Tag: Research

Person playing video game
Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Video Game Potential for Social Good

Jennah Saqib April 17, 2024

Four years ago, the game developers behind the hit game Borderlands 3 and McGill University partnered to create Borderlands Science, a minigame that gamers would complete to help researchers categorize DNA sequences from microbes found in the human gut. While the project was initially met with skepticism, it has since proven to be extremely successful. Over 4.5 million people have contributed to scientific research through the video game. Borderlands Science establishes an important precedent for the role video games can have in scientific research and social good.

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Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Sex-Based Bias in Medical Research is Dangerous

Jennah Saqib March 19, 2024

Women have historically been underrepresented in Phase I and II clinical trials, including areas of research such as Alzheimer’s and autoimmune diseases in which women are more affected. This results in drugs being tailored for men, which leads to a higher rate of women experiencing adverse effects of these drugs than men. Medical testing needs to involve women at every stage to prevent these inequalities from occurring and to prioritize women’s health.

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Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Benefits of Scientific Controversy

Jennah Saqib November 7, 2023

Timothy Nash recently brought a two-million-year-old fossil on a commercial voyage aboard Virgin Galactic’s V.S.S. Unity. The purpose was to symbolize how far humanity has come, though many scientists disagree with this stunt, stating the venture to be “unethical” and “reckless”. However, the resulting controversy has led to a great deal of public interest in the Cradle of Humankind, benefitting future research ventures through additional economic support.

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Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

Nobel Prize in Medicine Winner Demonstrates the Roadblocks of Academic Innovation

Kaylee Tseng November 1, 2023

This week, the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine were recognized for their contributions to mRNA vaccine technology. However, their research was historically brushed off by colleagues, publications, and grant institutions before the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Dr. Katalin Karikó was demoted from a tenure-track position and eventually forced to retire from her university. Her struggle for recognition reflects the roadblocks to innovation in academia that are amplified by limited funding and biases.

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Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Role of Bias in Scientific Research

Jennah Saqib September 22, 2023

The world is buzzing once again with supposed evidence of alien life. While under oath, Jaime Mausson presented two bodies he claims are of extraterrestrial origin to the Mexican Congress. However, experts are skeptical of his findings, claiming they have no real scientific basis. This case brings to question the role of bias in scientific research and how the resulting spread of misinformation can cross the line into becoming harmful.

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Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Replication Crisis: Issues in Scientific Research

Michael DeLucia December 13, 2021

In current scientific research, there appears to be a replication crisis in which results of publications cannot be replicated. While this may not impact the validity of the research, it creates looming questions and uncertainties for the products of that research going forward, and innovation in the space as a whole.

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