Articles

December 27, 2024

Katelyn Tran

Erythroblastosis fetalis, or hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), is a potential pregnancy complication resulting from differences in blood type between a mother and her fetus. When newborns have blood cells that contain antigens that their mothers' blood cells do not, high contact with the fetus’s blood provokes an immune response in the mother’s body because her immune system perceives the antigens as a foreign threat, responding with the production of antibodies. This triggering exposure is called a sensitizing event...click here to read more

December 25, 2024

Matthew Fang

On November 24, 2021, NASA launched its first venture into asteroid deflection: the DART mission. Although not a threat to Earth’s safety, DART successfully struck the asteroid Dimorphous in September 2022, knocking its orbit around a larger asteroid, Didymos, off course. Now, the spacecraft Hera is going back to the impact site in order to observe and analyze the results. Launched on October 7th of 2024, Hera intends to return to the two asteroids in order to map out their surfaces, study the structure and composition of the asteroids to determine their masses, as well as inspect the impact crater that DART formed...click here to read more

December 23, 2024

Dylan Nguyen

What if your future self traveled back into the past and told you everything that would happen? Would everything still stay the same? Or could your future self even tell you what would happen, or could the knowledge itself change everything? For decades, the concept of time travel has fascinated scientists and people alike, inspiring countless works of Sci-Fi movies. From paradoxes that defy logic to breakthrough theories in physics, the question of whether time travel is possible challenges our understanding of the universe and our place in it. We get one step closer to our own Back to the Future with every new discovery. But the question is, how close are we?...click here to read more

December 20, 2024

Ares Nguyen

Have you ever wondered what makes chocolate so toxic to dogs, but normal for humans? Maybe even healthy in some aspects. Or has it ever come to your mind that “it can’t hurt to give him a little bit!” This question often circulates the minds of many dog owners. To be frank, chocolate can, unfortunately, be the most poisonous thing you feed your dog...click here to read more

December 18, 2024

Uy Pham

You’ve seen the classic crime solving in laboratory scenes in your favorite shows and movies. The scientist places a sample of DNA into a machine, and the sample yields a match within a database — the DNA has been matched, and the crime has been solved. Yet, how does this machine work? How is the DNA sample collected, and how is the DNA matched with a person to solve countless crimes in the world?...click here to read more

December 17, 2024

Sydney Pastor

DNA was first discovered by Swiss biochemist Friedrich Miescher in 1869. He denoted DNA as “nuclein” when he first discovered it by primarily isolating the component from the nuclei of white blood cells. Prior to Miescher's discovery, various scientists believed that proteins held genetic material due to their abundance within the body. Additionally, many scientists understood that proteins were made up of different amino acids and thought that this translated into the fact that they hold a plethora of genetic material. Miescher discovered DNA by accident...click here to read more

December 16, 2024

Bradley Truong

Looking up at night, some may be curious as to how the brightest object in the sky came to be, and how it ended up in Earth’s orbit. Astronomers and other scientists were no exception, as throughout the years, many different scientific hypotheses were formed to explain how the Moon came to be. The main hypotheses involve fission, capture, accretion, and giant impact, though the last of these is the most widely accepted...click here to read more

December 13, 2024

Ethan Thai

The earth requires sustainable energy solutions, and artificial photosynthesis has been proven to be a very promising technology. It is something that can change and revolutionize clean energy production. Artificial photosynthesis, by emulating the natural process other words, photosynthesis which plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, may provide a new route for unlimited clean energy production with active mitigation of climate change...click here to read more

December 12, 2024

Rachel Truong

Telekinesis, once a thing of fiction, might not be as impossible as we think. With brain-computer interfaces, humans can control computing systems to do whatever they want using their brain. This technological development could be one little but promising step toward manipulating objects with our brain and restoring muscle movements in those afflicted with paralysis or muscle entropy...click here to read more

December 11, 2024

Biruk Fantu

Over the last 50 years, all the way back to the 1970s, Florida’s Coral Reef has lost almost 98% of the staghorn and elkhorn coral that used to densely pack the quickly fading coral reef. The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species has listed these two species as “Critically Endangered”, which is one step away from “Extinct in the Wild”. If nothing is done to stop these rapid changes to continental America’s largest coral reef system, irreversible damage could be caused to more than 40 species of coral and the millions of plants and animals that depend on the coral...click here to read more

December 10, 2024

Tracy Huynh

If you are reading this article, then your body is most likely facilitating cellular respiration right now. Cellular respiration is the process of taking in oxygen, glucose, and other molecules in the body and turning these resources into valuable energy in the form of ATP, also known as adenosine triphosphate, as well as water and carbon dioxide...click here to read more

December 9, 2024

Kathlyn Phan

In recent years, data analytics have played a vital role in pushing innovation in the healthcare industry by providing insight into medical research, disease likelihood, and treatment effectiveness. Data analytic tools can process and analyze massive amounts of medical information in a short amount of time, providing fast and accurate results. Doctors, researchers, and scientists can advance medicine, improve treatment effectiveness, and personalized patient care–precision medicine–by utilizing data science...click here to read more

December 6, 2024

Snika Gupta

AI expansion is rapid and expanding daily. In the medical field, AI is making significant strides. By collaborating with specialists in various fields, AI can assist in analysis of medical data. Significant innovations are emerging from the integration of AI, introducing new methods to improve treatments, patient care, and diagnosis. However, it's crucial to emphasize human oversight in health care...click here to read more

December 5, 2024

Snika Gupta

Since the 1950s, plastic production has grown immensely. Because of this relatively short time span, the long-term effects of plastic exposure have not yet been thoroughly researched. However, the existing findings are more than alarming in themselves...click here to read more

December 4, 2024

Caroline Cronin

From the first camera obscura to the first photographic cameras and even the cameras on our cell phones, photography has been present for centuries and continues to evolve today. Photography captures moments frozen in time—people, places, experiences, and more. While the art of photography has amazed people for decades, the true beauty lies in the camera itself...click here to read more

December 3, 2024

Lily Sharkey

Why do we sleep? Some evolutionary scientists theorize that sleep is for human safety. It also has restorative effects such as repairing brain tissue and supporting muscle growth. Sleep also plays a key role in memory consolidation, a purpose most relevant to the demographic who gets the least sleep...click here to read more

December 2, 2024

Jayden Chung

Imagine surviving a heart attack, only to learn that your heart’s ability to heal itself is painfully limited. For millions of people, the diagnosis of heart damage feels like a life sentence, with scar tissues replacing healthy muscle and limiting the heart’s function. But what if science could offer a second chance, a way for damaged hearts to regenerate, beating with new strength?...click here to read more

November 29, 2024

Vincent Hoang

Sitting alone in the dark, cold expanse of space sits a supermassive celestial giant, capable of eating anything and everything that manages to make its way into its inescapable gravitational pull. Its incomprehensible size and mass dwarf all that exists in our observable universe. Black holes are a widely discussed topic among many notable physicists, such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, who devoted their lives to studying this astronomical phenomenon...click here to read more

November 28, 2024

Kathlyn Phan

With the rapidly growing threat of climate change, scientists and engineers are innovating solutions to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon capture technology aims to trap carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from industrial processes and prevent them from raising atmospheric heat. This new environmentally friendly technology has promising potential to reduce global warming and restore air quality. But how exactly does this Earth-saving technology work? And how does math play an important role in its success?...click here to read more

November 27, 2024

Seren Georgina A. Wilwayco 

In 2021, a company called Stichting Noordzee released a report regarding waste found in the Netherlands. Every 100 meters of a riverbank consists of virtually 500 pieces of waste. To combat this threatening issue, a team of engineers from Amsterdam have invented the Great Bubble Barrier. Co-founders Anne Marieke Eveleens and Philip Ehrhorn were disheartened by the normalization of waste in their waters. According to Ehrhorn, “I spend a lot of time in and around the water. And inevitably, at some point, you'll see plastic. And once you start seeing it, you'll see it everywhere.”...click here to read more

November 26, 2024

Jayden Chung

In a single, devastating moment, a spinal cord injury can turn an active life into one bound by immobility, stripping away independence and shattering futures. The sudden loss of movement and sensation is both terrifying and overwhelming, yet stem cell therapy offers a new glimmer of hope in this profound and often permanent change...click here to read more

