Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 29, 2023

Science & Technology





$6M granted to wind energy research

In the last few years, research into alternative forms of energy has become very important. 38 states now have ambitious goals for how much electricity they want to come from renewable and alternative sources, and the U.S. Department of Energy wants 20 percent of electricity to be supplied by wind power by 2020.


Media encourages teen drinking

Alcohol is not unfamiliar to college students. The problem of over-consumption has been linked to approximately 4,700 deaths in adolescents every year. Furthermore, alcohol has a disproportionate effect on different racial groups.


Joy linked to reduced responsibility

Would you rather have a choice, or do you want to be told what to do? Chances are, you’re smirking at the question thinking, of course I want to have choices! Research shows, however, that in some situations, people are happier when they are told what to do.


Popular HIV drug may cause cognitive impairment

Despite the development of new anti-retroviral drugs, commonly regarded as “good news” for HIV patients, 30 to 50 percent of these patients will still develop some form of cognitive impairment in the long-term.


Scaffolding organs is new approach to transplants

In 2010, doctors diagnosed Andemariam Beyene, a man from Eritrea, with a tumor growing in his windpipe and determined his odds of survival to be slim. Its growth unhindered by both radiation therapy and surgery, the tumor appeared to be unmanageable.


Mechanisms for maintaining erection identified

Men suffering from erectile dysfunction may have a new treatment on the way after work by Arthur Burnett, a professor of urology at the Hopkins School of Medicine, lifted the cover on how penile erections are maintained after initial arousal.


Muscle regeneration possible without stem cells

Until now, no cure was available for muscular dystrophy. However, recent research findings are about to change that. Se-Jin Lee, from the Hopkins School of Medicine, published an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about a promising solution for muscle hypertrophy that does not involve stem cells.


Elephants use their body hair to dissipate heat

You might already know that the mammals hold the world record in hairiness. What you might not know is that not all animals use their hairs to keep themselves warm. Weighing up to 12 tons and reaching heights up to 13 feet, elephants are the largest living land animals on this planet. In other words, they are massive!


Climate change may decrease wine quality

With global warming causing extreme weather around the world, it may seem like a glass of wine is the only thing people can count on.  As climate change worsens though, the harvest season for wine grapes will change. This will affect the quality of wine produced and force vineyards to be relocated in the future, chasing the cold weather that the crops require.


Astronomers find most distant galaxy to date

With the help of NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, a team of astronomers led by Hopkins’ Wei Zheng has discovered the most distant – and, hence, the youngest – galaxy ever observed with high confidence.


Ear successfully regrown on forearm

Forty-two year old Sherrie Walter from Bel Air, Md. has undergone six invasive surgeries over the last 20 months. Walter’s plight began in early 2008 when she had a scab that did not recover properly. She was diagnosed with aggressive basal cell carcinoma.


Half-matched bone marrow alleviates sickle cell disease

A recent study conducted at the Hopkins School of Medicine provides renewed optimism for the treatment of sickle cell disease. Researchers have demonstrated that bone marrow transplants only partially matched to a patient’s tissues can successfully eradicate the disease and the need for lifelong treatment.



Transparent soil makes buried plants viewable

Have you ever wished that you could see what was going on with a plant both from above and below the surface? Scientists at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, Scotland solved this problem in an innovative manner by making transparent soil.


Dark matter used to assess universe expansion

A group of international scientists have captured their first images of distant galaxies using the world’s most powerful digital camera, a crucial first step towards understanding the reason for the accelerated expansion of the universe.


Difficulty with smelling linked to psychopathy

Ever wonder if there’s a good way to identify psychopaths? A recent study by scientists from Macquarie University in Australia suggests that those with psychopathic traits may also have an impaired sense of smell.