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Science & Technology

Striking out ALS with the #IceBucketChallenge

By SEAN YAMAKAWA | September 4, 2014

This summer, many people became aware of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, as their Facebook and Youtube newsfeeds were filled with videos of the Ice Bucket Challenge. The premise of the challenge was simple and fun: Dump a bucket of ice-cold water on your head, and nominate three of your friends to do the same. If they fail to comply within 24 hours, they must donate $100 to the ALS Association. 

Mouse survives transplant from lab-grown organ

By TONY WU | September 4, 2014

Those of us who are drivers have all heard the question, “Do you want to be an organ donor?” If a deceased person is an organ donor, a hospital can remove their organs and transplant them into a patient who is in critical need. By having drivers sign up as donors, our health system is creating a supply of organs needed to save lives.

NASA, JHU send a spaceship to Pluto

By JOAN YEA | September 4, 2014

We’ve made many discoveries here on Earth, but space still remains largely a mystery. Partly to blame are the vast distances involved; it’s easier to journey to the bottom of the ocean than to the nearest planet. NASA, however, doesn’t back down from a challenge. Their New Horizons spacecraft aims to travel not to the nearest planet, but to the one farthest away from us; a few days ago the craft began a historic journey to Pluto.

Hopkins research finds cancer “fingerprint”

By SUNNY CAI | September 4, 2014

Just like Miley Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball, cancer often comes in the same way, wanting only to break your walls. Although Miley never hit so hard in love, cancer has been hitting the human body hard since the beginning of time. But a year and a day after Miley closed her eyes and swung, a team of researchers published a study online in Genome Medicine that could leave cancer cells crashing in a blazing fall and lamenting “all you ever did was wreck me; yeah, you, you wreck me!”

Taung child’s skull compared to human’s

By ELLI TIAN | September 4, 2014

If there’s one thing that paleontologists can say for certain about human evolution, it’s that we evolved from hominids who lived millions of years ago. We’ve all heard about the Neanderthals, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, but can we ever be sure which of these species evolved from which? Which major species are we really descended from? And most importantly, what does evolution really show about the differences between modern humans and their ancestors, and what characteristics we can truly call “human?”

Basketball players score with physics

By LIZZY LIU | May 1, 2014

     Who knew that professional and collegiate basketball players are instinctual physicists? Many physics professors agree that it is not easy to shoot a three-pointer – there are many factors that come into play on the court in order to make that perfect shot.

Diabetes rates increase in U.S. over 20 years

By MARTIN KANG | May 1, 2014

     A study from the Bloomberg School of Public Health revealed a rise in prevalence of diabetes over the past two decades. It was estimated that the total cases of confirmed diabetes increased from 5.5% in the time from 1988 to 1994 to 9.3% in the time from 2005 to 2010. This represents a nearly two fold increase in cases of diabetes since 1988.

Hopkins studies use MRIs to study inner ear

By JOAN YEA | May 1, 2014

     Aided by sophisticated imaging techniques and abetted by rapid information channels, modern physicians appear to be well-equipped for the accurate diagnosis of diseases and disorders. The human body, however, cannot be separated into isolated parts that can be immediately identified with specific conditions, and is instead comprised of numerous interacting systems that complicate the process of evaluation.

Biofuel from corn may not be the future

By SUNNY CAI | May 1, 2014

     Modern human energy consumption can be compared to Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. Just like Cookie Monster is always hungry for cookies, humans are always hungry for energy. Since Cookie Monster eats more and more cookies everyday, eventually, all the cookies will be gone. Likewise, as nonrenewable energy sources are quickly being depleted in nearly every corner of the world, scientists across the globe have been hunting for new materials and methods to generate clean and sustainable energy from renewable resources.

JHU physics fair appeals to kids

By JOEL PALLY | May 1, 2014

This past Saturday marks the 11th annual physics fair, an event put on by physics graduate students as well as undergrads showcasing physics to the Baltimore community. The atmosphere was lively – food was served while families and children enjoyed great weather and fun activities. Through the use of live demos, games, and interactive activities the physics fair aimed at getting kids to associate math and science with positive experiences, not just the challenges that are associated with learning it.

Possible bike share at Hopkins

By TONY WU | May 1, 2014

While Hopkins may be considered a small campus by many students, sometimes it’s a drag to travel from Bloomberg to Olin (those unfortunate souls in discrete math may know the pain). If only getting around campus could be easier! Bikes are an obvious solution to the excruciating walks. However, currently, the university does not offer a bike rental program. For the majority of us who don’t have a bike—or don’t want to pay for one—there is a shining beacon of hope on the horizon. A group of students on Homewood have decided to create an organization called Jay Bikes.

Autophagy inhibition proves to fight cancer

By JOSH SCARALIA | May 1, 2014

Have you ever seen Breaking Bad? If not, here’s the premise: Man finds out he has cancer. Man cannot pay for cancer and does not want to leave his family in debt if he is going to die. Man turns to making crystal meth to make big cash. It’s a slippery slope from there.

Botch regulates activity of Notch protein

By KELLY CARTY | May 1, 2014

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have determined how the protein Botch regulates the activity of the development-related protein Notch. The results, which were published online April 24th, 2014 in the journal Cell Reports, could have significant implications for our understanding of mammalian development.

NASA's orbiting observatory finds exo-planet

By SOPHIA GAUTHIER | May 1, 2014

Scientists have stumbled across an exciting new lead in the search for extraterrestrial life.  After analyzing data collected from NASA’s Kepler orbiting observatory from March 2009 to May 2013, researchers have discovered the most Earth-like exoplanet yet with a promising potential for sustaining life.

Lab successfully grows functional vaginas

By KELLY CARTY | April 24, 2014

Four teenage girls born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, a condition that causes the underdevelopment or complete absence of the vagina, cervix and uterus, have successfully received vaginas grown from their own cells. The vaginal development, implantation and incorporation were reported on April 10 in The Lancet by researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Researchers can fight cancer with 3D printing

By JOSH SCARALIA | April 24, 2014

With the ability to create anything from toys to guns to shoes, three-dimensional printing has become a major player in today’s market. Recently, a group of researchers from China and the U.S. have taken 3D printing to the medical field, successfully printing cancer cell models. The researchers’ model consists of HeLa cells, the immoral line of cancer cells derived from a patient at the Hopkins Hospital in 1951, printed in a fibrous protein scaffold. This in vitro setup accurately recreates the environment of the cancer cells in vivo and allows researchers to find efficient anti-cancer drugs.

Anti-jet lag app resets circadian rhythms

By JOEL PALLY | April 24, 2014

Whether it’s going back home on Thanksgiving, or coming back from studying abroad, many of us have fallen victim to jet lag. We find ourselves waiting impatiently for our bodies to catch up to our new schedules, sometimes trying to reassign our circadian rhythm, or internal clock, with caffeine or nyquil. Like the hangover, jet lag holds special place in daily conversation as one of those ailments for which everyone has a remedy but no one has a cure. Until now, that is, as a group of researchers at the University of Michigan believe they have developed a system to help global travelers overcome their jet lag quicker and easier than ever before.

Juno proteins helps sperm to fertilize eggs

By SEAN YAMAKAWA | April 24, 2014

The missing piece to understanding mammalian conception has finally been uncovered. Last week, Gavin Wright, a researcher at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and his team reported the discovery of the protein that facilitates sperm-egg binding. In an article published in Nature, the British scientists describe the identification of Juno, a protein located on the surface of murine eggs.

Napping linked to earlier death

By KELLY CARTY | April 24, 2014

Middle-aged nappers, beware. According to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, daytime napping is linked to an increased risk of death.

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