You’re playing a game of pool. You line up your cue stick behind the cue ball. You practice your stroke…one…two…three… On the fourth stroke, you follow through and the cue stick makes contact. If we could stop time in this moment, we could predict with reasonable …
Last week, my mother called from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. After chatting about the weather in Chicago and what I had for dinner recently, she turned to my work. “Can you tell me again what you do for research? Do you observe the stars every night?” …
When then Senator Barack Obama visited Google in 2008, one of the questions he was asked was “what is the best algorithm to sort a million different numbers”? Obama, being up to speed on all the programming jargon, promptly replied …
Established pillars were under attack across the Western world. It was the late 1700s, and the United States had just declared independence. France was rapidly heading towards a bloody revolution. Industrialization was beginning to reshape society. And, amidst the chaos …
I sit in the pitch-black room, twisting the knobs on the control pad of the electron microscope. I’m using this device to hunt for cells. Looking through the eyepiece, I work to bring the shadowy mass into focus. Various shapes and lines within the mass become bolder …
The discovery of fire was a turning point in human history for many reasons. Fire offered portable warmth, light, protection, and a new way of preparing food. It was also one of mankind’s most successful attempts to harness energy. Other major efforts include …
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games were a chance to celebrate the world’s greatest athletes, who strive to constantly push the boundaries of what the human body is capable. As a biomedical engineer, I can fully appreciate the pinnacle of fitness these athletes have …
I grew up in a rural town in the middle of Missouri, where the most interesting thing to do at night was to go to the local park and watch the stars. One night as a teenager, on my way back home, I noticed a police car and truck stopped by the side of the road …
After a divisive election, many of us are expecting a big helping of awkward family conversation with our holiday meals this year. Talking about the weather isn’t even safe territory anymore, given what your uncle may think about climate change. As climate …
If you watch television at all, you’ve seen advertisements suggesting that some new medicine is the best remedy for a particular disease. In stark contrast to a montage of agile women practicing yoga in a field of flowers and a pain-free granddad tossing a football to …
In the 1790s, smallpox infection was a serious threat to public health. Many died, and those who survived were frequently disfigured with body-covering scars. As the public threat grew, doctors experimented with transferring scab material from a person with a …
I woke freezing like a popsicle inside my 20ºF sleeping bag. Yes, it is typically cold at high altitude, but usually this bag keeps me a bit too toasty. Now, the moist air chilled my bones, so I curled myself up to conserve body heat. Why was it so cold and what was …
My father’s voice faltered as my family sat around the kitchen table. He was young for such a diagnosis. No one expected prostate cancer. I was speechless. At first, time seemed to slow down while I tried to process the news. As a daughter, my heart …
Have you ever tried drinking out of a straw after a mouth-numbing trip to the dentist? Hilarity can ensue. Or maybe you have slept in an awkward position and awoken with a dead arm, which you then flail about in order to revive? (Occasionally to the detriment of your …
For years, Jenny Wilson set her alarm clock for 4:11 a.m. She rose before the sun so she could be in the pool by 4:45 a.m., a routine that started in the sixth grade. When she started swimming for Northwestern University in 2008, she was out of bed by 5:21 a.m. …
Plants are all around us. It is easy to become accustomed to their presence. But, imagine a world without lush green grasses and trees – a planet blanketed in desert. Could we survive? Plants are an integral part of our environment, and provide …
After striking an iceberg 375 miles south of Newfoundland, it took less than three hours for the legendary Titanic to sink 100 years ago this Sunday. On April 15, 1912, Titanic plummeted to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking hundreds of passengers …
Those tiny little piercings can trigger big consequences that include allergic reactions, infection and hepatitis, according to a new research review by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. The American Journal of Clinical Dermatology published their …
Superconductors—special metals that can conduct electrical current with no loss of energy—could one day have a monumental impact on the efficient transmission of power in the United States and around the world. They could also lead to great innovations in medical …
Whether you are for or against genetically modified (GM) food, it’s likely inevitable that you’ll consume it. Why? Soybean and corn seeds that have been genetically modified make up 90% and 80% respectively of the total seeds on the market! Large percentages of sugar …
Imerman Angels, a cancer support organization based in Chicago, has “floods of volunteers,” according to John May, chairman of its board of directors and a long-time volunteer himself. “You can’t help but just get excited to get involved,” he said. These do-gooders are …
Why do optical illusions occur? Your eyes generate a two-dimensional photo of the world, but your brain needs a three-dimensional understanding in order for you to act in the world. Your visual system is very good at figuring out the 3D world, but it’s also …
In a post-war era when sleeplessness was prevalent, thalidomide was marketed to a world hooked on tranquilizers and sleeping pills. At the time, one out of seven Americans took them regularly. The demand for sedatives was even higher in some European markets, and the …
In Aldous Huxley’s futuristic novel Brave New World (1932), human beings are selectively bred to be genetically perfect. Based on their genes, they are sorted into a caste system that defines their social hierarchy. While capturing the scientifically misguided notions …
For many, dogs are man’s best friends. But for people with pet allergies, dogs and cats can be their worst enemies.
