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I Can Show You the Worlds: The Science of Planetary Exploration

Presented by Anjali Tripathi, Kirit Karkare, and Sukrit Ranjan Earth is one of the eight planets in our Solar System. Within the past 20 years, astronomers have discovered more than 700 planets in the Universe, which are orbiting stars that are not our…

Trials and Tribulations of a Transplant

-- Last month, physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center made headlines after performing what is regarded as the most extensive face transplant in history. In 1997, a firearm accident left Richard Norris without a nose, lips, and part of…

Is the Robot Apocalypse Just Around the Corner?

-- If you believe Hollywood’s interpretation, the advent of intelligent robots rarely ends well for mankind. Movies like The Matrix, Terminator, and I, Robot all depict robots as quite intelligent, capable, and horrifyingly destructive machines that…

The Promise of Organic Solar Cells: Flexible, Cheap, and Printable

-- The world is excited about solar cells – and with good reason. Imagine the City of the Future, where every exposed surface has solar cells on it, converting the sun’s energy into electricity. This vision could include solar cells on windows, on top of…

Epigenetics: genetic control beyond DNA sequence

-- If every cell in an organism has the same genetic program, how can there be so many different types of cells in one body? The answer lies in the fact that not all genes are turned on or expressed in every cell. Determining which genes are turned on…

Mighty Mitochondria and Neurodegenerative Diseases

-- While sitting in your elementary school classroom or making some amorphous jelly mold studded with jelly beans, you may have heard the phrase “mighty mitochondria” from your studies on the cell structures. More than just a catchy alliteration, this…

Are We Alone? - How astronomers hope to find life in the Universe

-- For the first time, recent advances in technology and space exploration have made the prospect of detecting evidence for life outside of our Solar System a foreseeable possibility. The pursuit of this evidence and the desire to learn more about the…

Scaly Skin, Drippy Nose, Wheezy Breathing: Coincidence or Connection?

-- Itchy, watery eyes, and a drippy nose. Constricted, swollen airways secreting thick mucus. Itchy, red, dry, cracked skin. These symptoms describe three conditions — allergies, asthma, and eczema, respectively — that are commonly found together in the…