November 25, 2024

Jessica Park

Is there such a thing as going too far for science?  Could our experiments result in irrevocably changing a human being’s life?  Questions like these often circulate in many people’s minds when hearing about the Little Albert Experiment, an experiment that became a guiding principle on the ethicality and moral code of science...click here to read more

November 22, 2024

Khoi Hoang

Imagine stepping into a car that doesn’t require a driver, one that can navigate even the most bustling downtown streets, anticipates hazards on the road, and adjust to follow the ideal route to your location all on its own. This is not some scene lifted from a science fiction movie, thanks to artificial intelligence, it’s slowly becoming reality. In today’s world AI is redefining how cars run, driving us toward a future where fully autonomous vehicles could be just about as common as smartphones. AI-powered vehicles rely on sophisticated algorithms, sensors, and real-time data analysis to understand and react to their surroundings with precision and speed, making driving safer, smarter, and more efficient...click here to read more

November 21, 2024

Abram Tran

What happens when you leave a piece of meat out overnight? Overnight, the meat will become covered in a thin layer of a slimy substance accompanied by an unpleasant odor. If someone ended up consuming the meat in this phase, they would notice the food was incredibly bitter, and after a while, they would begin to experience stomach issues...click here to read more

November 20, 2024

Aisha Chloe C. Camaquin

Infinity seems like an easy concept to grasp; it’s just things with no end, right? Well, when you venture deep into the idea, several paradoxes arise, such as the simple question of: are there more counting numbers, or even numbers? The answer is neither. Both sets of numbers are boundless, which means that they can be paired one-to-one. ...click here to read more

November 19, 2024

Chrinnah Torres

As the Earth goes through its changes, New York as well is taking the initiative. Every year since 2009, the annual New York Climate Week hosted by the Climate Group assisted by the United Nations General Assembly occurs to ensure our globe is being taken care of by discussing climate change, striking an acceleration of good deeds in these issues...click here to read more

November 18, 2024

Vincent Hoang

Young Isaac Newton, sitting just outside Trinity College in Cambridge, England, was struck by an apple that had fallen from the tree. From that point, Newton had a revelation, a genius discovery: Calculus. Sir Isaac Newton created calculus as a method of explaining the universe, a means of comprehending the mechanical clock that is our world. He was a brilliant mind widely recognized as the “father of calculus”; known for his observations of the world and his contributions to mathematics and physics...click here to read more

November 15, 2024

Freddy Buncay

The grandfather poses a complex problem for which there is no definitive solution. As far as we know, time only moves forward, but if you go back in time, a famous paradox occurs. What if you killed your grandfather when he was a child? If you had killed your grandfather when he was a child, your mother or father would not have been born, and you would have ceased to exist. This implies that you could not have traveled back in time to kill your grandfather in the first place...click here to read more

November 14, 2024

Rose Alexia Diño

Water scarcity is a pressing issue directly linked to population growth and climate change. As these factors intensify and worsen over time, the competition for clean water escalates, creating urgent global challenges that affect millions of lives. Under these circumstances, LifeStraw stands out as a beacon of hope. Founded by Torben Vestergaard Frandsen, LifeStraw evolved from his revolutionary idea, which was designed for the decontamination of Guinea worm larvae at the Carter Center, ultimately contributing significantly to the prevention of Guinea worm disease. Vestergaard’s simple creation of a plastic pipe filter to combat the disease led to a partnership with the Carter Center, and he sought out business-minded entrepreneurs to collaborate and expand his invention further...click here to read more

November 13, 2024

Alexis Gogue

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an indisputable, substantial influence on our society, affecting teenagers especially. Adolescence is a crucial stage of growth. These years shape a person's emotional, social, and behavioral qualities and play a crucial role in developing self-identity and maturing brain structure. Scientists have performed studies demonstrating the noticeable change that COVID-19 has made to adolescent brain structures, which has been more pronounced in girls. It has proven to have matured the teenage brain drastically with up to 4.2 years faster in girls and 1.4 years faster in boys. This research reveals similarities between brains that have undergone traumatic events such as violence, neglect, and family dysfunction...click here to read more

November 12, 2024

Monique Nguyen

These days, everybody is worried about the type and quality of food that they intake on a day-to-day basis. Well, add metal contaminants in food to the list of things to watch for. By definition, heavy metals are chemical metals and metal compounds that have an adverse effect on human bodies. Unsurprisingly enough, ingesting small concentrations of heavy metals is quite common because metals can accumulate and leave residue on foods and beverages. Major common foods that are known for higher metal content are fish, shellfish, rice, wheat, mollusks, mushrooms, fruits, wine, meat, vegetables, chocolate, etc. Even canned baby food has been proven to include high metal levels!...click here to read more

November 11, 2024

Daniel Le

Have you ever broken a bone? If so, there are many different types of fractures one could unfortunately experience: transverse, linear, oblique, greenstick, and comminuted to name a few. Despite the various classifications, most fractures follow the same process of bone regeneration. This is made possible because of the osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes collectivity working together on the area of a fracture...click here to read more

November 8, 2024

Bowen Zhou

When you see a bird, it flaps its wings to create a lift to fly. Similarly, the wings of an aircraft create lift with its wings. But instead of flapping like a bird to fly it mainly uses the pressure difference to create lift. Some people say it comes from Bernoulli’s Principle, or Newton’s Third Law, while others don't. It does this with things like the angle of attack and shape of the wing...click here to read more

November 7, 2024

Caroline Cronin

From city to city, tickets have sold out rapidly, and people have flocked from across the world to see Taylor Swift perform. So, what makes this performance so amazing? From pulsing lights to high-quality sound systems and more, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour performances have taken the world by storm. What started as a simple idea quickly spread into the most popular and sold-out tour in the world, thus bringing breathtaking AV technology and intricate architectural set designs to the stage...click here to read more

November 7, 2024

Sofia McGrath

Jellyfish are often thought of as very simple creatures, as they are ninety-five percent water and lack a brain, blood, bones, and even a heart. Even so, this elastic jelly-like marine animal is more complex than it is perceived. In fact, a certain species of jellyfish can reverse its aging through transdifferentiation in specific environmental stress, making it “immortal.” Medical professionals have gained invaluable insight through jellyfish reverse aging that can help revolutionize medicine in the future, or at least pave the way forward...click here to read more

November 6, 2024

Lily Sharkey

On October 7, 2024, The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced that the 2024 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The Massachusetts-based scientists made this discovery while investigating the processes responsible for the timing of cell development. This revelation offers remarkable insights into gene regulation processes, which are essential for multicellular organisms. As a result, scientists now have a deeper understanding of organismal development...click here to read more

November 4, 2024

Amy Nangia

Biodiversity indicators are tools used to measure and assess the health and variety of living species within a specific environment. They provide critical data on ecosystems, species populations, genetic diversity, and the services that ecosystems provide to humans. These indicators are essential for monitoring the impacts of climate change and human activities on biodiversity. As global temperatures rise and ecosystems face increasing pressure, tracking biodiversity is a key element in understanding how climate change affects the planet and in developing solutions to mitigate these effects...click here to read more

October 30, 2024

Abram Tran

Skincare is more than just a cosmetic routine, it is a science rooted in the biological processes that keep our skin healthy. The skin is the largest organ in the body, with the average adult carrying eight pounds (3.6 kilograms) and an impressive 22 square feet (two square meters) of it. With it being so large, this fleshy covering plays a huge role in our survival, doing jobs such as protecting us from external factors, regulating body temperature, and even communicating with our environment. To truly care for our skin, it is essential to understand the anatomy of it...click here to read more

October 29, 2024

Zymy Le

When thinking about the background of AI and the depth of its development and inspiration, the human body and brain take credit for just about all of it. Underneath the apparent difference between humans and AI, there are plenty of characteristics between both parties that are alike. Since the early 1900s, AI has been a topic of discussion amongst scientists and researchers, who looked towards nature for their resources...click here to read more

October 28, 2024

Uy Pham

What would you do if a taxi came to pick you up, but there was no driver inside to transport you? No driver doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to have a ride — instead, you may be riding in a self-driving robotaxi. This soon may be the reality for the world of ridesharing with the latest expansion of self-driving robotaxis in cities across the United States. Shocked commuters have been startled by the sight of their taxi arriving with no driver or even staring at the moving car next to them, realizing that there’s no driver to be seen. This has slowly started to become the new reality for those living in cities such as Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Austin, Texas...click here to read more