Still, many individuals whose noses resemble Old Faithful whenever Fido walks into the room are still able to keep pets in their homes …
You’re playing a game of pool. You line up your cue stick behind the cue ball. You practice your stroke…one…two…three… On the fourth stroke, you follow through and the cue stick makes contact. If we could stop time in this moment, we could predict with reasonable …
Last week, my mother called from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. After chatting about the weather in Chicago and what I had for dinner recently, she turned to my work. “Can you tell me again what you do for research? Do you observe the stars every night?” …
When then Senator Barack Obama visited Google in 2008, one of the questions he was asked was “what is the best algorithm to sort a million different numbers”? Obama, being up to speed on all the programming jargon, promptly replied …
Established pillars were under attack across the Western world. It was the late 1700s, and the United States had just declared independence. France was rapidly heading towards a bloody revolution. Industrialization was beginning to reshape society. And, amidst the chaos …
I sit in the pitch-black room, twisting the knobs on the control pad of the electron microscope. I’m using this device to hunt for cells. Looking through the eyepiece, I work to bring the shadowy mass into focus. Various shapes and lines within the mass become bolder …
The discovery of fire was a turning point in human history for many reasons. Fire offered portable warmth, light, protection, and a new way of preparing food. It was also one of mankind’s most successful attempts to harness energy. Other major efforts include …
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games were a chance to celebrate the world’s greatest athletes, who strive to constantly push the boundaries of what the human body is capable. As a biomedical engineer, I can fully appreciate the pinnacle of fitness these athletes have …
I grew up in a rural town in the middle of Missouri, where the most interesting thing to do at night was to go to the local park and watch the stars. One night as a teenager, on my way back home, I noticed a police car and truck stopped by the side of the road …
After a divisive election, many of us are expecting a big helping of awkward family conversation with our holiday meals this year. Talking about the weather isn’t even safe territory anymore, given what your uncle may think about climate change. As climate …
If you watch television at all, you’ve seen advertisements suggesting that some new medicine is the best remedy for a particular disease. In stark contrast to a montage of agile women practicing yoga in a field of flowers and a pain-free granddad tossing a football to …
In the 1790s, smallpox infection was a serious threat to public health. Many died, and those who survived were frequently disfigured with body-covering scars. As the public threat grew, doctors experimented with transferring scab material from a person with a …
I woke freezing like a popsicle inside my 20ºF sleeping bag. Yes, it is typically cold at high altitude, but usually this bag keeps me a bit too toasty. Now, the moist air chilled my bones, so I curled myself up to conserve body heat. Why was it so cold and what was …
My father’s voice faltered as my family sat around the kitchen table. He was young for such a diagnosis. No one expected prostate cancer. I was speechless. At first, time seemed to slow down while I tried to process the news. As a daughter, my heart …
Have you ever tried drinking out of a straw after a mouth-numbing trip to the dentist? Hilarity can ensue. Or maybe you have slept in an awkward position and awoken with a dead arm, which you then flail about in order to revive? (Occasionally to the detriment of your …
For years, Jenny Wilson set her alarm clock for 4:11 a.m. She rose before the sun so she could be in the pool by 4:45 a.m., a routine that started in the sixth grade. When she started swimming for Northwestern University in 2008, she was out of bed by 5:21 a.m. …
Plants are all around us. It is easy to become accustomed to their presence. But, imagine a world without lush green grasses and trees – a planet blanketed in desert. Could we survive? Plants are an integral part of our environment, and provide …
After striking an iceberg 375 miles south of Newfoundland, it took less than three hours for the legendary Titanic to sink 100 years ago this Sunday. On April 15, 1912, Titanic plummeted to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking hundreds of passengers …
Superconductors—special metals that can conduct electrical current with no loss of energy—could one day have a monumental impact on the efficient transmission of power in the United States and around the world. They could also lead to great innovations in medical …
Whether you are for or against genetically modified (GM) food, it’s likely inevitable that you’ll consume it. Why? Soybean and corn seeds that have been genetically modified make up 90% and 80% respectively of the total seeds on the market! Large percentages of sugar …
Imerman Angels, a cancer support organization based in Chicago, has “floods of volunteers,” according to John May, chairman of its board of directors and a long-time volunteer himself. “You can’t help but just get excited to get involved,” he said. These do-gooders are …
Why do optical illusions occur? Your eyes generate a two-dimensional photo of the world, but your brain needs a three-dimensional understanding in order for you to act in the world. Your visual system is very good at figuring out the 3D world, but it’s also …
In a post-war era when sleeplessness was prevalent, thalidomide was marketed to a world hooked on tranquilizers and sleeping pills. At the time, one out of seven Americans took them regularly. The demand for sedatives was even higher in some European markets, and the …
In Aldous Huxley’s futuristic novel Brave New World (1932), human beings are selectively bred to be genetically perfect. Based on their genes, they are sorted into a caste system that defines their social hierarchy. While capturing the scientifically misguided notions …
For many, dogs are man’s best friends. But for people with pet allergies, dogs and cats can be their worst enemies. Still, many individuals whose noses resemble Old Faithful whenever Fido walks into the room are still able to keep pets in their homes …