Technology

milky way galaxy during nighttime

The Earth from ET’s Perspective

To date, researchers have identified over 5,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way, a small fraction of the billions hypothesized to exist in our galaxy. Among them, researchers catalog so-called “Earth-like planets,” or planets with a similar size, structure, and distance from the Sun as Earth. While of great interest to modern astronomers, no conclusive evidence

Getting SAFER with Space Waste

When the International Space Station (ISS) reaches the end of its lifespan in 2031, where will it go?  No options for major recycling exist in outer space, so when a spacecraft is decommissioned, there are only three “trash cans” available. The first is a so-called “graveyard orbit,” where spacecraft are blasted away from Earth into

Air conditioning units, Rose Street North Lane

Cooling just got cooler

As we head into Georgia’s hot and humid summers, you might find yourself chilling in an air-conditioned room, or reaching out to your fridge for a cold beverage. But have you ever thought about how these appliances might be heating up our planet?  Refrigeration is integral to our modern lives, affecting everything from household food

mule deer in a field

Machine Learning for Ecologists and Other Interesting People

Every spring, graduate students at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia organize a short weekly seminar around an interesting theme. This year, the theme is “Machine Learning for Ecologists”. At first glance, machine learning may not seem very related to a discipline mostly concerned with the distribution and abundance of organisms,

Universal Flu Vaccines: Beyond the Seasonal Jab

Sore throat? Stuffy nose? Influenza, or flu, is a nuisance for many every year, causing unwelcome respiratory discomfort that goes away after a few days for most. In some, it can cause more severe disease and even death. Every year, we can get a seasonal flu vaccine to protect ourselves against the virus. But there

Toxicology and Poisons: a Cat and Mouse Game

Murder is as old as mankind. Or so the saying goes. Every culture has a history of poisons, from the ironically named “elixirs of life” eagerly sought after by early Chinese emperors and nobles, to the Poison Damsels (Visha Kanya) of ancient Indian mythology that could kill you with just a drop of the deadly

The Future of CRISPR Therapy

Although rewriting the code of life seems like a daunting task, scientists have managed to do just that. You've probably heard of CRISPR technology, a burgeoning genetic tool that has seen use in a multitude of applications, from treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice to making crops more sustainable. The technology offers a method of

How private companies light up our night sky

In late 2019, astronomers across the U.S. began to notice mysterious streaks of light passing through their images—clusters of the private company SpaceX's Starlink satellites. With 955 of these satellites launched so far, founder Elon Musk aims to create a “mega-constellation” of satellites in the low Earth orbit (LEO), designed to provide global broadband Internet

From obscurity to everyday use: How basic science changes the world

Every holiday season, I've struggled to explain to my family of accountants, firefighters, and lawyers why basic science research is important. They never seem to believe that my work on frog-eating bats is anywhere near as important as applied research aimed at curing disease or addressing world hunger. What they don't seem to understand is

Your new favorite author is a robot

Have you ever wondered if the article you're reading was written by a human? I imagine you probably haven't. After all, why would there be any reason to assume otherwise? What about art or music; are you certain that the works you see and hear are truly human creations? AI is now smart enough to

The Fault in Our Epigenome: The science behind aging

From the Yoruba tradition of throwing cowrie shells, to the Roma fortune tellers peering at palms, people throughout history have wondered if there was some sort of physical or external way to map out the path of our lives. Modern day scientists are still pondering how to predict the future, but instead of looking up

CO2 to the Rescue: Transforming Pollution into a Resource

We are at the brink of a severe climate crisis caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide. Anthropogenic activities such as burning fossil fuels have significantly elevated the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. As a matter of fact, the global CO2 average has hit a new

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