✴︎ The
Hypothesis
The Online Edition of the Berkeley Scientific Journal
Research & Blogs Department
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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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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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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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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…
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Aromatherapy — Does it Work?
By Andreana Chou Passing by the mouth-watering scents from local restaurants after a long day can often evoke memories of comfort food at home. But are scents universally effective across different people and powerful enough to cause significant health changes? While commonly regarded as a holistic health treatment, aromatherapy and its reported effects are…
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Dropping Octopi in Drugs
By Andreana Chou The last thing you’d expect to have in common with the octopus is increased socialization after taking ecstasy. Ecstasy, scientifically known as 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA for short, is a drug that alters our mood and perception. Although humans and octopi are separated by over 500 million years of evolution, they share a…
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New Research shows why dogs die after swimming in the Eel River
By Xandria Ortiz The Eel River is part of the third largest watershed in California. It is one of the major rivers in northwestern California, and is a major source for local industries, agriculture, and municipalities. The river is also a hotspot for outdoor recreation as many people enjoy camping and hiking around the river…
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Dickinsonia is discovered to be Earth’s first living animal
By Isabelle Chiu We can all trace our roots back to the first animal: the Dickinsonia. The discovery of the Dickinsonia fossil has puzzled scientists for decades because of its unusually large size compared to other organisms found in the Edicarian time period. However, a recent study from the Australian National University has confirmed that…
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How a UC Berkeley Professor Delivered Pure Water from Thin Air
By Sharon Binoy Climate change has been a hot button topic in the political arena in recent years. Despite its widely debated existence, its impacts in regions that already experience climate extremes are especially tangible. The harsh conditions in these areas are aggravated by climate change, dropping water availability to historic lows. Even regions in…