October 25, 2024

Matthew Fang

Electricity makes the world go round. It’s everywhere, from your house lights, to the phone or computer that you might be reading this on. The real struggle, however, lies in producing the energy needed. Many sources of energy we use today, such as natural gas, or oil from offshore drilling is often non-renewable, and also have negative impacts on our environment. However, there is a solution that could lessen our impact on our environment: solar energy...click here to read more

October 23, 2024

Sarah Nguyen

As the global population continues to rise, the demand for food is growing at an unprecedented rate. Traditional farming methods, limited by land and environmental challenges, are struggling to keep up with demand. In response to this urgent need, innovative agricultural technologies are emerging, with vertical farms and hydroponics leading the way. These methods promise to revolutionize how we grow our food, making agriculture more sustainable, efficient, and resilient...click here to read more

October 22, 2024

Freddy Buncay

A range of robots are being used throughout all of Asia to collect and remove plastic from waterways. The ten-foot-long automatic robot moves cleverly through the water as it consumes waste in the water. The gap in front of this robot boat is what allows the waste to enter while the conveyor belt is what removes the waste entirely. At the end of the conveyor belt is the collection basket where the garbage enters...click here to read more

October 21, 2024

Rachel Truong 

In a world where classical computing would take billions of years to solve a seemingly impossible problem, quantum computing has the capability to do it in seconds. Quantum computing applies properties of quantum mechanics to exponentially facilitate computer processes. Since quantum computing does not adhere to classical physics, it also does not rely on binary logic. It uses qubits, which have exponentially more capabilities than regular bits. Qubits are the fundamental units of quantum information used to encode data similar to the binary number system used in classical computing...click here to read more

October 18, 2024

Ashley Castaneda

Do you believe in the existence of dinosaurs? As the world evolves and humans gain new knowledge, scientists now can prove the existence of many species that have gone extinct before the first man walked the earth. Scientists or paleontologists, an individual who studies past geologic periods, can prove the existence of dinosaurs through fossils. Fossils are the remnants of an organism throughout the years that have been preserved in the earth’s crust. The first-ever discovery of a dinosaur fossil was founded by Mary Anning, who is the first and youngest woman paleontologist...click here to read more

October 16, 2024

Dylan Nguyen

Imagine a world where surgeries are performed with flawless precision, legal documents are written in seconds, and customer service is provided 24/7, fueled by chatbots that never tire. This isn't something out of The Terminator, it's the reality we're moving toward as robots and AI integrate more into our daily lives. Is this revolution a threat to our existence, or is it an opportunity for evolution?...click here to read more

October 14, 2024

Alexis Gogue

Bioengineering is the process in which we apply engineering concepts to construct innovative inventions and ideas. We utilize bioengineering to improve efficiency and enhance our knowledge of technology, healthcare, science, agriculture, sustainability, and more! Bioengineering has flourished in becoming an essential component of today's modern health care system. The combination of traditional engineering and issues within our health care, biomedical treatments, and advanced machinery grants many opportunities and breakthroughs in providing the utmost care and service for patients...click here to read more

October 11, 2024

Bowen Zhou

There are many different opinions about seaweed. Some call it gross, while to others it is a delicacy, to some it is a treat, while to others it is nothing but a weed, like a sargassum, which costs twenty-five thousand dollars a day to remove. Seaweed, regardless of how you see it, can be used for good with this up-and-coming technology allowing seaweed to be used to create a type of bioplastic. A company in Indonesia, called Evoware, has used seaweed to create plastic pellets, which are used to create things like plastic bags. In the past, they have made edible cups and straws. They make these plastic bags with pellets. Modern plastic consumables and other items are made through plastic pellets, they are melted and molded into shape. These new pellets that Evoware is making are scalable and they are also sustainable to manufacture...click here to read more

October 10, 2024

Reggie Dao

To model diseases and do multiple tests for the benefit of the human body, organoids come into play for this role to allow scientists and hospital workers to delve deeper into the unsolved questions of medicine, disease, and organ development. Research of the human body has benefited thanks to these organoids, which are replicated miniature organs in a dish to serve as testable objects, saving many lives. This new way of cultivating artificial organs has expanded scientists’ knowledge of individualized diseases and drugs...click here to read more

October 8, 2024

Juan Valenciana

Beneath the hood of a car is a symphony of controlled explosions that propels the vehicle forward. Automotive engines were first introduced in 1807 when Francois Isaac de Rivaz developed an engine powered by hydrogen and oxygen rather than typical steam engines. Although the design was originally limited in success, it provided evidence that a gaseous-powered car could produce mechanical work...click here to read more

October 7, 2024

Aisha Chloe C. Camaquin

Neuroethology is the study of animal behavior and how it is affected by the nervous system. It combines concepts from neurobiology, the study of the nervous system, and ethology, the study of human and animal behavior, to explain why an animal acts the way it does in its natural environment. Let's take a look at toads and Jörg-Peter Ewert’s experiment to better understand this concept...click here to read more

October 4, 2024

Jayden Chung 

What if your brain has the power to repair itself, even sharpen its abilities? Our brain possesses the ability to repair itself and even sharpen its abilities. The brain’s hidden potential can build lifelong health and resilience. The brain constantly evolves and adapts to every new experience, skill, and challenge...click here to read more

October 2, 2024

Vladimir B. Lañada

Have you ever wondered how we got to understand our universe? Well, it's all thanks to telescopes. Originally used for observing distant objects on Earth like surveying the land, military, etc. In the 17th century, an astronomer named Galileo Galilei, refined the instrument to the point that it could be magnified thirty times. By increasing the magnification, it allowed the telescope to observe celestial objects such as the moon, Jupiter, and more. Centuries later, telescope technology rapidly became better to the point we have them orbiting around Earth, such as the Hubble Space Telescope...click here to read more

September 30, 2024

Abram Tran

Aviation has been at the forefront of humanity’s technological progress for the past century, achieving some of humanity's most impressive technological feats within a relatively short period. Undoubtedly one of the most impressive of these displays was the moon landing in 1969, which occurred not even 70 years after the first powered flight in 1903. Aviation today is a major aspect of many people's lives, with billions of flights being made each year. Aviation is not an easy field to work with however as aircraft often require intensive maintenance to remain operationally safe and instances of partial or complete aircraft failure still occur...click here to read more

September 27, 2024

Belinda H. Li

For decades, lasers have been essential tools for physicists, utilized in applications ranging from medical imaging to particle manipulation. Recently, however, the scientific community has begun exploring sound waves as a promising alternative. Unlike lasers, sound waves (ultrasound) interact with matter without causing heat damage or electromagnetic interference, opening up new opportunities in fields like medical research, materials science, and quantum computing...click here to read more

September 26, 2024

Snika Gupta

Ultrasounds, used for looking into the body using soundwaves, are useful to find disease, track pregnancy health, tumor or biopsy treatment, blood flow, and lots more. They often last from thirty minutes to an hour and need medical supervision. Medical ultrasound is the most common method for deep tissue sensing but has more restrictions than wearable ultrasounds and depends on the operator. Wearable ultrasound patches are changing that...click here to read more

September 25, 2024

Mahmuda Tabassum

The study of epitranscriptomics, particularly in bacteria, offers a fascinating insight into the dynamic world of RNA, transforming our understanding of these essential molecules from mere genetic messengers to versatile regulators of cellular function. Traditionally, RNA was seen as a simple conduit for genetic information, merely transcribing the DNA blueprint into proteins. However, epitranscriptomics reveals that RNA is much more than that—it's a key player in regulating gene expression and maintaining cellular equilibrium through a series of intricate chemical modifications...click here to read more

September 24, 2024

Freddy Buncay

Algae are considered one of the most diverse groups of organisms due to the amount of different species. When one thinks about algae, the first thing that comes to mind is the green plant's figure. Scientists have started to think of new ways to use algae as a renewable biofuel. What makes algae special is the way they store their energy. Algae stores energy in the form of natural oils; extract the oil and you have enough energy and material to produce renewable fuels. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, algae can potentially produce up to 60 times more oil per acre than land-based plants...click here to read more

