COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last coronavirus to spill over to humans. Scientists are working to make a universal vaccine to combat future outbreaks. Image credit: Mat Napo Unsplash Over the…
Category: Features
#BlackinChem 2021: Everything you need to know
Last August, the inaugural #BlackinChem event started as a national movement that ended up connecting hundreds of Black chemists around the world. The reception went beyond the organizers’ dreams, bringing together a…
Methane on Enceladus could be a possible sign of life
Is life bubbling under the surface of Saturn’s ocean moon? This artist’s impression depicts NASA’s Cassini spacecraft flying through a plume erupting from the surface of Enceladus. Image credit: NASA Beneath the…
Why is there hype around the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine?
The protein-based vaccine has been highly anticipated, showing high efficacy against variants of concern. Yesterday, the American biotechnology company Novavax announced the results of its Phase III clinical trial for its new…
How can we leverage heritage in a changing global climate?
A resident walks the streets of Fez, Morocco, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Image credit: Chrissie Giannakoudi Unsplash Tucked away in a remote Indonesian cave lies a key component in the evolution of…
Diagnosing malaria in the field with accurate and portable rapid tests
If you’ve been hearing more and more about “lab-on-a-chip” technology recently, it’s for good reason. These devices can be used to mimic organs, perhaps replace animal models in biomedical research, but ultimately,…
Measuring computers’ carbon footprint with “Green Algorithms”
Image credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash What strategies come to mind when we’re asked to think about cutting greenhouse gas emissions? Moving to renewable energy sources? Eliminating our dependence on carbon-based fuels?…
Ingenuity makes its first controlled flight on Mars
NASA makes history with the first demonstration of controlled flight on another planet. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter captured this shot as it hovered over the Martian surface. Image: NASA What started as…
Oxygen biosignature alone does not indicate life on other planets
Oxygen is a promising exoplanet biosignature, but several scenarios exist in which a lifeless, rocky planet could evolve to have non-biological oxygen in its atmosphere. Image credit: Daniel Olah on Unsplash Are…
What COVID-19 vaccine should I get? Whichever one you are offered, say experts
Image credit: Pexels Just a year ago, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus began to take hold of the world, a vaccine to curb the pandemic seemed a far-off hope. Nevertheless, researchers around the…