Mysteries at the Center of the Galaxy
For more than a decade it has been widely accepted that the center of the Milky Way is not, in fact, nougaty caramel, but a supermassive black hole. Due to the nature of the region surrounding the black hole,...
How Two Guys Hacked a Jeep
A few months ago, researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek hacked a car. Yes, hacked a Jeep, to be precise— as a guy (Andy Greenberg) was driving down the interstate at 70 mph. A few minutes later,...
The Neuroscientific Merits (or Lack Thereof) of Cramming
Many students have probably discovered that no amount of pedagogic ingenuity can inspire academic motivation more than the combination of 4:00 a.m. on the corner of one’s computer screen and an 8:00 a.m....
Torture on the Brain
Flaying, burning, boiling, crushing, beating, ripping, and stabbing—the horror of physical torture throughout history is still cringe-worthy centuries later. But what about the effects of such torture on the...
Quantum Dots
The Ultimate Game Changers In an art gallery, the lighting in which a piece of art is shown is incredibly important to the viewer’s experience. Dial up the light provided by a spotlight overhead, and the...
If two black holes collide, does it make it a sound?
How can scientists measure or observe things that are an immense distance away? And how can scientists view objects in space that do not even produce light? These questions, and more, were answered in an...
3D Bioprinting
Regeneration of Organs Hannah Warren was born with a missing trachea, a fatal condition with a survival rate lower than 1%. She was breathing with a tube inserted through her mouth, and wasn’t able to speak...
Batteries Without the Boom
Designing a Safer Lithium Battery In the world of batteries, lithium-ion batteries are like the Golden State Warriors: powerful, trendy, and highly explosive. Like all batteries, lithium-ion batteries...
Chirality
Mirror Molecules and Medications If someone asked you to explain the difference between your left and right hand, what would you say? On the surface, your hands aren’t so different: they are both made...
Does Menu Labeling Lead to Healthier Eating?
It’s almost painfully obvious now that obesity is a serious problem in the United States. Over a third of U.S. adults are obese, and obesity-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and...