September 23, 2024

Juan Valenciana

Drivetrains are the key to how your vehicle moves, transferring the power from the engine to the transmission and making the wheels turn so that the car can drive. In a car, the engine burns fuel to create energy, similar to how when you pedal a bike, you generate power with your legs. The transmission is the first major component within the drivetrain. Based on the driver’s input, such as pressing the gas pedal or shifting gear, the transmission adjusts how much power the engine should be putting out by changing gear ratios and modulating the amount of torque (circulatory force) put through to the wheels...click here to read more

September 20, 2024

Seren Georgina A. Wilwayco

After years of science fiction media, the public revered wands and spells as products of the far future. Chu Junhao, a physicist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, assisted in making a specific product come true. In regards to the new, light-manipulating invisibility cloak, he states, “Whether in real life or in the world of nature and animals there is a lot of 'invisibility', and this is not magic, it is a scientific means”...click here to read more

September 19, 2024

Khloe Ferniz

Is plant-based meat healthier than real meat? What is the purpose of plant-based meat? To start, meat production is land-intensive, and using cattle and herds to produce it takes up significant water, land, and energy. These in turn put more greenhouse gasses and methane into the air, contributing to more climate change. This harms our Earth’s resources, whereas switching to a sustainable practice of plants would take up less energy, time, and water...click here to read more

September 18, 2024

Alexis Gogue

Technology has proved to be an ever-growing and innovative asset in our everyday lives, from the computer you type on to the car you drive. It has truly become an essential part of our daily lives, shaping society and education. In particular, technology has played a vital role in transforming our education system, influencing everything from the devices we use to the methods we learn. As we move away from traditional lectures and hefty textbooks, we now benefit from advancements in digital learning. The vast array of online resources available at our fingertips is a testament to the impact of technology on education...click here to read more

September 17, 2024

Hiba Syed

In recent years, there has been a shift in societal perspective towards the use of marijuana in medicine as an increasing amount of scientific evidence has displayed the potential benefits in healthcare. Historically, the most popular way of ingesting marijuana was in a form called tincture, which is a liquid herbal extract from plant material. It was introduced to British medicine in 1842 by Dr W O'Shaughnessy, an army surgeon who had served in India. The therapeutic effects served as a remedy for a variety of ailments, including muscle spasms, menstrual cramps, rheumatism, and the convulsions of tetanus, rabies, and epilepsy. Even Queen Victoria used marijuana against menstrual pains, according to her personal physician. However, The scale of drug abuse increased dramatically during the 1960s, with cannabis being the most trafficked and abused drug worldwide...click here to read more

September 17, 2024

Reynold Borja

A bushfire (also known as a wildfire) is a natural disaster that can occur in many parts of the world. These fires can be unpredictable, devastating, and challenging to control. However, wildfires tend to be more frequent in drier regions like Africa, Australia, South America, Asia, and some parts of the United States, such as California, Oregon, and Arizona. Bushfires are typically caused by several factors including, dry weather, humid temperatures, and sometimes even human activities, such as neglected campfires and discarded cigarettes. Depending on the surrounding weather and terrain, these fires can rapidly expand across grasslands, forests, and other vegetation, creating immense destruction in the process...click here to read more

September 16, 2024

Jayden Chung 

There are trillions of bacteria in your gut that could be key to preventing or even curing autoimmune diseases. The role of gut microbiota in shaping our immune responses has emerged as a groundbreaking frontier. These microscopic organisms are now recognized as significant regulators of immune activities.The gut microbiota is a complex community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that live primarily in the intestines and play a crucial role in maintaining the body’s overall health. Beyond aiding digestion, the gut microbiota can communicate with the immune system, influencing its response to various threats...click here to read more

September 13, 2024

Arielle Nguyen 

Have you heard of The Sims, a best-selling series of life simulation games? The Sims presents the player with choices regarding their character’s entire life, from their appearance to personality to strengths. What if that game could become a reality? Could you imagine how anarchic the world would become? Parents fighting for a baby to pass the intelligence of Einstein; models competing for the most stunning baby to enter the job market; sick people genetically modifying their children to not suffer their diseases…the list goes on. And yes, The Sims has it all, and for a long time, we didn’t have these advancements. Until the gene-edited babies known as Lulu and Nana came along...click here to read more

September 12, 2024

Faith Freeman 

The Red Planet, also known as Mars, is where elemental sulfurs’ discovery takes place, prompting a series of questions such as how, why, and what the rover found that makes us curious and compels us to continue reading this article. On May 30, 2024, NASA’s Curiosity (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located in Pasadena, California, and run by Caltech, the organization that constructed Curiosity) ran over a rock that broke it open and revealed yellow crystals. Later, scientists identified what exactly these yellow crystals are, elemental sulfur. Elemental sulfur may sound intriguing, but what exactly does it contain? More specifically, why is this so significant to our lives? Let’s explore these questions in more detail...click here to read more

September 11, 2024

Bowen Zhou 

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is becoming the next big thing – some of the biggest companies around the world like Google and Apple are pouring billions of dollars into it. It has also seen its surge in things other than summarizing or working out problems, it's also being used for art, music, and image generation among other things...click here to read more

September 10, 2024

Janessa Angela Alerre

In the past 3,500 years, CHamorus have taken advantage of the coconut – locally known as the niyok – and found a variety of ways to use it. For instance, coconut meat can be grated and used in kelaguen, a dish made with shrimp or chicken, and grated with coconut and lemon. It can create a sweet treat that’s popular among young children, coconut candy. However, people aren’t the only ones enjoying the niyok, as an invasive species has come to share it with us. On September 11, 2007, an invasive species, the coconut rhinoceros beetle, was discovered in Guam.  The beetle’s population then skyrocketed, as prior to the invasion, coconut trees were the second most common tree on the island. So, how has this tiny creature affected the environment?...click here to read more

September 9, 2024

Henry Le

Have you ever wondered why children resemble their parents? From a regular standpoint, it makes sense that a mom and a dad come together and have a child who often shares features of both. But from a scientific point of view, what’s the reason behind this? Cells that aren’t involved in reproduction are called somatic cells. In the case of humans, most somatic cells have 46 chromosomes, bundles of DNA containing the genetic information that encodes for our body functions and traits. However, sex cells, or gametes (sperm and egg cells), only have 23 chromosomes...click here to read more

September 6, 2024

Rose Alexia Diño 

The primary concern with fossil fuels is their impact on global warming. When coal, oil, and natural gas are burned, they produce energy while releasing large amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere—increasing average temperatures. Additionally, since fossil fuels are finite resources, their continued extraction will eventually lead to depletion. These issues create a growing need for cleaner alternatives to combat this issue – biogas being one of them...click here to read more

September 5, 2024

Rachel Truong 

Digital twins are real-time virtual models of a physical entity that continuously reflect the state of the entity throughout the entity's life cycle. Today, digital twin technology is used in many industries such as healthcare, urban planning, construction, and energy due to robust IoT systems and advancements in AI...click here to read more

September 3, 2024

Lily Sharkey 

The first Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) therapy to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers new hope for 20 million people across the world who live with sickle cell disease (SCD). Friday, December 8, 2023 marked the beginning of a new era of treatment for SCD patients dealing with chronic pain, vaso-occlusive crises, and frequent hospitalizations. But what is CRISPR therapy and what does it mean for the future of chronic illness treatments?...click here to read more

September 2, 2024

Snika Gupta 

Imagine a world where new genes can be created. Well, it’s here now. Ongoing research is developing new bases for DNA, meaning new proteins that build up in our bodies. We are close to being able to make and write DNA that can undergo the process of protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is the process of creating proteins. The two processes that make up protein synthesis are transcription and translation...click here to read more

August 30, 2024

Aashna Chavan 

Imagine something so delicate that even the slightest mistake can alter it, whether by hours, minutes, or seconds. Time is one of the most fragile concepts that humans have discovered. Time must be handled with precision, or it risks being lost or disturbed. This understanding emerged as early as 45 BCE. Julius Caesar was behind the origin of the leap year even though his astronomer Sosigenes did all the calculations. Before Julius Caesar’s reform, the Romans used a 355-day calendar with an additional 22 or 23-day month added into the calendar every two years to keep festivals aligned with seasons. Inspired by the Egyptians, who were the first to develop a solar calendar with twelve months...click here to read more

August 29, 2024

Lana Lai 

Picture a staggering mountain of clothes—new, barely used, or old—soaring 17 million tons high and piling up in the landfill every year. This was the alarming waste left in the landfill in 2018, a dire consequence of the fast fashion industry's relentless push for rapid overconsumption of clothes. But fear not; there's a solution on the horizon: an innovative, technological approach called Garment-to-Garment recycling is here to reduce waste and reuse garments, paving the way for a sustainable future in fashion...click here to read more

