Friday Fun…The Fantastical World of Biomedical Animation

by Eric R. Olson
August 28th, 2009

One of the most frustrating things about working in biomedical research is the inability to translate infinitely small processes into something both visually meaningful and easy to digest.

Within every cell of our bodies is a chaotic symphony of molecular and chemical interactions that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye.  Scientists rely on experimental ’snapshots’ to give them an idea of what’s happening at the microscopic level. Then they work backwards, reconstructing a sequence of events from these rather abstract clues.

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Fertility Rates On the Rise in Developed Countries

by Eric R. Olson
August 8th, 2009

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Used with permission of the National Media Museum

A study published this week in the journal Nature brings into question the prevailing wisdom about how a country’s development impacts its population growth. Previously, social scientists thought that indicators such as health, standard of living and human capital, collectively called the Human Development Index, could reliably predict negative population growth.

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A Trip to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

by Eric R. Olson
July 23rd, 2009

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Scitimes Video: Robotic LEGO Submarines Teach Kids About Science and Engineering

by Eric R. Olson
June 11th, 2009

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Students from New York and New Jersey recently put their robotic LEGO designs to the test,  in the BUILD IT final design challenge held at  Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. “The underwater environment really throws them a curveball,” says Beth McGrath, director of Stevens’ Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education. “It’s a lot like a space environment.”‘

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Scitimes Video: How The Flu Virus Jumps Species

by Eric R. Olson
June 2nd, 2009

In April, a new strain of H1N1 flu virus hopped from a pigs into people. This event sparked a pandemic that is now estimated to have killed 115 people and infected more than 17,000, according the World Health Organization. In the first video ever posted on Science of the Times, we explore how flu viruses can jump species.

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