On September 7th, 1978, Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident of his country’s communist regime, was assassinated on a London street. His thigh was injected by a specially modified umbrella with an engineered pellet containing a lethal dose of the poison ricin. He died without a final diagnosis a few days later, and the murderer remains […]
Pick your poison: It’s easier than you think Read More »
In the next decade or two, when adults unpack the lasting impact of their childhood experiences, research on these facetious creatures could be the reason why therapists have such astute insights into the topic. A 2021 study published in Nature Communications used 28 years of data on wild spotted hyenas’ social habits, genetic composition, and
One look at an axolotl is enough to explain how such an animal entranced pet owners and scientists alike. Native to the Xochimilco Lake near Mexico City, these salamanders are recognized by their crown-like gills, slight smiles, and uniquely adorable appearances. The axolotl is currently endangered in the wild; however, enthusiasts breed the animal in
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Extreme temperature, extreme pressure, dehydration, starvation, air deprivation, radiation, and exposure to outer space. Microscopic, moss-inhabiting animals called tardigrades can withstand all of these conditions, making them one of the most resilient animal species on the planet. They can be found in any of Earth’s ecosystems, though most commonly live in damp environments like moss
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Among the many increasingly complex medical developments made since the start of the twentieth century, one discovery stands out among all the rest: antibiotics. Today, antibiotics may not seem to be such a wonder, yet their discovery — beginning with the isolation of penicillin in 1928 — has been revolutionary to medicine and global health.
The tiny organisms posing a giant threat Read More »
Spider webs are known for their amazing tensile strength and have been calculated to be five times stronger than steel. Despite this strength, they also have an incredible amount of elasticity: the web strands snap back like a rubber band, even after a seemingly long stretch. Surprisingly, the brains of children work similarly. After experiencing
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Cancer has been around for as long as humans have. The oldest known case of cancer comes from a bone dating back 1.7 million years ago from South Africa. Its earliest written record comes from ancient Egyptian physician, Imhotep, in which he characterizes an incurable malady that was “bulging and spread all over the breast.”
CAR-T cell therapy: How we turned our bodies Into weapons Read More »
It has cost millions of dollars in research and made appearances in countless books and movies over the past 100 years. Sickle cell disease (SCD), first described in 1921, is a genetic condition with over 300,000 people born with it every year worldwide. The disease is caused by a mutation in hemoglobin, or proteins in
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From cow-print phone cases and jackets to “drink milk” posters to paintings illustrating herd-speckled landscapes, dairy cows are among people’s favorite creatures. Affection toward these docile animals is clear, but what do their lives really look like? It’s not all scenic red barns and grazing. Dairy cows go through several major life transitions, and cattle
Moo-ving about: The transitional lives of dairy cows Read More »