As final exams are quickly approaching, “Under the Microscope” would like to provide a few research-based study tips to get you through the coming week.
Few glowing organisms exist in nature. Until recently, glowing plants were the stuff of fiction, like the luminous plants seen in “Avatar.” Now, however, these plants are less science fiction and more fact.
Golden rice is a genetically modified crop. The difference between it and its standard rice counterpart is that small changes have been introduced that allow it to produce beta-carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A.
In January, “Under the Microscope” reported on the research of professor Neelima Sehgal in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Sehgal and her team were searching for what are known as primordial B-modes with the aim to bring our understanding of the universe within a split second of the Big Bang.
Hangovers, called veisalgia by those in the medical field, are a dreaded after effect of alcohol consumption and a familiar experience for many college students. Characterized by symptoms including headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, stomach problems, drowsiness, sweating and cognitive impairment, hangovers are certainly not a fun ordeal. Despite their prevalence, the cause of hangovers is still an enigma to scientists.
Stony Brook has been hit with a tremendous amount of snow so far this winter. Whether you celebrate the snow days or curse the driving conditions and dirtying piles of snow, snow itself has a very interesting life story.
Recently, a man going by the nickname “Diphallic Dude” took part in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session that centered around his rare condition—diphallia, a medical condition wherein a male is born with two penises.
Dr. Neelima Sehgal, an assistant professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy, wants to understand the earliest moments of the universe.
Specifically, she wants to know what happened within one second after the Big Bang—the event believed to have taken place 13.8 billion years ago and took the universe from a tiny, dense, finite point to the infinite cosmos of today. But studying events that took place billions of years ago is no small feat.
Recently, Under the Microscope reported on work being done in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior on neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons. Work on this subject is also taking place in the Psychology Department in the lab of Alice Powers. Her studies come with a twist. While many in the neurogenesis field study mice, rats or primates, Dr. Powers studies turtles.
For many years it was believed that the human brain did not produce new neurons after birth, a process called neurogenesis. However, in the past few decades, researchers have discovered that distinct areas of the adult brain do produce new cells.
Are we alone in the universe? Some scientists are attempting to answer this question by exploring the closest planet most similar to Earth–Mars. There are two main ways of studying the surface of Mars. Rovers, like Opportunity and Curiosity, are currently operating on the planet. The other method is satellites. Dr. Deanne Rogers, assistant professor in the Geosciences Department at Stony Brook University, uses satellites to search for signs of past Martian life.
