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By Malika Ramani '21 Edited by Jess Sevetson  Traditional open-heart surgery is both invasive and dangerous, and yet for many patients, it has been the go-to option for valve replacement. Two recent large clinical trials, however, have proven that a far less invasive – albeit “daring” procedure – may lead to better outcomes for a wide range of patients with cardiovascular complications.
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Written by Sumaiya Sayeed, '19.5 Edited by Lauren Anderson, '21 In a sample of many types of cells amidst a body of fluid, it can be difficult to capture the tiny objects for diagnostic purposes. What if we could squeeze these cells through tiny pores? Researchers have done just that.
By Malika Ramani '21 Edited by Jessica Sevetson According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should sleep between 7 and 9 hours per night. [1] Yet almost all adults have experienced it: an insanely busy week when sleep is temporarily relegated to the back burner. Many of us then hit the snooze button once Saturday rolls around, convincing ourselves that we are taking care of our bodies by sleeping in to make up for several days of sleep deprivation. The results of a recent study, however, suggest quite the opposite – that sleeping in on weekends can actually have a detrimental effect upon health and disrupt our quality of sleep during the work week. [2]
By Ethan Thio '22 Edited by Ishaani Khatri ‘21  Significant problems often have clear, obvious causes. But they also can have more insidious, hidden roots, that if left unaddressed, can be disastrous. Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health concern driven by the growth of new forms of bacteria, which are resistant to conventional antibiotic therapies. This resistance endangers the future effectiveness of antibiotic drugs that are critical to modern healthcare. Already, the CDC estimates that 2 million people are affected by antibiotic resistant bacteria, and 23,000 die each year. In the case of antibiotic resistance, the public and scientific community has been focused on a seemingly obvious culprit: the overuse and overprescription of antibiotic drugs. Unnecessary use of antibiotic drugs allows for more bacteria to be exposed to antibiotics. This kills many bacteria, but also allows resistant bacteria to develop, grow, and multiply. While this concern in antibiotic overuse is well placed, antibiotic resistance is being enhanced by an additional, lesser known cause: river runoff.
Written by Wonyoung Lee ('22) Edited by Hannah Ngo ('21) Have you ever had chicken that felt terribly overcooked or undercooked and immediately thought “How cheap is this meat?” or “How terrible is the cook?” A Washington Post article called “Fast-Growth Chickens Produce New Industry Woe: ‘Spaghetti Meat’” explains that the Chicken industry is investing $200 million to solve the woody and spaghetti chicken breast problem. [1] by Zachary Jordan '21  The biotechnology industry is, by and large, dominated by large companies and people who have spent their entire lives (and many years’ worth of education) becoming the foremost experts in their given fields (4). In a recent survey of biomedical engineers, nearly 20 percent of respondents indicated that a doctorate was required for their position, and a full 35 percent asserted that a master’s degree was necessary (5). The field is heavily regulated and often requires millions of dollars upfront to develop and test a drug or device. By many, it is described as one of the hardest fields to become a part of – entering the market takes tenacity, good lab results, a little bit of luck, and many, many late nights (6). But for some, passion for science and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people drives the development of life-changing technology.
Written by Neha Mukherjee, '22 Edited by Ashley Nee, '22  Source: The Better India Recent Oscar winning documentary Period. End of Sentence and Bollywood hit film Padman have brought light to the mini sanitary napkin making machine, an invention that has bettered the lives of thousands of women in developing countries. The lack of access to sanitary napkins due to cost and stigma plagues women around the world; it stops girls from completing their education, prevents women from furthering their professional goals, and stunts societal development. As stated by the documentary creators, “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” [1] Arunachalam Muruganantham, the creator of the mini sanitary napkin making machine states, “I want my technology to benefit people. I am a social-entrepreneur, selling the technology directly to the underprivileged women to empower them” [2].
Written by Joyce Lee '22 Edited by Ashwin Palaniappan As the world continues to industrialize, the planet suffers its consequences—and the effects of environmental changes on health grow even more noticeable by the day. Air pollution poses a unique challenge to pollution response because it respects no state borders and cannot be selectively avoided. 9 out of 10 people breathe air with high levels of pollutants, and ambient air pollution is estimated to contribute to approximately 7 million deaths per year. [1]
Written by Kyle Qian, '21 Edited by Ashwin Palaniappan Some of the biggest current trends in the tech world are blockchain and the internet of things -- they are the backbone of products for emerging startups and established tech giants alike. While the hype surrounding these areas is a bit excessive, much of it is warranted. Blockchain is essentially a distributed database of records. Simply put, it allows us to keep track of information in a secure, yet transparent fashion and is pretty groundbreaking in the sense that it is pretty much impossible to forge/hack the data. Meanwhile, the internet of things is the idea of connecting all things in the world to the internet, so that these things may freely exchange data. For instance, imagine smart homes, where all appliances and utilities could be controlled through your phone. The analyst firm Gartner predicts that by 2020, there will be more 26 billion such connected devices powering IoT. Separately, these revolutionary technologies are already serving different needs across industries. Jointly, they could greatly improve the quality of life -- secure data transmissions is positioned to impact everyone’s life at some point-- and raise the bar for technological development.
 https://pixabay.com/en/judge-hammer-judgement-court-1587300/ By Emily Rehmet, '20
For decades, neuroscientists have developed novel neuroscience technologies with the promise of revolutionizing decision-making in courtrooms. As devices such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalograms (EEGs) have become more advanced, we have been able to obtain information about the states of others that could contribute towards a conviction. We can start answering questions such as is the person on the stand lying or not? Has the defendant seen this object before at the crime scene? How does the defendant feel towards the victim? |
