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Science & Technology

Study links gene to enhanced cognition

By JOAN YEA | February 5, 2015

Clotho, one of the three Fates in Ancient Greek mythology, was accorded the responsibility of spinning the threads of human lives. She was tasked with controlling not only the birth of each individual, but also the timing of each individual’s death. Named after this Greek spinner of life, the klotho protein, which was discovered in 1997, has been associated with longevity. Recently, a variant of the KLOTHO gene that codes for the klotho protein was linked to better cognitive abilities in humans.

Honey bee populations plummet worldwide

By REGINA PALATINI | February 5, 2015

The next time you lay out on the Beach studying and an inquisitive bee comes along, thank him. Why? Because our health and the health of people worldwide depend on this creature that weighs one-tenth of a gram. Scientists have recently linked human health in a new way to the important role that bees play in pollination of agricultural crops.

Close links found between memory and sleep

By SARAH SUKARDI | February 5, 2015

The big chemistry test is tomorrow. You’ve been up pouring through and highlighting your textbook, consolidating your notes into one dense study sheet, and cramming all the information about alkanes, aromatic molecules and reaction mechanisms that you can in one night. Your brain is sated, and it’s time for a celebratory cup of coffee to cement those facts.

NFL players suffer the effects of concussions

By TONY WU | February 5, 2015

Millions of Americans sat in front of the television last Sunday, mesmerized by the skill and speed of football players in Super Bowl XLIX. The bone-crunching impacts both horrified and delighted the spectators.

Personality ratings can predict life expectancy

By SUNNY CAI | February 5, 2015

At some point or another, everyone has wondered how long he or she will live. Although obtaining a completely definite and reliable answer is essentially impossible, a recent study shows that your close friends may be able to provide a fairly accurate assessment of your life expectancy.

Harvard discovers new method of biocontainment

By TONY WU | January 29, 2015

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) spark numerous debates regarding human safety and the efficient use of resources. Some advocate GMOs as a way through which humans can battle hunger and disease. The flood of cheap and beautiful genetically modified crops in supermarkets and the success of genetically modified mosquitoes in wiping out their disease-carrying counterparts seem to support this view. However, opponents of GMOs cite the potential dangers to human health if genetically modified foods are consumed and the possibility of mutations in genetically modified organisms. Recently a research team at Harvard has discovered a method of biocontainment, built-in mechanisms that prevent GMOs from surviving in unintended places.

Hopkins team studies fight or flight response

By ELLI TIAN | January 29, 2015

The body’s fight or flight response is all too familiar to many of us, even if we’ve never been confronted with a life or death situation before. As college students, we may have to give a presentation in front of a large class, drink several cups of coffee in order to finish an essay or even just ask our romantic interest out on a date — situations which can induce a variety of responses from the human cardiovascular system. These symptoms include stomach “butterflies” and an accelerated heart rate. However, some people may experience these symptoms without any sort of external stimulus. Medical and psychological conditions, such as heart disease and schizophrenia, can cause the heart to race uncontrollably and unpredictably, and in some cases it can be deadly.

The Brain Wave: The good, the bad and the ugly of modern light

By DUY PHAN | January 29, 2015

IPads are really fun to use, with functionality ranging from watching Netflix to playing Angry Birds. Even beyond evening entertainment, light-emitting electronic devices are entering the realm of education through waves of e-books and applications that promote learning, and their utility explains their ubiquity in our lives. However, have we really fully considered the implication of such technologies beyond their use in work and play? This question has been raised many times before. Some say that technologies make us lazier and more dependent on electronics. Others say they take away from interpersonal relationships as people glue their eyes to the small screen of their mobile phones, fingers rapidly firing away text messages.

Hospital performs organ transplant on newborns

By SARAH SUKARDI | January 29, 2015

Organ donation is typically a difficult process: Recipients must wait on organ donation waiting lists for indefinite periods of time, and the families of donors are forced to make an extremely hard decision during a time already marred by painful and recent loss.

Artificial heart patient alive after 6 months

By SUNNY CAI | January 29, 2015

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, an average of 18 people die each day while waiting for an organ transplant. Instead of relying solely on people to donate organs to recipients, imagine if scientists could construct the necessary organs using readily available materials. Fortunately, this science fiction fantasy may soon become a viable reality for patients who require heart transplants.

Oxitec develops genetically modified mosquitoes

By ELIZABETH LIU | January 29, 2015

Researchers from Oxitec, a British biotechnology company, have developed genetically-altered mosquitoes in an effort to quell mosquito populations and prevent the spread of diseases. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering releasing these genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.

Hopkins investigates IEDs’ effects on brain

By REGINA PALATINI | January 29, 2015

The structure and functions of the brain are highly complex, and in turn, the way it reacts to injury and insults can be perplexing. In fact, it is arguably the most complex and least understood structure in nature. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have recently published some interesting and startling findings on the pathological effects observed in the brains of soldiers exposed to improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Sleep apnea affects daily activities of older women

By ELIZABETH LIU | December 4, 2014

The performance of daily activities such as grocery shopping, daily household cleaning and meal preparation could be affected by breathing problems during sleep. A new study suggests that older women with sleep apnea are at a high risk for declining ability to perform such activities.

Information can be stored in bacterial genome

By ELLI TIAN | December 4, 2014

With recent advances in nanotechnology, computers and microchips have gotten exponentially smaller and more powerful over the past few decades. In fact, this phenomenon is so well known that it’s been given a name: Moore’s Law, after the scientist who first described it. Many may be doubtful that this trend will continue forever, due to the physical limits of technological materials, but as it turns out, our bodies already contain tiny, natural computing agents — the bacteria Escherichia coli. Recently, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a way to store information in this common bacterium.

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