Tag: sbyir

2015-16, Biology

Deforestation and Tree Extinction in the Amazon

By Shannon Bohman ’19   Scientists have recently concluded that deforestation is threatening more than half of the tree species found in the Amazon. Researchers compared data on tree diameters, leaves, branches, flowers, and fruits to maps of projected deforestation. The analysis was the first quantified estimate of how many Amazonian species were at risk. The data was run through a computer model under two … Continue reading Deforestation and Tree Extinction in the Amazon

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Technology

Optimization of a Lithium Flow Battery to Increase Energy Storage

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie Image acquired from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_New_Zealand Figure 3: Windmills need reliable large-scale flow batteries to effectively store energy for later use.   The flow battery is a development in large-scale, renewable battery technology. It is often found attached to solar panels and windmills to collect the energy produced. However, it is unable to cost-effectively store large amounts of energy. Dr. Qing Wang, of the University … Continue reading Optimization of a Lithium Flow Battery to Increase Energy Storage

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Technology

Self-Healing Gel Makes the Future of Technology More Flexible

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie Image acquired from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/creative_stock/5227842611 Figure 2: weak points like junctions and bends in circuits could use the self-healing, conductive gel to keep circuits from wearing.   As technology advances, people in today’s society strive for slimmer, curved, and more flexible gadgets. Typical conductive materials for circuits are not exactly suitable for the latest tech to meet these futuristic features. To address this problem, … Continue reading Self-Healing Gel Makes the Future of Technology More Flexible

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Biology

Root Microbiomes Influence Plant Growth and DevelopmentRoot Microbiomes Influence Plant Growth and Development

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie Image acquired from: http://www.the-scientist.com/images/January2013/microbe_infograph_full.jpg Figure 1: The community of microorganisms that live around and in the tissues of plants can affect the plant’s growth and development.   When thinking of ways to improve plant growth, one may think of relations between genetics, climate and available nutrition. However, Dr. Ulrich Mueller of the University of Texas and Dr. Joel Sachs of University of California … Continue reading Root Microbiomes Influence Plant Growth and DevelopmentRoot Microbiomes Influence Plant Growth and Development

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Technology

Your Robot Coworker Won’t Be Stealing Your Job After All

By Cerise Carey Is artificial intelligence as big of a threat to your job as it may seem? Researchers with the McKinsey Global Institute suggest not. Their research indicates that less than five percent of jobs and forty-five percent of general work activities could be automated. Jobs that could benefit from some activities becoming automated include physicians, financial managers, and senior executives. However, there are … Continue reading Your Robot Coworker Won’t Be Stealing Your Job After All

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Biology, Medicine and Physiology

Are There Racial Differences in Cancer?

By Cerise Carey Americans of African descent are at a higher risk for developing gastrointestinal (GI) cancers than other individuals, but are there racially determined differences in the cancer itself? Dr. Ellen Li and her colleagues from Stony Brook University are teaming up with SUNY Downstate and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to try to find an answer to this question by looking into the biological … Continue reading Are There Racial Differences in Cancer?

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Biology

Images of a Replisome Offer a New Look at DNA Replication

By Cerise Carey Scientists have never been able to capture an image of the molecules behind DNA replication until now. A team of researchers from Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Rockefeller University, including Dr. Huilin Li of Stony Brook University’s Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, were able to produce the first real structural image of a replisome using electron microscopy techniques. A … Continue reading Images of a Replisome Offer a New Look at DNA Replication

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Psychology

Scientists Use Computer Modeling to Determine if Information is Contagious

By Lee Ann Santore Stony Brook University’s own researchers, Christian Luhmann and Suparna Rajaram, have conducted a study that will make students think twice about studying with a group. The study aimed to determine whether or not information is contagious in the same way that behaviors like smoking are. Their experiment involved the use of advanced computer modeling to simulate individuals and groups of humans. … Continue reading Scientists Use Computer Modeling to Determine if Information is Contagious

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Biology, Medicine and Physiology

Scientists Penetrate the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Microscopic Bubbles

By Lee Ann Santore The blood-brain barrier acts as a shield to the brain and prevents toxins from reaching the central nervous system. Unfortunately, it also prevents the passage of medicines into the brain. A team of Canadian researchers from the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, led by Todd Mainprize, has developed a technique to penetrate the blood-brain barrier by injecting microscopic bubbles into the bloodstreams … Continue reading Scientists Penetrate the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Microscopic Bubbles

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Biology, Medicine and Physiology

Amblyomma americanum and a New Disease

By Karis Tutuska As bloodsuckers and disease-carriers, ticks are many people’s worst nightmares. However, a recent study conducted by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has shown that the rapid spreading of an aggressively-biting, disease-carrying tick species may be a blessing in disguise. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an often-deadly disease carried by American dog ticks. Since 2012, the number of reported cases has … Continue reading Amblyomma americanum and a New Disease

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Psychology

Study Suggests Children with Religious Upbringing are Less Altruistic

By Karis Tutuska Image Acquired from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Children_marbles.jpg Figure Caption: Study tests altruism in children with religious and non-religious upbringings Many assume that religion plays a crucial role in a child’s moral development. However, a recent study at the University of Chicago suggests that children raised with a religious background are less altruistic than those who are were raised secularly. The experiment was conducted on children aged … Continue reading Study Suggests Children with Religious Upbringing are Less Altruistic

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Biology

A Snapshot of the Memory Mechanism

By  Karis Tutuska Image Acquired from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internexin#/media/File:Microglia_and_neurons.jpg  Figure Caption: Neurons predisposed to joining networks that take place in learning may provide a visual of the memory mechanism Have you ever wondered what memories look like? A group of neuroscientists at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science have captured a visual of the memory mechanism by studying the swim motor program of Tritonia, a genus … Continue reading A Snapshot of the Memory Mechanism

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