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Science & Technology

Untrained volunteers can burden relief efforts

By TONY WU | April 10, 2014

saster, it is heartwarming to see an army of volunteers trying to help victims recover. These volunteers do a significant amount of work: They clear debris from roads, move food and other supplies to accessible areas and offer words of kindness in moments of despair. Many of them, such as those working for the Red Cross, are specifically trained for their tasks. Some, however, arrive on the scene without any preparation. A recent study suggests that these untrained volunteers may not be as helpful in disaster situations as we would like to believe. In fact, because these untrained volunteers often act spontaneously, they might even harm the relief efforts.

Hopkins undergraduates build novel genome

By SUNNY CAI | April 10, 2014

It is certainly more difficult to make foods from scratch than to purchase their ready-to-eat counterparts. Creating pancake batter and then grilling them to the perfect golden-brown requires a lot more effort than popping a couple of frozen pancakes in the toaster. Squeezing fresh oranges to make orange juice takes more energy than pouring a glass of orange juice from concentrate.

Austism diagnosis rate is increasing drastically

By JOAN YEA | April 10, 2014

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become an epidemiological challenge in recent years. This is partially due to the greater awareness of this disease and, subsequently, the increased probability of its being diagnosed in borderline cases. However, some of the clinical challenges associated with autism are due to its ever broadening definition.

FarmLogs app provides agricultural data access

By Catie Paul | April 10, 2014

It’s official: There is now an app for everything. That’s what you may think when you discover FarmLogs, a new app specifically targeted to farmers. This unconventional creation was founded by high-school friends Jesse Vollmar and Brad Koch.

Hopkins discovers protein to fight virus

By ELLI TIAN | April 10, 2014

Researchers at Hopkins have identified a protein that helps control cytomegalovirus (CMV). This virus, which may seem unrecognizable from its name, causes one of the most common viral infections among humans. In fact, the CMV infection is so common that there is a 50 to 80 percent chance that you will have it by the time you are 40 years old.

Student proposes font change, saves millions

By REGINA PALATINI | April 10, 2014

Whether you already have your own printer or plan to get one once you move out of on-campus housing, you are likely to face the harsh reality of outrageous ink prices in the near future. Black and white and color ink cartridges cost a pretty penny and can sometimes exceed the price of a printer itself.

Hopkins study correlates age with alcoholic drink preference

By SUNNY CAI | April 3, 2014

Walk around the periphery of the Hopkins campus on any Friday or Saturday night, and you are likely to see flocks of underclassmen scurrying into one of many fraternity houses. For most of these students, their mission upon arriving at their destination is simple: obtain and consume alcohol.

Students host annual AIDS Awareness Banquet

By SAMHITA ILANGO | April 3, 2014

AIDS Alliance, Hopkins’ AIDS awareness club on campus, held an annual banquet not only to satisfy the Indian food cravings of students all around, but also to raise awareness about AIDS in the Baltimore community. This past Friday, in one of the Charles Commons ballrooms, club president and senior Bryan Kohrs assembled his team to put together an unforgettable and educational banquet. At the banquet, the club emphasized the prevalence of AIDS in our local community.

Bloomberg discovers link between ADHD, obesity

By Catie Paul | April 3, 2014

The diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is on the rise in the U.S. From 2003 to 2011, the rate of ADHD diagnosis increased approximately 5 percent per year. Today, ADHD medication, often in the form of stimulants, is the second-most prescribed medication for children. A recent study by researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public Health has found a link between the stimulants prescribed for ADHD and childhood obesity.

Gravitational waves point to birth of universe

By SEAN YAMAKAWA | April 3, 2014

Less than 14 billion years ago, a hot and dense mass known as the initial singularity burst into the entire universe that we live in today. In less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a second, this mass expanded a distance of 45 billion light years, unfurling faster than the speed of light. While this event is commonly taught in academic classes, the notion of rapid expansion has all just been theory. No direct evidence linked this expansion to the Big Bang. However, some game changing evidence may have entered the field.

MRI side-effects uncover vertigo diagnostic

By MARU JAIME GARZA | April 3, 2014

Magnetism is the attractive force between positive and negative charges. In our everyday lives, we see it as what makes souvenirs stick on refrigerators and compasses magically point north or south. In reality, the effects of magnetism go much further. The natural magnetism created by our planet’s iron core protects the Earth from charged particles released from the sun.

Hopkins studies DNA link to the epigenome

By JOAN YEA | April 3, 2014

Genetic studies are indispensable tools for developing a comprehensive understanding of diseases, particularly cancer and psychiatric illnesses. Many investigators compare the genetic backgrounds of healthy and sick populations to identify the proclivity of specific factors in the genome to certain diseases.

Data mining used to improve disaster response

By JOEL PALLY | April 3, 2014

Citizens of the rural town of Oso, Wash. were greeted by tragedy on Mar. 23 as a waterlogged hillside gave way and unleashed a tsunami-like wave of earth, destroying dozens of homes residing in the river valley below.

Mugshots to be created from crime scene DNA

By MARK STUCZYNSKI | April 3, 2014

While they are not yet the cinematic experience of Minority Report, crime scene investigations are becoming more and more like sci-fi crime dramas. Researchers from Erasmus University in the Netherlands, the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and Pennsylvania State University stateside have identified genetic determinants of facial structure. With these markers, the collaborators believe it will be possible to reconstruct criminal facial shapes from DNA evidence alone.

Hopkins analyzes ‘viral’ tweets to track flu

By REGINA PALATINI | April 3, 2014

Have you ever tweeted about having the flu? While such a message will certainly gain sympathy from friends and family, it may be even more useful than you think. New research is attempting to use Twitter to track the flu throughout the country.

Physicists look to harvest energy from outer space

By MARK STUCZYNSKI | March 27, 2014

Physicists at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have proposed a method to harvest energy from Earth’s infrared emissions. Because our planet is warm, especially compared to the cold void of space, physicists believe a significant amount of energy is transferred at the border between Earth and space. These particular physicists think that it may be possible to take advantage of this transfer and harvest the energy for our own use.

Hopkins finds link in Lou Gehrig’s and dementia

By MARTIN KANG | March 27, 2014

At first glance, there seems to be almost no connection between Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two neurological disorders. However, a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently found that these frightening disorders may share the same cause.

High-protein diets look more harmful than not

By REGINA PALATINI | March 27, 2014

A few years ago, it seemed that everyone was talking about the Atkins diet, a low-carb and high-protein approach to losing weight. Protein was touted as the dieter’s holy grail: It would lead to weight loss while still maintaining muscle mass. The Atkins diet was even voted one of the best diets of 2014 by U.S. News and World Report. New scientific data, however, could make high protein diets a thing of the past.

Daylight savings had energy-conserving roots

By TONY WU | March 27, 2014

As spring progresses, the sun rises earlier and earlier each day. With the hassle of adjusting our clocks and the arbitrary changes in our sleep schedules, most of us have probably, at one time or another, wondered about the origin of daylight savings time.

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