News
Five decades after his graduation, a legendary general returns to Northeastern as an inductee into the ROTC Hall of Fame
Salvatore Cambria, a retired U.S. Army major general, had not visited Northeastern University since he graduated with a biology degree in 1976. On Friday, he made his return while receiving an unprecedented honor. Maj. Gen. Cambria was inducted into the United States Army Cadet Command Hall of Fame — the first Northeastern graduate to be […]
March 28, 2024
What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show
“3 Body Problem,” Netflix’s new big-budget adaptation of Liu Cixin’s book series helmed by the creators behind “Game of Thrones,” puts the science in science fiction. The series focuses on scientists as they attempt to solve a mystery that spans decades, continents and even galaxies. That means “3 Body Problem” throws some pretty complicated quantum […]
March 26, 2024
Get to know Alicia Wagner, the 2024 Robert M. Scarborough Postgraduate Award Recipient
The Robert M. Scarborough Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry is a national award presented to two graduate students or postdoctoral researchers annually. Candidates must have “demonstrated a key role in and contribution to a research project with direct medicinal chemistry applications and relevance.” This year, Northeastern’s very own Alicia Wagner was the recipient for […]
March 25, 2024
Parrots love playing tablet games. That’s helping researchers understand them.
Touchscreens have long been integral to our everyday life — humans use them to work, play, talk with loved ones and snag Lightning Deals on Prime Day. In recent years, they’ve shown potential for the animal kingdom as well, leading to a growing body of academic researchand a proliferation of consumer products promising to leverage […]
March 20, 2024
This co-op at a Napa Valley winery teaches students about wine ‘from grape to bottle’
Grace Arents, a fourth-year environmental and sustainability sciences student, had never had a glass of wine before when she saw a posting for a co-op at a winery on NUWorks. Still, her interest was piqued and she applied to spend a semester learning enology — the process of making wine — in Napa Valley. Before […]
March 18, 2024
What is a nova outburst? Astrophysicist explains science behind the once-in-a-lifetime event that will light up the sky this year
The total solar eclipse isn’t the only reason to keep your eyes to the sky this year. For the first time in 80 years, a star system 3,000 light years away will be visible to the naked eye thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime nova outburst. NASA announced that the nova, which will create a “new” star […]
March 18, 2024
Being queen is all in this termite’s head. Really.
In the world of termites studied by Northeastern professor Rebeca Rosengaus, worker termites spend their few short months on Earth cleaning and feeding their enormous long-lived queen mother and tending to her eggs and their young siblings. Since termite workers and queens both possess a network of genes called the Queen Central Module, it has […]
March 18, 2024
What will the once-in-a-generation total solar eclipse on April 8 look like?
The moon’s shadow will cast a path of daytime darkness as it traverses the country on a narrow path from Texas to Maine during April 8’s solar eclipse. Those located inside the 115-mile-wide corridor known as the “path of totality” will experience a total eclipse, says Northeastern professor Jonathan Blazek. If it’s not cloudy, stars will […]
March 15, 2024
From Undergraduate Lab to Publication: George Hatzis’ Biology Project Success
Biology Project Lab (BIOL 2309) offers an inquiry-based, intensive laboratory experience in which students can design and conduct independent research projects, applying approaches and techniques used in cell and molecular biology. In Fall 2021, George Hatzis (COS ‘23), took Biology Project Lab under Dr. Erica Homan’s instruction and recently his group’s findings were published in […]
March 15, 2024
Efforts to limit fast-food near homes need rethinking, Northeastern researcher says
Amid an obesity epidemic in the United States, you may have heard of efforts to eliminate “food deserts,” or areas with few healthy food options, and limit fast-food chains near where people live. But research from Northeastern University suggests a new approach. “Most of the fast food in this country is consumed far away from […]
March 15, 2024
Why unexploded ordnances pose physical — and environmental — risks
Two unexploded ordnance were fished out of the Charles River in Needham, Massachusetts, this week. A sweep of the river by the state police bomb squad and a marine dive team didn’t turn up any more munitions. Beyond the obvious safety risks, the old weapons and ammunition left underwater also present environmental risks, a Northeastern […]
March 14, 2024
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Can you get electrocuted by an electric vehicle?
It is highly unlikely that a Tesla submerged in a pond in a recent fatal accident in Texas posed a threat of electrocution to its driver or rescuers, a Northeastern University expert says. Angela Chao, 50, CEO of a shipping company and sister of former transportation secretary Elaine Chao, died in her Tesla last month […]
March 13, 2024
Students dissect oysters and squid, learn about coastal ecology during the annual high school symposium at Northeastern
Students from a dozen area schools measured oysters, dissected squid and learned why plastic is called “ocean smog” during the annual High School Marine Science Symposium at Curry Student Center on Northeastern’s Boston campus. The 250 students got a chance to talk with fledgling and experienced scientists during the event, which was sponsored by Northeastern […]
March 08, 2024
We can’t combat climate change without changing minds. This psychology class explores how.
A new offering for the spring 2024 semester, PSYC-4660 is a seminar in cognition, a subset of psychology that covers how people encode, represent and process information from the environment in the brain, according to Coley, a psychology professor with a dual appointment in environmental science. Humans & Nature zeros in on how those things […]
March 07, 2024