Science & Nature

New treatment for Type 1 Diabetics Gives Hope to University of Chicago Patients

Source: CBS News

Before insulin was first used in the 1920s (barely 100 years ago), a patient with Type 1 Diabetes was expected to live less than 2 years after being diagnosed. After insulin, diabetics began living longer and longer. Type 1 diabetics today can expect to live into their late 60s or early 70s—but doing so requires a lot of medicine, devices, and thoughtful care. However, a new treatment option is currently being tested that may make care easier and help patients live even longer.

A promising test for pancreatic cancer . . . from a teenager

Source: TED

If someone said you could change the world, would you believe it? If you had an idea that could save countless lives, would anyone listen? Watch this talk by Jack Andraka, a teen who discovered a revolutionary way to detect certain cancers. Discover what he did, how he did it, and what it took to get people to listen.

Tool Use Found in Octopuses

Source: Wired

When we think of intelligent animals, we usually think of mammals, such as dolphins and dogs. So it might be surprising to learn that a creature that seems much more primitive—the octopus—is capable of planning, strategizing, and using tools.

Your Brain Perceives Reality By Hallucinating

Source: The Atlantic

Are our minds playing tricks on us all the time? Click this link to watch an animated video that explains what perception and hallucination have in common.

How reintroducing wolves helped save a famous park

Source: BBC

Wolves had been absent from Yellowstone National Park for more than 70 years when they were reintroduced in the 1990s – and their return had some surprising benefits.

Colorblind viewfinders in Virginia parks allow guests to experience fall foliage in full color

Source: NBC

Virginia is known for its vibrant, breath-taking autumn views, but people with colorblindness were often left out from fully enjoying the scenery. That is, until one park ranger set out to make a change.

Teen is one of the first ever to get his genes edited. Why he says the process is ‘cool and freaky’

Source: CNN

Johnny Lubin, one of the first in the world to try a new kind of medicine that uses a gene-editing tool called CRISPR to offer a potential cure for sickle cell disease.

NASA clears $5 billion Jupiter mission for launch after review of suspect transistors

Source: CBS

Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons, is an icy environment with a saltwater ocean beneath its surface. NASA plans to learn more about this ocean by sending the Europa Clipper into Jupiter’s orbit.

What Causes Déjà Vu?

Source: Scientific American

It’s an eerie feeling: You walk into a place you know you’ve never been before but are overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity—a memory you can’t quite reach. Has this all happened before?
The sensation is known as déjà vu, and though it is hard to study, scientists are slowly figuring out why it happens.

The 10 Most Intriguing Science Breakthroughs of 2023

Source: Bloomberg

It’s too early to know what the greatest scientific discoveries and achievements of 2024 will be, but now that we’ve had some time to reflect on last year, here is one site’s opinion on what the Top 10 most intriguing advancements of 2023 were. Which ones do you agree with? Are there any you think should have made the list?