All Stories by Claire Yuan
- Computing
This engineer’s light-based computers take inspiration from the brain
Physicist and engineer Bhavin Shastri is working to create the first photonic computer modeled after the human brain.
- Environment
More than 4 billion people may not have access to clean water
The new estimate, based on data from 135 low- and middle-income countries, is more than double the World Health Organization’s official count.
- Health & Medicine
The CDC has tightened rabies regulations for imported dogs. Here’s why
Dog rabies was eliminated in the United States in 2007. The new rules on bringing dogs into the country aim to keep it that way.
- Health & Medicine
A new algae-based menstrual pad could stop leaks
By turning period blood into a gel, the pad’s alginate powder filler reduces leakage.
- Health & Medicine
Sepsis tests take days, putting patients at risk. A new method may cut wait time
A faster way to figure out what bacteria is causing a potentially deadly bloodstream infection could let doctors treat it more quickly and efficiently.
- Health & Medicine
Some melanoma cancer cells may punch their way through the body
A new study clarifies how melanoma cells use cell membrane protrusions called “blebs” to burrow through tissue.
- Health & Medicine
This python-inspired device could make rotator cuff surgeries more effective
A new device, modeled after a python’s teeth and grip, could double the strength of rotator cuff repairs and prevent retearing after surgery.
- Health & Medicine
Breastfeeding should take a toll on bones. A brain hormone may protect them
The hormone CCN3 improves bone strength even as breastfeeding saps bones of calcium, a study in mice shows.
- Environment
Federally unprotected streams contribute most of the water to U.S. rivers
A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ephemeral streams aren’t protected by the Clean Water Act could have sizable ripple effects, a study suggests.
- Tech
This 3-D printer can fit in the palm of your hand
Researchers developed a chip-based device for 3-D printing objects on the go.
- Paleontology
The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct
The last population of woolly mammoths did not go extinct 4,000 years ago from inbreeding, a new analysis shows.
- Neuroscience
Pain may take different pathways in men and women
Sex differences in the function of nerve cells in mice, monkeys and humans suggest a new way to treat pain conditions.
Bhavin Shastri has been obsessed with lasers since childhood. Now, he’s using light to building faster, more efficient computers modeled after the human brain.
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The World Health Organization estimates around 2 billion people don’t have access to clean water. The number may be twice as high, a new study suggests.
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New regulations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will require stricter rabies vaccination documentation for some dogs imported into the United States.
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Menstrual blood can be unpredictable, and it can often easily leak through commercially available products.
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A nurse holds tubes of collected blood from a patient. A new method of sepsis testing could speed treatment that targets the specific bacteria causing a blood infection.
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A cancer cell (blob at right in this 3D rendering) can “punch” its way through a tunnel of tissue by extending and retracting blebs (red) through cytoskeletal cracks.
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A new medical device (illustrated at left) features tiny pythonlike teeth designed to hold fragile tissues without tearing. Researchers hope it will improve outcomes for those who undergo rotator cuff surgery.
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The bones of nursing moms stay strong despite lactation draining them of calcium. A new study in mice hints at why.
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Ephemeral streams like this one in Dixie National Forest in Utah flow only when it rains. The waterways, which are not federally protected under the Clean Water Act, contribute more than half of the water to U.S. rivers, new research finds.
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This prototype 3-D printer is roughly as long as a quarter is wide. Eventually, researchers hope the printer can be used to produce objects useful for daily life.
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The world’s last woolly mammoths lived on what is now Wrangel Island off of mainland Siberia. Despite the small population, a new study says inbreeding did not doom them to extinction.
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Millions of Americans suffer from pain conditions each year, which are often experienced differently in men and women. A new study looks at what’s happening on the cellular level.
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