'We Might Be Martians'

June 30, 2013

In a sense, the history of astronomy has been a history of the marginalization of life on Earth in our understanding of the universe. When humans first assumed the existence of an Earth beyond the horizons we could see directly, we assumed its centrality in the cosmos. After Copernicus demonstrated that, no, the Earth actually orbits the Sun, and not the other way around, well, it was at any rate our Sun at the center of the cosmos -- even if we now realized we shared it with other planets.

But from there it's been pretty much down-hill for human-centric cosmology: We now know that...

When We're Looking for Life on Other Planets, What Exactly Are We Looking For?

June 27, 2013

Is there life on other planets?

To answer that question, you first have to answer this one: what, exactly, is life? We may have a general sense of life as it exists here on Earth -- one that involves a given object's ability to metabolize and grow, to respond to stimuli, to maintain homeostasis, to reproduce. But that textbook definition of life -- "life," that is, "as we know it" -- is itself entirely defined by the particularities of Earth. It's a set of criteria determined by a planet that happens to be terrestrial, that happens to be covered in salt water, that happens to orbit a yellow dwarf star ... and that happens to be shielded from said star by a protective ozone layer.... Read more about When We're Looking for Life on Other Planets, What Exactly Are We Looking For?

Gary Ruvkun Awarded the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

June 12, 2013

Awarded the 2012 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research for his co-discovery with Dr. Victor Ambros of microRNAs as central regulators of gene expression and development

See the Winners

Industrial Research Institute Medal Awarded To Robert S. Langer And George M. Whitesides

May 22, 2013

George M. Whitesides, and Robert S. Langer, were awarded the distinguished Industrial Research Institute Medal on May 22, as part of IRI’s 75th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation that have contributed broadly to the development of industry and the benefit of society. Whitesides and Langer each received a gold medal.

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The trouble with Kepler

May 16, 2013

NASA announced a problem on Wednesday that threatens to cripple one of its highest-profile missions, the Kepler Space Telescope, an instrument dedicated to finding Earth-like planets orbiting other stars.

Since its launch in 2009, Kepler has found 130 planets orbiting other stars and 2,500 planet candidates requiring further investigation. The space telescope has pulled back the veil on the true nature of the Milky Way, showing it to be a galaxy rich with planets, and potential homes for life outside of Earth.

Gazette staff writer Alvin Powell discussed the problem with one...

Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak on RNA Evolution, Drug Discovery Chemistry

March 13, 2013

In this video interview with Bio-IT World editor Kevin Davies, Jack Szostak discusses his current research interests and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Read the full BioITWorld Article

David Johnston named recipient of a 2013 Sloan Research Fellowship

February 20, 2013

Named by the Sloan Foundation as a recipient of a 2013 Sloan Research Fellowship, recognizing “early-career scientists and scholars who represent the very best that science has to offer.”

Recipient of the 2013 Gast Lectureship: Sujoy Mukhopadhyay, University of Harvard, USA

February 1, 2013

Awarded the 2013 Gast Lectureship bestowed by the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society

Read the full EAG Article.

Avi Loeb's book has been selected for the Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award by the American Astronomical Society

January 8, 2013

Received the AAS’s 2013 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award for his book, “How Did the First Stars and Galaxies Form?

Origins of Life Initiative

2013