Lost Women of Science Podcast, Bonus Episode: The Resignation

In 1949, at the height of his career, Rustin McIntosh, the director of pediatrics at Columbia University’s Babies Hospital, submitted his letter of resignation. Dr. Scott Baird, who wrote a biography on Dorothy Andersen, takes us back to this pivotal moment, which occurred at the dawn of pediatric pathology in the United States. Through archival … Read more

Milder or Not, Omicron Could Still Overwhelm Hospitals

When news of the novel coronavirus’s Omicron variant first broke over the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the sense of dread and fatigue was palpable. Just when the COVID pandemic’s outlook had started to improve, we were faced with a new arrival that was clearly more transmissible than previous variants—and likely able to significantly evade … Read more

3-D-Printed Chicken Dinner Cooked by Lasers

Tomorrow’s gourmet menus could feature items prepared with complex cooking techniques and intricate presentation—all at the push of a button. Columbia University mechanical engineers have designed a 3-D printer that can simultaneously produce and cook dishes with details at the millimeter scale. The proof-of-concept design, described in npj Science of Food, combines a multiwavelength laser … Read more

‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ new teasers offer a tantalizing glimpse of what to expect

We’ve been offered new tantalizing glimpses of what to expect from the standalone spin-off series “The Book of Boba Fett” in a TV advertisement for the show. There are now a total of five teasers: 1. “Reign,” 2. “Message,” 3. “The Return,” 4. “Ready” and 5. “Authority” (in order of when they were released) all … Read more

Why NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will orbit nearly 1 million miles from Earth

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be more extreme than its famous predecessor in a variety of ways, including its cosmic locale. The $10 billion Webb is considerably bigger, more complex and more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been studying the heavens from Earth orbit for more than three decades.  And the new … Read more

The James Webb Space Telescope will open up the ‘secrets of the universe,’ NASA administrator says

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is excited to see the James Webb Space Telescope open up the “secrets of the universe,” he told Space.com. “This is a one of a kind,” Nelson said about the James Webb Space Telescope, which is set to launch this Saturday (Dec. 25) at 7:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT) from the … Read more

Snowflake spotters needed to give climate science a boost

By Layal Liverpool Shutterstock/Mariia Tagirova BING CROSBY dreamed of a white Christmas. This December, I’m dreaming of categorising snowflakes. All in the name of science, of course. White Christmas or not, you too can get up close and personal with snowflakes and contribute to climate research by taking part in the online Snowflake ID project. … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: RTS,S becomes world’s first approved malaria vaccine

October saw the RTS,S malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time – a momentous decision, decades in the making Health 15 December 2021 By Clare Wilson REUTERS/James Keyi/Alamy Decades in the making, October saw a malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time, described … Read more

Bitcoin: Hundreds of Salvadorans claim money is disappearing from their government-backed digital wallets

El Salvador’s attempt to become the world’s first state to adopt bitcoin as legal tender hits another stumbling block as hundreds of citizens claim that funds are disappearing from their accounts Technology 23 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes El Salvador adopted bitcoin as legal tender on 7 September Rodrigo Sura/EFE/Alamy Live Hundreds of Salvadorans claim … Read more