Space
Tech
Einstein proved right in another galaxy
An international team of astronomers have made the most precise test of gravity outside our own solar system. By combining data taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, the researchers show that gravity in this galaxy behaves as predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, confirming the theory's validity on galactic scales. In 1915 Albert Einstein proposed…
Nearly 80 exoplanet candidates identified in record time
Scientists at MIT and elsewhere have analyzed data from K2, the follow-up mission to NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, and have discovered a trove of possible exoplanets amid some 50,000 stars. In a paper that appears online today in The Astronomical Journal, the scientists report the discovery of nearly 80 new planetary candidates, including a particular standout: a likely planet that orbits the star HD 73344,…
Engineering bacteria to exhibit stochastic Turing patterns
How did the zebra get its stripes, or the leopard its spots? Humankind has been trying to answer such questions since our earliest recorded days, and they resonate throughout the extant mythologies and folklores of an earlier world. In modern times, we've looked to mathematical models and most recently to genomic science to uncover the explanation of how patterns form in living tissues, but a…
‘Flamingo:’ High-powered microscopy coming to a scientist near you
Modern microscopy has given scientists a front-row seat to living, breathing biology in all its technicolor glory. But access to the best technologies can be spotty. Jan Huisken, a medical engineering investigator at the Morgridge Institute for Research and co-founder of light sheet microscopy, has a new project meant to bridge the technology gap. His Morgridge team has developed a portable, shareable light sheet microscope…
Exposure to fracking chemicals and wastewater spurs fat cell development
Exposure to fracking chemicals and wastewater promotes fat cell development, or adipogenesis, in living cells in a laboratory, according to a new Duke University-led study. Researchers observed increases in both the size and number of fat cells after exposing living mouse cells in a dish to a mixture of 23 commonly used fracking chemicals. They also observed these effects after exposing the cells to samples…
HEALTH
Internists encouraged by increased funds for healthcare programs in spending bill
Washington, DC (March 23, 2018) -- The American College of Physicians (ACP) is encouraged that the spending bill passed by Congress meets many of our priorities for federal health care programs. The fiscal year 2018 spending bill, as passed, will result in health policy gains for physicians and our patients. Specifically, we were glad to see that the bill includes substantial funding for the National…
