Fish adjust their sensitivity to the actions of others, such reacting to false alarms, to reduce the risk of responding to misinformation. “Despite the benefits of learning about the world through social…
Author: Carolyn Gramling
Chien-Shiung Wu, the authority in beta decay
Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese–American physicist who made significant contributions to nuclear and particle physics. Wu’s unequivocal expertise in beta decay during the fission, or splitting, of atoms made her a leading…
A computing system made from heart cells
It is an understatement to say that modern computers have and continue to shape civilization. Since their implementation, information has become more accessible, technological feats such as space exploration became possible, entertainment…
ChatGPT is making waves in the scientific literature
It seems as though almost everyone is talking about ChatGPT these days — a sophisticated language model developed by the San Fransisco company, OpenAI. Within one week of it becoming publicly available,…
The ins and outs of an undergrad-run journal
An integral part of the scientific process involves publishing in order to make new data, theories, and findings available to the wider scientific community. This helps to not only spark new ideas…
Reviving mechanical computers for use in extreme environments
Putting a modern spin on old tech, scientists create a mechanical computer from metamaterials for situations where electronic computers break down. The concept of a mechanical computer is not something one comes…
Scientists create cyborg bacteria – Advanced Science News
Incorporating polymer skeletons inside bacteria stops them from replicating and results in cyborg cells that are half living, half artificial. A “holy grail” in synthetic biology is the creation of fully programmable…
Louis Pasteur, germ theory and the first life-saving vaccines
It is said that few people have saved more lives than Louis Pasteur. Though he began as a chemist, Pasteur’s career cut across disciplines, earning him recognition in fields such as microbiology,…
What shapes the lung microbiome?
Until recently, scientists believed that the lungs were a sterile environment, free of any bacteria. But research over the last five years has upended this idea, providing evidence that healthy lungs possess…
A breakthrough in nuclear fusion announced
Since nuclear fusion research began in the mid-20th century, researchers have been unable to a demonstrate a positive energy gain and a self-sustained reaction — a condition known as “ignition”. However, today…