August 28, 2024

Aleksandra Gavrilovic 

A new recessive syndrome was discovered through researching the protein complex COPI. The endomembrane system which is made up of vital organelles like the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the Golgi apparatus, and the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), is where the modification, packaging, and transport of proteins occurs. With each transport vesicle, protein coat complexes such as the COPI complex are also included, primarily involved in transporting proteins from the Golgi Apparatus back to the ER...click here to read more

August 27, 2024

Alex Moss 

The modern view of cholesterol is slowly shifting as new research shows the truth behind this misconceptualized hormone. This story begins in 1958 when Dr. Ancel Keys, the leading researcher, published the Seven Countries study. This was one of the first studies that researched the effects of a person's diet and health; in this specific study, Dr. Keys had supposedly shown a positive correlation between heart disease deaths and fat consumption within the human diet. Dr. Keys hid the fact that his study had handpicked seven countries from a randomized plot graph and as a matter of fact, in the original graph, there was no correlation...click here to read more

August 26, 2024

Alex Moss 

With about 280 million people around the world suffering from depression, it has become one of the most common mental disorders affecting people. According to the CDC, in 2020, 18.4% of adults reported being diagnosed with depression. Approximately one-fifth of Americans had a diagnosis of depression. The disorder can present as a spectrum as there are many different ways it can manifest itself in someone's life. Treatments for depression vary severely. The most common method of treatment is a medication branch known as antidepressants. Currently, the four main branches of antidepressants consist of...click here to read more

August 23, 2024

Suri Le 

There is a wide range of controversy surrounding the impact AI has made on academia. The most common topic of debate involves large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, GooseAI, and other text-generating models. Teachers at the primary and secondary school levels are concerned about whether their students use generative AI for their essays. But is this issue prevalent in higher education and research as well?...click here to read more

August 22, 2024

Miles Charm Manalo 

Humanity, like all living species, relies on Earth every day; however, scientists anticipate that other planets have an even greater potential than Earth to sustain life. Since plants are fundamental to the majority of our everyday resources, researchers have decided to examine them further. In 1946, the first attempt at growing plants during spaceflight was executed within the proximity of V-2 rockets, but no plant growth was recorded successfully at the time...click here to read more

August 21, 2024

Helaina Leuca

This article summarizes research by Sohail Tavazoie, a professor at Rockefeller University, highlighting a link between Alzheimer's Disease and exhausted immune cells. Alzheimer’s Disease afflicts 6.7 million people in America alone, according to a 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Using experiments on mice, Tavazoie found that microglia — immune cells found in the central nervous system – become overworked as Alzheimer’s Disease develops in their brains, leading to exhaustion. This is caused by the APOE4 gene...click here to read more

August 20, 2024

Kathlyn Phan 

In recent years, AlphaFold has emerged as a groundbreaking tool within the artificial intelligence industry by predicting protein structures with incredible accuracy. Developed by DeepMind from Google, AlphaFold has been widely used by researchers and scientists for its 3D protein structure prediction and modeling capabilities since its debut. Although the tool has some limitations, AlphaFold is still highly regarded as the top protein structure prediction method according to CASP14. Through deep learning, this new technology holds the power to enhance disease detection and help scientists with drug discovery that could revolutionize the world of medical science...click here to read more

August 19, 2024

Janessa Angela Alerre

Robotic process automation (RPA) is quickly evolving, allowing robots to be easily built, deployed, and managed to mimic human actions. Vishnu KC, a senior software analyst lead at ClaySys Technologies further explains, “Robotic process automation is nothing but instructing a machine to execute mundane, repetitive manual tasks. If there is a logical step to performing a task, a bot will be able to replicate it”. It’s typically ideal for humans to do repetitive tasks, but RPA allows software robots to complete them faster and more consistently! However, it’s crucial to note that robotic process automation is not suited for all scenarios such as complex systems that change frequently...click here to read more

August 16, 2024

Uy Pham 

Ice hockey games, figure skating competitions, and speed skating races. An entertaining ice skating session with your friends. What do all these activities have in common? They all require ice rinks. The factors that maintain the temperature and structure of ice rinks are essential to ensuring that all ice activities, from recreational activities to professional sporting events, can be completed in a standardized, safe, and consistent manner — no matter the location of the ice rink...click here to read more

August 14, 2024

Sarah Nguyen

What is a revolution? A revolution can be defined as a sudden radical change or overthrow of one’s government. What made the Scientific Revolution so “revolutionary”? It was neither a sudden radical change nor an overthrow of the government. By its name you may infer that it was a sudden eruption of knowledge; however, the revolution was anything but far from sudden. The Scientific Revolution, occurring in Europe from the 15th to the 18th century, was characterized by a surge of innovation and abstract reasoning...click here to read more

August 12, 2024

Rachel Truong

Imagine being connected to a machine that pumps chemotherapy drugs into your veins. For days. For months. For years. You’re beginning to realize that maybe– just maybe– cancer will continue to thrive inside you. According to the 2020 WHO Global Health Estimates, cancers affecting the respiratory system are “ranked 6th among leading causes of death”. While cancer can be cured when detected early, it’s a complicated process for more severe stages. Various treatments such as radiation therapy often have cytotoxic side effects. These harmful side effects could last for a long time even after killing the cancerous cells because cytotoxic drugs also damage healthy cells. But there’s hope...click here to read more

August 9, 2024

Alex Moss

The exact origins of who discovered the microbiome are not known, however, scientists such as Theodore Escherich, Joshua Lederberg, and Sergei Winogradsky helped pave the way. Residing within each of us, mainly in our gastrointestinal system, are trillions of bacteria. It is approximated that we hold up to three pounds of bacteria within our bodies. This collection of bacteria is known as our microbiota. Our microbiota plays a significant role in overall human health through communication with our brain known as the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB axis)...click here to read more

August 8, 2024

Lily Sharkey 

Everyone tells you to avoid them, but what are they? A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant, animal, or microbe whose traits have been modified to achieve a purpose; this is done through genetically engineering the genome, either introducing, multiplying, or deleting genes in a sequence. Although the genetic engineering required to edit organisms is very modern, humans have been utilizing a process to manipulate organisms for thousands of years. Cross-breeding or selective breeding plants and animals to produce the most desirable traits are examples of early genetic modification; in some ways, purebred dogs are GMOs...click here to read more

August 7, 2024

Adrienne Ma

Gladys West is a name that may not be familiar to many, but her contributions to science have had a profound impact on our daily lives. Specifically, her life work laid the foundation for the development of the Global Positioning System, more commonly known as the GPS. Gladys West was born on October 27, 1930, in rural Virginia and lived on a small farm with her family. Growing up, she often assisted in harvesting crops. In her community, she had limited opportunities for her future as most young girls of color became workers at tobacco plants or on farms. However, she wouldn’t let that dictate her future...click here to read more

August 6, 2024

Ela Selin Akgün

Dr. Jamie McGowan, a postdoctoral scientist at the Earlham Institute, analyzed the genome sequence of a microscopic organism—a protist—isolated from a freshwater pond at Oxford University Parks​. Mcgowan was working on sequencing single cellular organisms and he came upon Oligohymenophorea sp. PL0344. This organism had a unique way of translating RNA codons into proteins.  While examining the genetic structure of Oligohymenophorea sp. PL0344, Dr. McGowan discovered that, unlike most known organisms, this ciliate uses only TGA as a stop codon, causing a paradigm shift in genetics...click here to read more

August 5, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy 

In 1867, a Scottish mathematician and physicist named Peter Guthrie Tait demonstrated his smoke ring device to his friend and fellow scientist, Sir William Thomson. The two individuals were entranced by the rings' constantly shifting yet stable shapes and their interactions with each other and their environment. Combining their observations with the scientific notions of the time—most of which were later dispelled—they formed the vortex theory...click here to read more

August 2, 2024

Mahmuda Tabassum 

Over the years, extensive research has consistently shown that cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Despite significant advances in technology and medicine, a definitive cure for cancer still eludes us. As our knowledge and understanding of cancer continue to expand, so does our ability to adapt and coexist with the disease. The development of cancer can be attributed to errors or abnormalities in genes. Genes, which are specific segments of DNA responsible for encoding proteins, are prone to changes that lead to the uncontrolled production of abnormal cells through a process called mutation. This mutation process can result in the transformation of proto-oncogenes into oncogenes, which are activated genes with the potential to spur the development of cancer...click here to read more

