In a scientific first, astronomers observed a star swallowing a planet as part of its dying process. The researchers first spotted the outburst, which took place about 12,000 light-years away from Earth, in 2020, but it took several years for them to figure out what it was: a star running out of fuel, swelling to […]
Ellen Xu, a 17-year-old from San Diego, created an award-winning algorithm that uses smartphone photographs to help diagnose Kawasaki disease — a leading cause of acquired heart disease in the U.S. that primarily affects children younger than age 5. It’s a disease that’s personal to Xu; her younger sister, Kate, was diagnosed with Kawasaki when
A new study has established a correlation between preschool-educated children and numerous positive educational outcomes, including a boost in high school graduation and college attendance, and a decrease in problematic behavioral issues. The study, led by MIT economist Parag Pathak and published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, followed the academic paths of over 4,000
If you’ve ever been to a Maryland-style crab feast, a summer staple in the mid-Atlantic state, you’re well aware of the affinity many people have for the crustacean. Crab has been enjoyed around the world for thousands of years — so much so that we’ve even created a more affordable imitation of the delicacy. In
Despite earning over 50% of bachelor’s degrees total, women make up only about one-fifth of degrees obtained in physics, according to the American Institute of Physics. Although this statistic has not deviated much over time — staying stagnant during the period between 2007 and 2017 — one female physicist is hoping to change that by
Every day, diligent researchers are making scientific breakthroughs that help change the way we understand and interact with the world. Much of the exploration that leads to these achievements occurs under a microscope — where the building blocks of life are magnified and their otherwise unseen properties made visible to the human eye. Established in
For those of us who aren’t scientists, a chance encounter with an inert ground-dwelling rodent probably wouldn’t turn into a decades-long quest for knowledge about the animal that is now linked with making space exploration safer for humans. But in 1992, for Kelly Drew, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Alaska,
Women make up less than a third of the U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and earn about 15,000 less than their male counterparts, according to the American Association of University Women. There have been various movements to help end this STEM gender gap in recent years, and Jessica Wade is
Scientists have uncovered the world’s oldest known DNA in northern Greenland — a major discovery that sheds light on what the now-barren landscape may have looked like 2 million years ago. Publishing their findings in Nature in December, an international team of scientists studied 41 microscopic fragments of environmental DNA, the genetic material organisms release
World’s Oldest DNA Paints a New Picture of Icy Greenland 2 Million Years Ago Continue Reading »
Sabrina Thompson is an aerospace engineer for NASA as well as a passionate artist — and she found a way to combine the two seemingly contradictory fields. The innovator is on a mission to create the first spacesuit “designed by women for women.” Thompson is the founder and CEO of a clothing brand called Girl
Meet Sabrina Thompson: The NASA Engineer Designing a Spacesuit for Women Continue Reading »
