If celestial bodies could embrace cultural titles, then the wandering planet named PSO-J318.5-22 would be the hipster of all hipsters. Recently discovered by a collaboration of astronomers working at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the planet — which I will endearingly bestow the nickname, PJ — is perhaps the boldest example yet of Tolkien’s “Not all those who wander are lost.”
Food security has been a source of debate amongst India’s government for several years.
Apple is in a heated competition with Samsung, Microsoft and Sony for all the new fancy toys for kids old and young, as the 2013 holiday season is quickly approaching.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded Wednesday to three researchers for developing methods to describe complex chemical processes using computer modeling.
On Oct. 7, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof for their work on transportation mechanisms within the cell. Together, their research highlighted how vesicles, which are bubbles in the cell that contain molecules essential to the organism, transport their cargo. Previously, researchers had been puzzled by how vesicles know where to go and at what time. Thus, the discoveries of Rothman, Schekman and Südhof are a major step in understanding cell communication.
On Tuesday, two particle physicists won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the theoretical discovery of the Higgs particle, which unifies the Standard Model of particle physics.
In an effort to promote the safety of imported food, the FDA proposed new regulations for importers this past July as part of implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed by President Obama in Jan. 2011. According to the FDA news release, the proposed regulations are a response to the modern global food system. The release also explains that imported food from 150 countries accounts for 15 percent of the United States food supply. Foodborne diseases cause approximately 48 million (or one in six) Americans to get sick every year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What if I were to tell you that a simple infection could cure you of your insurmountable fear of that Orgo Exam?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you kept your electronic device on during takeoff or landing? It’s a hassle to have to turn our electronic devices off, but pilots and flight attendants are adamant about reducing electronic device activity during take off. With our increased dependence and closeness to MP3 players, texting, web surfing, and a myriad of other functionalities in mobile devices, these airline policies are wearing passengers’ patience thin.
Most think of a coma as a state of limbo between life and death. The word “coma” conjures up an image of a seemingly lifeless patient, hooked up to a variety of monitoring devices. The most recognizable of these devices is the EEG. The EEG — or electroencephalogram — measures the brain activity of the patient.
Two billion years is an extremely long length of time for humanity, but that seems to be the end of the line for Earth, as predicted by astrobiologists at the University of East Anglia, UK.
HOW NAKED MOLE RATS LIVE LONG
With the impending end of the world a hot topic in science news (discussed on B9), other researchers based in Switzerland are busy discussing its beginnings.
In a world where so much has already been discovered, it is common for people to overlook the true potential of everyday chemicals. Similar to how Mustard Gas was used in World War I and then harnessed to become a potential chemotherapeutic agent, many everyday chemical substances possess great potential.
As creative as our large human brains make us, the adaptive forces of nature often outsmart us. After all, it was these forces that pushed us to develop such meaty neo-cortices in the first place and made us the smartest species on earth.
Every time you get an iPhone, there is either another one on the market or another one in the production stage. It is an incessant and relentless cycle of cash flow and development.
Until recently, the concept of squirrels dueling with light sabers was a complete work of science fiction and loopy Internet humor. However, now, a team of Harvard and MIT scientists are claiming to have created of a new form of matter — from light. They make an analogy between the newly created “photonic molecules” and a light saber. And they aren’t joking.
The distribution of right handed and left handed people in the world seem to be random. Different family members can write with either hand, and there are a few of those who can switch between both hands. In most cases, it doesn’t seem to be a trained practice and it just comes naturally for each individual. However, recently, genes that are linked to the orientation of internal organs during embryogenesis were found to play a role in the development of handedness.
Tumors, both cancerous and noncancerous, can arise when cellular pathways that control cell proliferation and tissue growth go awry. Many ongoing research efforts are underway to identify the crucial genetic underpinning of such pathways.
SMELL AND STRESS