August 1, 2024

Edward Shabatayev 

The concept behind Civil Engineering is creating and supporting the infrastructure that surrounds our lives. GIS (Geographic Information System) technology equips people with the necessary tools to manage, produce, study, and envision the data correlated with controlling and expanding infrastructure. GIS allows civil engineers to turn the data they have gained into simple and understandable reports and graphics that may be studied and shared with other people. The data can be presented in layered graphics using digital geographic maps. These systems combine various types of data to create detailed maps and models that are essential for planning, designing, and managing infrastructure projects...click here to read more

July 31, 2024

Monique Nguyen

There are diamonds in the rough, but what about diamonds in the sea? Seabed mining aims to extract precious underwater minerals as an alternative option to terrestrial mining. To do so, vehicles will rummage the seafloor to find and retrieve mineral deposits such as polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulfides, and cobalt crusts, which would be brought up to the surface for extraction. Deep-sea mining allows access to a world of underwater resources and information for future global development, covering a gap that terrestrial deposits cannot solely fulfill. However, this new type of mining poses several threats to numerous fragile ecosystems and species that lay previously undisturbed in the deep ocean...click here to read more

July 29, 2024

Lauren Coursey

Humanity has searched for life around other stars for nearly 85 years, propelled by a deep desire to learn its place in the vast cosmic expanse. The vast majority of existing data indicates no signs of extraterrestrial life’s existence. However, this does not necessarily mean humanity is alone in the universe. Consider the fact that 85 years is only slightly longer than a single human lifetime in the 300,000 years of our existence as Homo Sapiens. Also, for most of that period, our methods of investigation were incomplete...click here to read more

July 24, 2024

Paul Pham 

Minecraft, as many are familiar, contains expansive worlds through which players can freely explore and build upon their imagination. In a certain sense, as Minecraft and Mojang developer Henrik Kniberg puts it, Minecraft is an Earth simulator, with various creatures, mountains, trees, flora, daylight cycles, and climates across a seemingly endless world of blocks. These seemingly endless worlds are unique in landscape, terrain, and size. When you load into a new Minecraft world, it is almost certainly a world that nobody has ever seen before...click here to read more

July 22, 2024

Snika Gupta 

Like us, plants require more than just water and sunlight to survive. And for them, their nutrients come from fertilizers. Thought to have existed for eight thousand years, farmers have used fertilizers to support their plants for ages. The Babylonians, Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians have all been recorded using fertilizers on their crops. Throughout time, fertilizer has become fundamental in modern farming...click here to read more

July 17, 2024

Armita Rohani 

Chances are you’ve heard of Schrödinger’s Cat Experiment, where Schrödinger hypothetically puts a cat in a box and proposes the idea of the Observer’s Paradox. Well, it’s much more complex than it seems, and the effects of the hypothesis have revolutionized physics to unheard extents...click here to read more

July 10, 2024

Sarah Nguyen 

Developed by a team of Northwestern University researchers, dirt-powered fuel cells use energy from microbes that live in dirt. The research for these cells was published on January 12, 2024, and was led by Northwestern Alumni Bill Yen, a PH.D student at Stanford University. Yen began the project of dirt-powered fuel cells while he was an undergraduate at Northwestern....click here to read more

July 3, 2024

Krisha Gupta

ZINK, which stands for "Zero Ink", is a unique type of picture paper that is colored without using ink, ribbons, or toner by employing crystals and heat. Polaroid invented zinc paper, which became a separate company, ZINK Holdings LLC, in 2005. Zink is the sole company that manufactures the paper; however, it licenses its technology to other businesses, such as Polaroid, Canon, and Lifeprint, so that others may use it to make instant cameras and small printers that use Zink paper. These companies also offer branded Zink paper for their goods...click here to read more

July 1, 2024

Gabrielle Guzman

Doctors in the United States treat over 6.8 million bone injuries annually. These injuries are most common in children and the elderly, leading to an average of two bone injuries in a person’s lifetime. Most of these injuries can be treated by wearing a cast for a few weeks or months. However, there are some cases where the bone, specifically one that is part of a limb, can not undergo that kind of treatment, and instead needs the bone to grow in order to heal. This resulted in the creation of circular fixators by Soviet doctor G.A Ilizarov...click here to read more

June 28, 2024

Artiom Peshkur 

The escalating global challenges of antibiotic resistance have prompted the search for alternative antimicrobial agents. In a previous study that explored the antimicrobial potential of apple cider vinegar (ACV) against Escherichia coli and other bacteria.1 Their investigation provided the basic framework for this experiment to compare the difference in the minimum dilution of “antibiotics” required for growth exhibition on several microbial species. The study also highlighted that microbial cultures exposed to ACV impaired cell integrity, organelles, and protein expression in the microbes. Key enzymes and proteins involved in cellular processes were found to be absent or downregulated following ACV exposure. These findings displayed the broad-spectrum antimicrobial potential of ACV and its ability to disrupt microbial physiology at the molecular level. It also underscores its potential as a therapeutic agent in the fight against microbial infection and as an alternative antimicrobial...click here to read more

June 26, 2024

Juan Valenciana

Automotive braking systems are fundamental components of any vehicle and are essential for ensuring safety and control. These systems enable drivers to decelerate or bring their vehicles to a stop. Over time, braking systems have evolved significantly, driven by advancements in mechanical engineering and technology...click here to read more

June 24, 2024

Claire Story

Alzheimer’s disease is, unfortunately, a common yet destructive neurological disease. This disease destroys the memory and cognitive skills of affected individuals, leading to memory loss, behavioral changes, trouble completing simple tasks, and getting lost easily. It is mainly caused by amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and misconnected neurons in the brain. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s consists of preliminary cognitive tests, such as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and interviews with family members; the next steps in the diagnosis include extensive neuro-imaging and fluid-based examinations. Alzheimer’s can be early-onset, occurring in a person’s thirties to sixties, or late-onset, starting in a person’s mid-sixties. Depending on age, an individual may live anywhere from three to ten years after diagnosis. Because of this and the severe symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s, this disease is incredibly emotionally taxing on both affected individuals as well as their loved ones...click here to read more

June 21, 2024

Uy Pham 

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. A line from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita recited by Julius Robert Oppenheimer on national television in 1965 when describing the extent and implications of the development of the atomic bomb, and an iconic line uttered by Cillian Murphy, who plays the role of Oppenheimer in the respective 2023 biographical film. In the summer of 2023, the “Barbenheimer” craze struck movie theaters across the country with intrigued viewers flocking to watch two simultaneously-released movies: Warner Bros. Pictures’ Barbie and Universal Pictures’ Oppenheimer...click here to read more

June 19, 2024

Monique Nguyen 

Achoo! In this world, there are good germs, bad germs, and germ weapons. Biological warfare has reigned as a critical threat in history, yet its dangers are especially underexposed in the modern era. Its primary definition is the deliberate use of biological weapons, such as illness-causing agents, to harm either humans, animals, or plants. These agents take on multiple forms including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and toxins. Some of the most common are smallpox, tularemia, anthrax, botulism, and hemorrhagic fever viruses, whose effects can range from mild allergies to serious conditions. However, most biological weapons are used to induce death and have the potential to create epidemics and pandemics, which is why they are classified as weapons of mass destruction. However, the use of these weapons is broad in effect, materializing in various situations with different causes, uses, and consequences...click here to read more

June 17, 2024

Selin Salmi

Technology has changed many parts of our lives, including the way we vote. In the past, voting was done on paper, with people marking their choices on a ballot and putting it in a box. This way of counting votes, however, took a long time and could have mistakes. Over time, technology started to help. In the 1960s, punch-card voting systems were introduced where voters used a machine to punch holes in a card to show their choices, which made counting votes faster and more accurate...click here to read more

June 12, 2024

Blair Joselson

Natural disaster losses, especially hurricanes, are increasing. Of the 363 billion-dollar weather disasters since 1980 (as of August 2023), tropical cyclones have caused the most damage: over $1.3 trillion in total, with an average cost of $22.8 billion per event. These event costs continue to increase as factors like global warming cause hurricanes to become more destructive...click here to read more

