If you've ventured outdoors in the southeast over the last couple weeks, then you may have noticed that things are looking distinctly…yellow. Everywhere you turn, cars and sidewalks are covered in a fine layer of yellow ‘dust'. The hazy quality to the air, as any sufferer of seasonal allergies will be happy to inform you,
Is it a star? A moon? A comet even? No, it's a satellite! NASA broadly defines a satellite as a moon, planet, or machine that orbits a planet or star. More specifically, “natural†satellites include the Earth, which revolves around the Sun, and the moon which revolves around the Earth. On the other hand, there
From hunting to detection of drugs and bombs to search and rescue, it seems there is no limit to the ways we can take advantage of the keen sense of smell possessed by man’s best friend. What is less known is that the same qualities that enable dogs to find drugs and track down animals
The “salt wars” have been raging for decades, with medical science still embroiled over whether there is a direct link between sodium consumption and heart disease. Last year, a group of researchers published an editorial in an American Heart Association journal proposing a way to finally get to the bottom of this; in the process,
Today, we live in a world of convenience where we have manufactured products to make everyday tasks easier. I save a lot of time using a washing machine, buying premade clothing, and traveling in a car. But, the world has begun to realize that convenience comes with economic and environmental costs. Using wash cloths to
On February 4th, we celebrated World Cancer Day to remember those affected by cancer, standing by them in their fight against it. Known as the big “C,†cancer is a dreaded disease. There were 18.1 million new cases worldwide in 2018, of which 9.6 million were fatal. Being a leading cause of mortality, it has
Hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers and blue moons, pots of golden rainbows and me red balloons! If you've ever eaten Lucky Charms cereal, you probably know this jingle and the tiny shapes of marshmallows it references. Interestingly enough, glycobiologists, or biologists who study the sugars that make up those tasty mallows, have their own Lucky Charm
“Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes
Medicine has been important to humans since our earliest days, but for the majority of our history, we've had very little idea of how medicine works. We used to attribute medicinal effects to magic or to balancing the fluids of the body (bloodletting, anyone?), but thankfully we've come a long way since then. With the
It's that time of year again, where we resolve to make better choices for our bodies. Maybe one of these decisions is to try and boost our brain health as well, so we incorporate good “brain foods†in our diets like walnuts or salmon. These foods are labeled as such because they're rich in omega-3
Recently, I was in the lab doing some routine work with cells. In order to start growing my own stock of cells I took a small vial out of a tank of liquid nitrogen, where it is stored at around -150°C (-238°F). Then I quickly thawed it to body temperature (37°C, or 98.6°F) and transferred
It's officially February, the groundhog predicted an early Spring, and I'm still staying up past 2am every night, despite my resolution to get more sleep. We are a month into 2019, and it's around the time when people start dropping their resolutions like a serious game of hot potato. Why is this? Why do we
