Month: June 2013

A Spin Through the Past: Early Centrifuges and Microtomes in The Rockefeller University’s Historic Lab

A Spin Through the Past: Early Centrifuges and Microtomes in The Rockefeller University’s Historic Lab

By Claire Warriner, @CLWarriner A previous version of this article appeared in Natural Selections, Issue 99, June 2013   When learning about the accomplishments of past scientists, it seems natural to focus on their major findings while overlooking the arduous process of discovery, including the […]

Citizen Science and the American Cockroach

Citizen Science and the American Cockroach

We mostly know cockroaches as pests. But the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, is one of the most successful species that have ever lived. Originating during the carboniferous period over 350 million years ago – even before the dinosaurs walked on earth – these bugs have […]

Prospecting for Predictions: Machine-learning Algorithms in an Information Age

Prospecting for Predictions: Machine-learning Algorithms in an Information Age

By Michael LeVine, @ThoughtCulture Data is everywhere. In this new, digital world, huge corporations are buying and selling streams of 0s and 1s at an incredible rate. Every morning, a wide-eyed, up-and-coming entrepreneur fires up his or her laptop and begins coding a new smartphone […]

Mutant Mosquito Solves Mysteries of Attraction and Repulsion

Mutant Mosquito Solves Mysteries of Attraction and Repulsion

By Matthew DeGennaro, @mattdegennaro  Not all mosquitoes have a taste for human blood. But when they do bite us, they can potentially introduce a blood-borne infectious agent, like the virus that causes dengue fever or the microorganism that causes malaria. The goal of my research in […]