our solar system. Proxima Centauri is invisible to the naked eye as it is not only further but also fainter than the Sun. This red dwarf sits near the Alpha Centauri AB, a binary pair of much brighter stars.
Imagine calling for an Uber only to find that a car pulls up with no driver at the wheel. While such an event may only seem possible in science fiction movies, the project is already underway in Pittsburgh, home of the hotbed for robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where Uber has been testing its self-driving technology.
Four Hopkins students are taking major strides in the crusade to cure cancer. Each of the four students was awarded $5,000 and spent eight weeks this summer working on various research projects in the field of pediatric oncology.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have recently been investigating forms of food packaging other than traditional plastic wrap. One alternative they have taken particular interest in is edible, biodegradable packaging made out of casein, a milk protein. Not only is this material insensitive to light, it is up to 500 times better than plastic at keeping oxygen out of the product, according to the American Chemical Society (ACS).
