A San Francisco State University student analyzed muscle biopsies from a previous study initiated at California State University, Long Beach and discovered unexpected results regarding female musculature. Marsh found that female astronaut musculature can manage a prolonged spaceflight better than male astronauts’ because their muscles might not be as affected during spaceflight. Kaylie Marsh is a graduate student studying kinesiology at San Francisco State University, and her research may encourage the demand for women in space. “If we’re doing these spaceflights to Mars that last six months, maybe we should be targeting females and encouraging them more to go into

San Francisco State University Graduate Student Studies Female Musculature for Space Travel

By: Vanessa Sewell

The global demand for food is rapidly rising and becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. By 2050, the world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion and food demand is supposed to increase anywhere between 58% and 98%. There is substantial confusion and uncertainty surrounding the world’s ability to meet these growing demands. A number of factors have led to the anticipated global food shortage. The first and most prominent factor is the growing population, which, due to advancements in science and medicine, has more than quadrupled over the last century. Effects from climate change have also resulted in less water

TechAccel Partners With Research Universities to Meet Increasing Global Demand for Food

By: Jackson Schroeder

Researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory Institute of Technology have developed a device that reuses the energy generated from descending stairs to make climbing stairs easier. The device provides a practical solution for millions of people who find it difficult to navigate stairs for various reasons, including degenerative joint disease, injury, and surgery. The new device, interactive energy-recycling assistive stairs that store the energy generated by a user during descent and return energy during ascent, will make it much easier for people who need help walking up and down the stairs. The device can simply be placed on top of

Georgia Tech and Emory Institute of Technology Researchers Create Energy-Recycling Device to Make Climbing Stairs Easier

By: Susan Chu

We all learned about photosynthesis at some point in our education. We were taught that plants use sunlight to synthesize energy for their survival while creating oxygen for us to breathe.   This process, which defines life as we know it, is simple to grasp. But how do plants actually convert light into energy? That’s always been a mystery until now, thanks to researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK who have just unlocked the secrets of photosynthesis and successfully used the underlying mechanics to “direct energy transfer via light at a molecular level.” The research is groundbreaking,

University of Sheffield Scientists’ Groundbreaking Research, Inspired by Photosynthesis, Paves Way for Future Inventions

By: Susan Chu

In 1949, Chris Polge won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his ability to cryopreserve or freeze sperm cells. Since then, advancements in cryopreservation technology have led to the successful freezing and thawing of human embryos and eggs. This known technology also works for similar mammals and wildlife species. But until now, researchers have failed to cryopreserve fish embryos, due to their size. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have used new gold nanotechnology and lasers to cryopreserve embryos of zebrafish, whose genomes are similar to humans. The full

University of Minnesota and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Researchers Cryopreserve Zebrafish Embryos

By: Jackson Schroeder

The early blooming of crops, which is primarily accredited to climate change, has caused years of headaches for farmers and gardeners. But new research from Columbia University finds that declining biodiversity may play an equal role in the timing of plants flowering. These recent findings demonstrate how biodiversity affects entire ecosystems, and could change the way scientists measure climate change. The University Network (TUN) spoke with Amelia Wolf, the lead author of the study and postdoc in the department of ecology, evolution and environmental biology at Columbia University, to gain insight on the study. “We know that changing air temperature,

Declining Plant Diversity Affects Timing of Plant Flowering, According to Columbia University Research

By: Jackson Schroeder

The world is in need of an automotive renovation. Fuel cars are expensive to own and repair, and are constantly pumping toxins into the air. Companies like Uber and Lyft have revolutionized the taxi industry and limited personal car usage, but they are expensive and do very little to help the environment. Now, a Dutch start-up company Amber, has developed fully-electric, self-navigating mobility technology capable of reforming people’s relationship with automation and travel. The University Network spoke with Kate Brunton, Amber’s chief marketing officer, to gain insight on the company. The company was founded based on “the need for a

Amber’s Self-Driving Car-Sharing Alternative Will Obviate the Need for Car Ownership

By: Jackson Schroeder

Politics and media have always been surrounded by falsehoods, conspiracies, and dishonesty. But with the rise of widespread communications tools, like the Internet and social media, we have reached a state of emergency. Now, in an effort to combat the spread of lies, universities and schools across the country are taking steps to make media literacy part of their curricula. People spreading propaganda to influence the outcome of an election or sway the minds of voters is not new.. Before the Internet, people would use tabloids, hand out pamphlets, and spread falsehood through speech. In 2012, people used social media