June 10, 2024

Arielle Nguyen 

If you live on the Western Coast of the United States, you’ve probably heard of (or, if you’re lucky enough, seen) the bioluminescent sea shuffling up on beach’s shores. Have you seen that bright, neon blue wave wash onto the sand? Or, more commonly, seen a firefly during the night? The phenomenon is known as bioluminescence, a type of light that seems to have been sparked from science fiction rather than reality. It’s not too common on land, more in the ocean’s pelagic zone — an ecological terrain that includes the entire ocean water column, from the Epipelagic to the Hadopelagic; the highest and lowest zones. Typically, it’s frequent amongst fish, squid, and animals that are mostly made of water; all of which live between 200 and 1,000 meters deep in the ocean...click here to read more

June 5, 2024

Sydney Pastor

Incidences of PTSD in the minds of American adults have increased significantly within the past years, with about 3% of the adult population suffering from PTSD-related symptoms. These symptoms often include experiencing event flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety stemming from pervasive past traumas (Bison et al., 2015). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of this disorder in the minds of those all over the nation. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also referred to as PTSD, is a mental disorder that develops after exposure to exceptionally threatening or horrifying events (Bison et al., 2015)...click here to read more

May 31, 2024

Juan Valenciana

Brain cells, also known as neurons or glial cells, make up the structure of the nervous system. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that provides energy for neurons, forms the blood-brain barrier which manages the passage of substances between the blood and the brain and contributes to synaptic connection in the brain. These functions of astrocytes in the CNS, including when astrocytes undergo physical and chemical changes, emphasize their importance in understanding brain health and disease progression...click here to read more

May 27, 2024

Francesco Simeoni 

In recent history, many civilian tools have evolved from innovations meant for military use. For example, GPS which was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense is now a common feature of most cars and phones. Had it not been for the Cold War, we would probably not have all the everyday technology we are used to today...click here to read more

May 24, 2024

Suri Le 

The universe works in mysterious ways. Even though we question the universe, is it questioning us back? On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope team based at the European Space Agency (ESA) publicly released a stunning image of a pair of young stars forming almost 1,500 light years away from Earth. Upon further analysis of the photo, viewers noticed an object in the background resembling almost a perfect question mark icon. Across social media, the zoomed-in image went viral with references to popular Sci-Fi culture such as The Matrix and more...click here to read more

May 22, 2024

Paul Pham

The question of habitability beyond our home planet Earth has long been one of humanity’s largest, most pressing questions. For centuries, a myriad of thinkers have dug deep at this seemingly unanswerable question, in attempts to justify extraterrestrial life in our cosmos. Perhaps, though, the key to unlocking the mystery of life beyond our Earth lies in the existence of exoplanets throughout our universe...click here to read more

May 20, 2024

June Peers

The band Pink Floyd took the world by storm from the late 1960s to the 70s, revolutionizing the psychedelic rock genre. The band even revolutionized the music listening experience, performing the first surround-sound concert in 1967. With Pink Floyd’s innovation and astonishing popularity, neuroscientists conducted a study using their music. Published in PLoS Biology in 2023, the study explores the psychological effects of Pink Floyd’s hit song “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1”. They believed the song’s diverse instrumentals and rhythms invoke unique emotions and images in the participants' brains, and produce significant scientific results...click here to read more

May 15, 2024

Janessa Angela Alerre

For many years, spatial audio has been used to create more realistic and immersive experiences, in video games, virtual reality, and cinema experiences! You’ve probably heard of 3D or 4D audio, but what about 8D audio? Is the audio truly eight-dimensional? As fun as it may sound, 8D audio does not have eight dimensions. Instead, 8D audio plays tricks on your brain—making you assume you are listening to the music live. Though, how does this work?...click here to read more

May 13, 2024

Kathlyn Phan

By understanding chemical reactions on a molecular level, scientists have developed a method to capture rapid chemical reactions in slower time frames in order to analyze and make observations. Some chemical reactions can occur within femtoseconds, making it impossible for scientists to predict results or conduct research. With collective knowledge in both Physics and Chemistry, researchers invented a computer that could slow these reactions down to a time frame humans can observe. These chemical processes are crucial for applications of forensic science, solar energy harvesting, etc., so understanding how their dynamics work will enable us to find solutions to some of the most complex problems in science...click here to read more

May 8, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy 

In a constantly changing world, where certainty (not to be confused with stability) appears forever out of reach, the adhesive and sealant industry has evolved beyond its traditional boundaries. After sufficiently covering the bases of traditional heavy-duty adhesives and sealants that deal with even the toughest leaks, the industry has shifted its trajectory to prioritizing flexibility over rigidness. A team of expert engineers at England’s Newcastle University has invented a glue engineered to be reversible, making an adhesive as adaptable as the world around it...click here to read more

May 6, 2024

Katie Ngo

Imagine trying to step outside for a breath of fresh air, only to be met with pollution and smog. For the people in Beijing, China, this has long been their reality, with Beijing historically struggling to lower levels of smog and pollution in the air. In its fight against air pollution, Beijing has invested in numerous solutions, including the Smog Free Project proposed by Studio Roosegaarde. After visiting Beijing, Daan Roosegaarde, tired of the prolific air pollution, designed a tower that would hopefully solve the city’s problem. The Smog Free Tower takes in polluted air, purifies it, and emits clean air. It might seem unassuming from the outside, just a seven-foot aluminum tower fitted with vents, but it has proven very effective. The tower can make the surrounding air around 75% cleaner, separating the clean air and the pollutant particles...click here to read more

May 3, 2024

Samaira Mody

A new trend that has started worldwide is the concept of smart clothing. These everyday wearables have technology fused into their fabrics to make the clothing somewhat “smart”. Worldwide pieces of clothing are used as stylish fashion with color-changing garments, helpful resources for medical patients, or tools to track an athlete's performance during a game. The idea of smart clothing goes back to a man named H. Lee Wainwright. Wainwright created the first e-textile with an animated cartoon sweater he made in 1985. This sweater had actual moving figures of a dragon breathing fire and then morphing into a bird. After this invention, he went on to make special effects costumes for Hollywood and continued growing the idea of smart clothing...click here to read more

May 2, 2024

Amy Nangia

The NASA Artemis mission is an ambitious endeavor aimed at returning humans to the moon with the ultimate goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on our celestial neighbor. Named after the Greek goddess of the moon and sister to Apollo, the Artemis program represents a continuation of NASA's lunar exploration efforts initiated during the Apollo era. However, unlike the Apollo missions, Artemis seeks to not only land astronauts on the moon but also to establish a long-term human presence there, leveraging it as a stepping stone for further exploration, including crewed missions to Mars...click here to read more

May 1, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy 

In the past few centuries, the human pursuit of industry and wealth has greatly upset the balance of the ecosystems and environments that make up planet Earth. All aspects of the environment have been negatively impacted by the rapid industrialization of society, from the atmosphere to the waters that comprise the oceans and seas. With hundreds of species now extinct, air quality radically impaired, and landfills currently towering taller than the Statue of Liberty, there have been decades of repercussions felt by the environment. Yet, amidst the continual environmental degradation, an unexpected reprieve came in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Or did it?...click here to read more

April 30, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy 

Approximately 36% of all manufactured plastic is used for packaging purposes. Approximately 85% of all packaging is improperly disposed of and ends up in landfills, the oceans, or animals' stomachs. A modern solution to this issue has emerged in the form of edible food packaging made of biodegradable, plant-based, and natural materials. Any film, sheet, or coating, as long as it can be eaten with the product, can be considered edible food packaging. This is a zero-waste, alternative form of packaging for portable foods and beverages. Thus, along with mitigating the negative effect of plastic packaging on the environment, edible food packaging is also a transition away from the world’s dependency on plastic...click here to read more

April 29, 2024

Artiom Peshkur

This research focuses on the extraction of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) utilizing hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and recombinant DNA. Despite initial challenges with heat-shocking for the E. Coli to uptake the plasmid, successful culturing in LB broth led to GFP over-expression, as visible under the ultraviolet light. Subsequent centrifugation and cell lysis led to GFP extraction from the supernatant. HIC purification yielded fractions containing GFP, with varying concentrations across samples. This work underscores the viability of GFP as a biomarker for gene expression in biological systems...click here to read more

