COS News

People are used to seeing recalls for foods like bologna or carrots. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently recalled more than 67,000 cases of Power Stick deodorant, citing “deviations from Current Good Manufacturing Practice” regulations. How did deodorants fall victim to recalls? It’s not clear exactly what happened, said Leila Deravi, an associate professor of chemistry and chemical […]

Fleury Augustin Nsole Biteghe has identified a way to target two of the deadliest cancer types with chemotherapy drugs but without the harms associated with chemotherapy.

Connie Phong wants to know how an animal adapted to live in a highly specialized environment — just below the freezing point for seawater — responds to warming oceans.

In the days before a catastrophic flash flood swept through rural Texas over the July 4 weekend, the region was parched by drought. Even as search crews trudged through mud and debris in search of victims — at least 135 people lost their lives — some parts of the county remained super dry. The rapid swing between […]

Since the Human Genome Project first produced the genetic instructions for a human being by sequencing DNA 22 years ago, scientists have been focused on roughly 2% of the genome producing proteins. But what about the rest?  Northeastern University professor Sudhakaran Prabakaran says this “dark genome” is not only actively making “dark proteins,” but its secrets could […]

When was the last time you sat down and tried to learn something? How did you approach it? Did you make flashcards for hard-to-remember terms and concepts, ask a friend to quiz you on the subject or simply jump into the deep end with a new project? New research from Northeastern University psychology professor Aaron Seitz suggests that […]

The black-legged deer ticks that transmit Lyme disease to thousands of Americans every year can survive below-freezing temperatures and go more than a year without a meal. Want to see their superpowers evaporate? Bring on hot, dry weather. One thing deer ticks hate: Hot, dry weather When deer ticks are exposed for too long to […]

Remember when Britney Spears shaved her head and attacked a paparazzo’s SUV with an umbrella? Or when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars? Celebrity meltdowns like these once played out on TV or in tabloids. Now, anyone can go viral for an emotional breakdown, or what Gen Z calls a “crash out.”  […]

The grass tennis courts of Wimbledon are among the most recognizable in the world.  But despite its fame, grass is one of the rarest surfaces on which tennis is played today; many tennis fans and players may never set foot on its lush turf during their lifetimes.  How does the iconic Centre Court lawn compare […]

The deluge that surged through Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend devastated the hill country and shocked the world with its intensity and loss of life. The Guadalupe River at Kerrville rose from 1.73 feet to 34.29 feet in three hours on July 4, according to a river gauge maintained by the federal government.  The […]

People often turn to therapy for answers about themselves, their lives or their relationships, but one psychologist says we need to get more comfortable with saying, “I don’t know” –– and that includes therapists too. Aaron B. Daniels, an associate teaching professor at Northeastern University with a decade plus of experience as a practicing therapist, […]

Scientists sometimes compare predicting the course of epidemics to forecasting the weather. But there’s a major difference — the impact of human behavior —  says Alessandro Vespignani, director of Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute.  Consider what happens during a downpour, he says. “If we all open an umbrella, it will rain anyway.” “In epidemics, if we […]