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Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

December 10, 2018 | 30° F in Baltimore

Science & Technology

New drug could stop human hearing loss

By SABRINA CHEN
March 28, 2018

According to the World Health Organization, over 446 million people suffer from hearing loss worldwide. Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent used to treat patients with cancer, but one of the major side effects is irreversible hearing loss ...

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Researchers recently developed a drug that can protect the cochlear cell line.

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The cold weather that extends to late March is actually a warning sign of global warming in the Arctic region.

Arctic warming contributed to our colder winter

By JESSICA KASAMOTO | March 28, 2018

For the millions who live in the eastern half of the country, this winter has been especially extreme. While multiple blizzards over the past few months have led some to claim that these frequent storms provide counterevidence for global warming, ironically, new research has shown otherwise. A new study from Rutgers University has linked this extreme winter in the U.S. with warm conditions in the Arctic.

Brain DNA can be altered by childhood experiences

By ELAINE CHIAO | March 28, 2018

There is often the notion that DNA is a set of permanently stable biological sequences, but in reality, the genetic code is far more complex than most people think. DNA is under the constant influence of environmental factors and randomly arising mutations. Most recently, researchers at the Salk Institute discovered that DNA can also be directly modified by early life experiences.

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Early childhood experiences can affect DNA state in the brain.

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Hörst’s research sought to understand the effect haze has on a planet’s habitat conditions.

Hopkins scientist observes exoplanet gas conditions

By ISAAC CHEN | March 28, 2018

In spring 2019, the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched into space from French Guiana to seek other sources of life outside the solar system. A group of scientists lead by Sarah Hörst, assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Hopkins, has recently published its results on haze formation in simulated environments.

Stool test used to detect colon cancer

By CINDY JIANG | March 28, 2018

Just last month, Hopkins doctors identified two specific digestive bacteria — Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli (E. coli) — that colon cancers trace back to. Cynthia Sears, who led the study as an infectious-disease specialist, said that it was surprising to find two different bacteria between a healthy colon and a precancerous polyp.

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Colonrectal cancer begins as a polyp, or an unnormal growth on the inner lining of the colon or the rectum.

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The protein sirtuin increases muscle mass in mice, a sign of anti-aging.

Researchers discover anti-aging compound

By JAEMIE BENNETT | March 28, 2018

Evolutionarily death seems like a paradox. If we want the best chance to pass on our genes, why would we deteriorate and die? The current answer, coined “the evolutionary theories of aging,” offers an answer. As the years go by, our chances of passing on our genes decrease, and we become useless to evolution.

Anti-cancer drug may be used to treat autism

By ANNA CHEN | March 28, 2018

Researchers at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, led by Zhen Yan, professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, discovered a promising treatment method for the effects caused by autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Earhart and her navigator disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.

Bones on Pacific island may belong to Earhart

By SABRINA CHEN | March 15, 2018

A recent study done in collaboration with the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery and published in Forensic Anthropology stated that skeletal remains found on Nikumaroro Island in 1940 are likely to be the bones of Amelia Earhart.

Hopkins invents a new drug to fight 15 cancers

By RACHEL HUANG | March 15, 2018

According to the American Cancer Society, there is a predicted number of approximately 1.7 million new cancer cases and 600,000 cancer deaths in the United States for 2018. Year after year, researchers test out numerous strategies in the hopes of finding a cure for, and eventually conquering, many variations of cancer.

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Researchers found that the immune system can serve as a “vaccine” to be activated to treat metastatic cancers.

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Chemicals produced by bacteria can protect people from skin cancer.

Natural protections can prevent skin cancer

By CINDY JIANG | March 14, 2018

In recent times, it seems as if scientists are continually searching for treatments to cancer. Oftentimes, the ways to reduce risk or remedy the effects are primarily external, such as radiation to kill tumors. However, a new study might reveal an important internal player in the fight against skin cancer.

Macrophages may be used to ease tattoo removal

By SABRINA CHEN | March 15, 2018

A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine described how immune cells can be used to improve tattoo removal procedures. The study was done at the Immunology Center of Marseille-Luminy in France and led by researchers Sandrine Henri and Bernard Malissen.