April 26, 2024

Arielle Nguyen

Don’t get me wrong; I would love to be paid to sleep. It would be my dream job. But occasionally, sleep feels unnecessary, especially on days when I’m extremely busy. Sometimes you just wish for more hours in the day, and to retaliate against the ancient Egyptians who started 24-hour days, you choose to stay up. And for good reason, probably. Maybe you have a pile of homework waiting to be finished, or your projects must be checked on. Maybe you’ll never regret not sleeping… until you wake up. And then, that question begins to impale like a… Well, I’m not exactly sure. Did you know that lack of sleep affects your memory, too? Why do we sleep despite our hatred for rest?...click here to read more

April 25, 2024

Reggie Dao

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, there have been several ways of producing energy to fuel our daily resources. Although the introduction of fossil fuels and manufactured energy is still prominent in the market, we’ve turned ourselves toward more natural sources of energy. Currently, society is leaning more towards a wide variety of renewable gasses ranging from solar power, wind power, and hydropower. Specifically for solar power technology, the strategy of collecting energy from the rain has been applied to fuel the electricity in today’s houses. But what exactly is rain energy?...click here to read more

April 24, 2024

Spandana Cheruvu

Various branches of mathematics are required to problem-solve, analyze algorithms, and write efficient codes in computer science. A fundamental five, however, are most necessary in computer science: discrete mathematics, linear algebra, calculus, number theory, and statistics. All of these types of math serve as the backbone for computational thinking and can be applied in algorithm formulation, robotics, software development, and artificial intelligence...click here to read more

April 22, 2024

Caroline Mora

In 2016, two sophomores at the University of Washington became one of seven recipients of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for the undergraduate "Use It" category. The invention submitted was a pair of gloves with the technology to translate American Sign Language (ASL) into audible words. The gloves are called “SignAloud” and they use sensors to pick up different gestures and signs, sending them via Bluetooth to a computer where the information is then sorted, translated, and spoken through a speaker. This product, though a prototype, could have major benefits for deaf and hearing people alike...click here to read more

April 17, 2024

Uy Pham

What if you could walk forever in an immersive virtual world, yet still physically remain in the same place? With Disney’s new HoloTile floor, visitors at Disney’s various attraction parks may soon be able to do so thanks to this new technology...The HoloTile floor. It allows a person to walk infinitely in any direction; however, the person remains in the same place on the floor. The floor adjusts to a person’s movements in any direction and can manage users at any speed up to Usain Bolt’s sprinting pace. Multiple people can step on the floor at the same time, making the HoloTile floor an omnidirectional, multi-person treadmill apparatus...click here to read more

April 15, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy

Genetic modification is the umbrella term indicating the process of altering the genetic makeup of an organism. Modifying an organism's DNA can range from deleting segments, adding new segments, transferring segments from one organism to another, or even intentionally altering a singular base pair. Any organism that has been genetically modified would fall under the category of a genetically modified organism (GMO); they are typically used to improve a characteristic or trait, ranging from decreased susceptibility to disease to increased fertility. Various gene-editing technologies can be used in tandem or separately to genetically alter organisms; one of which is CRISPR/Cas-9...click here to read more

April 12, 2024

Claire Story

The SYNGAP1 gene, located on chromosome 6, has recently been discovered to have novel implications. It was originally discovered in 1998 by Richard Huganir, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and was known for controlling learning and memory in mammals. It was previously thought that the gene solely encoded proteins to regulate the formation of synapses, links between brain cells that strengthen as a person learns something new. Recent experiments have revealed a new function of the SYNGAP1 gene, and this discovery may alter the methods and treatments used for children with SYNGAP1 irregularities...click here to read more

April 10, 2024

Jessica A. Dennehy 

A group of interdisciplinary researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Northeastern University have invented a shape-shifting fiber made of LCE, or liquid crystal elastomer, coined “FibeRobo”. FibeRobo can be made directly into fabric or embedded into other preexisting materials depending on the desired effect of its application. The LCE that makes up the fiber is thermally activated, contracting up to 40%, with minimal twisting when temperature increases and reverting to its original form as the temperature decreases, all without utilizing sensory technology...click here to read more

April 2, 2024

Jasmine Nguyen

For decades, plastic consumption has been a significant threat to our environment. The consequences of overconsumption have been made apparent through wildlife endangerment, polluted habitats, and food contamination. Scientists have taken action, recognizing these recurring issues due to plastic pollution, and increased their focus on combating these issues. The carbon structures of plastic make it much harder to decompose in a natural process. Scientists have been working hard to understand and reveal the works behind breaking down plastics. So, how have scientists combated the study of decomposing plastic? In what ways have they developed the process of breaking down these stubborn bonds? Is there a way to assess this problem without further damage to our environment?...click here to read more

April 1, 2024

Mary Isabelle Reyes

Artificial organs for transplantation, herbicide-resistant crops, and space suits — what do these three have in common? If you guessed anywhere along the lines of "same discipline", "made by a certain profession", or "related to life", you would be correct! Specifically, these three significant scientific innovations and many other similar breakthroughs are all products of biological engineering...click here to read more

March 29, 2024

Ela Selin Akgün 

The US Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA, is an institution responsible for the protection of human, public, and environmental health within the United States, utilizing tactics such as including the regulation of pesticide usage, marketing of chemicals, and cleaning up chemically contaminated lands to safeguard the environment. The EPA has authorized the use of OX5034 GM Ae. aegypti mosquitoes for release in counties in Florida and Texas. Genetic modification is a process of altering the gene sequence of an organism with laboratory-based technologies by using methods like nucleotide insertion, deletions, and gene replacements...click here to read more

March 27, 2024

Lily Sharkey

Scientists believe that about half of all human DNA descends from viruses that infect the germline of our ancestors with viral nucleic acid. Indeed, the human body contains ten times more bacterial cells than human ones. Microbes such as these exist all throughout our bodies and carry out processes that synthesize vitamins, digest food into nutrients, and stimulate immune systems. The ten trillion microbes found in the gastrointestinal tract protect the gut from disease-causing microorganisms, called pathogens...click here to read more

March 26, 2024

Audrey Tran

Stronger than steel and thinner than human hair, spider silk has remained a fascination to scientists. The liquid silk is secreted by glands in the abdomen and passed through the spider's spinnerets, leaving the body as a dry material. With its high tensile strength, flexibility, and lightweight nature, this natural fiber is extremely difficult to replicate synthetically. Its unique properties can be used in clothing and rope and its biodegradability and biocompatibility present much potential in medical applications...click here to read more

March 25, 2024

Ridhi Garg

Recently, AI has gained a lot of attention, and many are concerned that it could become overly dominant and begin to take over the world. Some fear that it may even be more intelligent than humans and that it will result in a large number of job losses. AI has become a major technology that has changed the game. This topic has been discussed extensively on social media. Because AI appears to be able to build memories in the same way that humans do, some people are worried about the future of the human race...click here to read more

March 22, 2024

Monique Nguyen

With the exponential growth in the healthcare industries, medical ethics is involved in even the most basic of operations. It is loosely defined as the moral obligations involved in a healthcare worker’s decisions to ensure a patient’s safety. As the concept has been developed, basic principles have been integrated as standards in procedures. This includes beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and justice. Beneficence is ensuring patient safety, autonomy is considering the patient’s will, nonmaleficence means doing no harm, and justice means providing fair treatment...click here to read more

March 22, 2024

Caroline Cronin

Climate change has been gradually affecting our planet since the 1950s. For the past 50 years, the Earth has warmed by 0.13℃  (1/4 of a degree Fahrenheit). While this may not seem like a lot, the impacts are detrimental and continue to worsen as more time passes. Scientists predicted that in the next twenty years, our planet will warm up 1 ⁄ 3 of a degree Fahrenheit. While climate change affects many things, its effects on agriculture are quite damaging. With the increase in heavy rains, nutrients in the soil are rapidly being expended. If crops can not be grown, then supply cannot keep up with demand, and the economy will as a result of this catastrophe...click here to read more

March 13, 2024

Sasi Kondru

Under 9% of STEM-related bachelor's degrees in the U.S. were earned by African Americans in 2023. The race and gender gap in STEM has historically been prevalent due to a lack of STEM-related opportunities or resources for marginalized communities. Additionally, due to the field being traditionally male-dominated and having little diversity, many people, especially women of color, feel discouraged from pursuing a STEM-related career...click here to read more