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Materials Science for the New Generation
Interview with Professor Alessandra Lanzara By Stuti Raizada and Melanie Russo An outstanding quantum materials scientist, Alessandra Lanzara is also a lover of sustainability and teaching for the greater good. Her research uses Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) to study the electronic and magnetic properties of the unusual ground states of novel materials and further understand…
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AI’s Ethical Impact
By James Jersin The mathematician Vernor Vinge defined singularity as, a “sudden explosion of intelligence the ‘technological singularity,’ and thought that it was unlikely to be good news, from a human point of view.” In other words, when AI can think faster than people. And Patrick Tucker asks, “if computer power advances beyond our control,…
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We’re in the Dark, Why Does It Matter?
By Ethan Ward Dark matter is one of the most elusive mysteries in science. It’s incredible that for all we seem to know about our universe, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. While ordinary matter makes up about 4% of the universe, the other 96% is composed of dark matter and dark energy, making…
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Mice Parental Exercise May Positively Impact Offsprings’ Health
By Saira Somnay In the past, it has been scientifically proven that parents’ poor dietary and exercise habits can negatively affect their offspring. The most known examples of this include obese pregnant mothers’ children having a higher risk of becoming obese and the offspring of males who ate high-fat diets exhibiting characteristics of type 2…
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A Closer Look into the Role of Natural Killer Cells in Immunotherapy
Interview with Professor David H. Raulet By Shevya Awasthi and Doyel Das Dr. David H. Raulet is a Professor of Immunology and Pathogenesis at the University of California, Berkeley. His lab focuses on mechanisms of recognition of cancer cells and infected cells by natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells, as well as mechanisms by…
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HIV-targeting antibodies offer an alternative approach to current HIV treatment, which has toxic side effects
By Isabelle Chiu HIV is unstoppable, and its current treatment with harmful side effects. But what if we had a way to combat it? The human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, is a virus that weakens the immune system by attacking a subset of T cells called CD-4+ cells. Severe HIV infections can lead to…
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Tuberculosis and Legionnaires’ Disease: Understanding Pathogens
Interview with Professor Russell Vance By Matthew Colbert and Akash Kulgod Dr. Russell Vance is a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. Professor Vance’s research interests focus largely on the initial encounters between pathogens and the immune system in the context of inflammasomes, Legionnaires’ disease, and tuberculosis. In this interview we examine…
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The Chandra X-Ray Discovers Galaxy’s Youngest Pulsar
By Meera Aravinth At the end of a gigantic star’s life, its mass collapses in on itself, triggering an extreme explosion known as a supernova. After the dust settles, a very dense object known as a neutron star remains. These neutron stars are typically about 12 to 13 miles in diameter, but have more mass…
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The Body’s Own Defense Against Cancer
By Nicole Xu For years, cancer has been thought of as a daunting and incurable disease. However, what if the body already had a built-in mechanism to defend itself against cancer? Dr. James Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo have pioneered the field of cancer immunotherapy with their Nobel Prize winning research by utilizing immune checkpoints…
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How Social Immunity Protects Insect Colonies
By Xandria Ortiz If you have ever had any interactions with ants, you many have witnessed the strange phenomenon of one ant carrying around the carcass of another ant. At first glance, this practice may appear to be part of a disturbing cannibal ritual. However, the ant is actually tidying up the nest. If the…
