As this volume of The Strand comes to an end, let’s recap some of the biggest scientific events in the tumultuous year of 2016. GRAVITATIONAL WAVES Perhaps the biggest news out of physics in 2016, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory’s (LIGO for short) discovery of gravitational waves put to rest a 100-year old hypothesis from Einstein’s time and […]
A brief review of 2016’s major scientific leaps Read More »
From paleontological records to the earliest artistic depictions of the humans that lived there, the consensus is that the Sahara was once a wetter and more humid place, during the “African Humid Period.” So, what happened?
Humans may have helped create the Sahara Desert Read More »
Content Warning: Misogyny & reference to a sexual act
Experiences as a woman in Computer Science Read More »
As the world grows more complex, we see hopeful signs of progress in the field of gene-based medicinal therapy. In particular, the famous CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique has been gaining significant traction due to its simplicity and versatility. On October 28th, Dr. Lu You’s team at Sichuan University in Chengdu successfully implanted cells containing CRISPR-edited genes into a patient with lung cancer. While this may seem like a small step, it is a result with heavy implications for the future of biomedical research. Carl June, an immunotherapy specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, described the implications of this progress best, calling the possibility for an ensuing international duel in biomedical research “Sputnik 2.0.”
Revolutionary Gene-editing Technique Has Its First Clinical Anti-Cancer Tests in Humans Read More »
Look at your hands and—most likely—you have a finite number of fingers on them. That is, you don’t have an endless number of fingers on any hand. On average, a human has ten fingers and ten toes. But, what exactly is “ten?”—not the word, but the quantity. Our Science editor Tanuj Kumar takes us to infinity and beyond by extending the numbers!
To infinity and beyond: Extending the numbers Read More »
The editor of The Strand’s brand-new Science section explains the scientific benefits of paper and pen, and why you should sometimes leave your laptop at home.
The Scientific Benefits of Handwritten Notes Read More »