Universities Introduce Media Literacy Courses to Combat Fake News

By: Jackson Schroeder

In an effort to combat declining honeybee population, University of Richmond in Virginia has recently installed two new honeybee hives on their campus. These hives will be used for sustainability and educational purposes.   “We rely on honeybees to pollinate our food,” Rob Andrejewski, director of sustainability at the University of Richmond, told TUN. “These creatures add an estimated $15 billion to our agricultural economy. Some crops, such as almonds, depend almost entirely on honeybees. Others, like strawberries, see a boost in crop yield from honeybee pollination.” While some people may have heard of the honeybee crisis, known as the

University of Richmond Uses New Honeybee Hives As Educational Tool

By: Brian Bonilla

As part of its $19.6 million project to become energy self-sufficient, Eastern Michigan University recently installed an energy-efficient turbine in its heating plant. The service of this new 7.8 megawatt turbine will make EMU practically self-sufficient in production of heat and electricity on campus.   In furtherance of the Co-Gen (co-generation) project, the university used a 500-ton crane to lift the 55-ton turbine into place. It replaced a 29-year-old Co-Gen unit that stopped working in April 2016. “The existing 4.0 MW Co-Gen unit had reached the end of its useful life,” Bilal Sarsour, director of facilities maintenance at EMU, told

Eastern Michigan University Reaches Nearly 100% Energy Self-Sufficiency With New Turbine

By: Jackson Schroeder

Exercise has apparent positive effects on the body, and recent studies show that it can also benefit the mind. But research and understanding explaining the impact of exercise on the brain is lacking. So, University of Arizona researchers conducted a study to explain how and why exercise is beneficial to cognitive health. UA associate professor of anthropology David Raichlen and UA professor of psychology Gene Alexander developed an “adaptive capacity model” coupling exercise’s positive impact on the brain with human’s evolutionary history as hunters and gatherers. The researchers claim that physical activity and the brain first became so connected 2

Exercise Benefits Brain Function and Structure, According to University of Arizona Researchers

By: Jackson Schroeder

There is potentially a new form of cancer treatment with minimal side effects. Dr. Patrick Gunning, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto, and his team of researchers have created a molecule that could target specific cells. This is significant because it is the opposite of chemotherapy, which is often used on cancer patients. “Chemotherapy is just broadly cell killing toxicity,” Gunning said. Almost every chemotherapy patient experiences nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Many also suffer long-term, permanent side effects, including dental and oral health problems, vision problems, learning and memory problems, and organ damage to the

University of Toronto Researcher Is Working on a Promising Cancer Treatment Alternative

By: Brian Bonilla

Social media has revolutionized the way people approach social interactions, expanded people’s world view, and even affected politics. Now, researchers from the Social Data Science Lab at Cardiff University in the UK have found that social media can have a positive impact on policing. Dr. Peter Burnap, co-author of the study and Reader at Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science and Informatics, said in a statement: “In this research we show that online social media are becoming the go-to place to report observations of everyday occurrences — including social disorder and terrestrial criminal activity.” Substantial number of people witness crimes

New Research By Cardiff University Finds Social Media Invaluable for Policing

By: Jackson Schroeder

A long walk on the beach is emotionally and physically healing. The warm white sand, beaming sunlight, and calming tones of crashing waves lower stress levels and help to relieve anxiety. Now, trips to the beach via virtual reality have been proven to provide similar healing and stress-relieving attributes. In 2013, the University of Birmingham’s Human Interface Technologies Team, led by Professor Bob Stone, created virtual reality technology to alleviate pain in hospital patients by means of distraction therapy. The researchers were intrigued by the potential of virtual restorative environments (VREs), which are “the recreation of locations and scenes that,

University of Birmingham’s Virtual Reality Beach Reduces Stress and Helps With Rehabilitation

By: Jackson Schroeder

If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate. — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., U.S. Supreme Court Justice in United States v. Schwimmer (1929) As we celebrate the birth of the U.S. on July 4, we need to reflect upon where we are as a nation and the state of free speech — one of the core pillars of our Constitution. Free speech on college campuses is under

Balancing Free Speech and the Right to Protest On U.S. College Campuses

By: Jackson Schroeder

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