Medical Eugenics to Genomic Medicine

Nathaniel Comfort

Contemporary genetic medicine is both revolutionary and deeply traditional. Our mastery of the molecules of life is unprecedented - yet modern medical genomics shares some of the same basic goals with the eugenicists and geneticists of the early 20th century. Join Dr. Nathaniel Comfort, Associate Professor at the Institute for the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, on January 24th at STS@VCU’s “Art of Medicine” lecture series as he discusses how genetics became medical - and how medicine became genetic.

Science Wednesdays: Decoding Neanderthals

Neanderthals on NOVA

Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans—people physically identical to us today—left their African homeland and entered Europe, then a bleak and inhospitable continent in the grip of the Ice Age. But when they arrived, they were not alone: the stocky, powerfully built Neanderthals had already been living there for hundreds of thousands of years.

Science Pub RVA: Magnets, Nanotechnology and Alternative Energy

Carpenter

Do you think the most used magnet in your home is the one on your refrigerator door? Well, that’s actually unlikely considering that magnets are used in just about everything from your computer to your blender. Since magnets are everywhere, you may wonder if there is anything new to learn about them. How about the use of magnets in nanoscience and green technologies like electric cars and wind energy generation? If that piques your interest, bring your curiosity to the next Science Pub RVA gathering on Tuesday, January 8th.

NASA Langley Wraps Up Out-of-This-World Year

NASA Langley had an extraordinary year. An employer of 3,600, the 800-acre campus in Hampton, Virginia is celebrating 95 years as the nation’s first civil aeronautics laboratory. Among the many highlights and achievments from over the past year, NASA Langley had a key role in the landing of the Mars Curiosity Rover.

The World is Going to End - Again?

Mayan Calendar

There are some folks that believe the world is going to end for a variety of reasons on December 21, 2012. Some think that a rogue planet will crash into the Earth while others are of the impression that a series of global natural disasters will bring our day-to-day business to a halt and usher in the end of times. These speculations make for exciting headlines, but make for pretty inaccurate scientific backings. There are a lot of scientists that would have had to be asleep on the job for quite some time to let all these various pending disasters go unnoticed. 

Virginia Helps Pioneer New Nuclear Reactor Technology

Nuclear Control Room

Another major development in the advancement of Virginia as a high-tech state occurred this week. The Babcock & Wilcox Company announced that the production-standard control room prototype for its small modular reactor is now operational. This engineering simulator is a key milestone in the B&W mPower development program. “Our vision is simple and I think it’s bold. We see that the future in Nuclear Energy lies with small modular reactors,” states Christofer Mowry, President of B&W’s mPower Division. WCVE Public Radio’s Charles Fishburne has more in this Science Matters video report. 

“ROBO Warriors” Get Ready for Regional Robotics Contest

Members of the “ROBO Warriors” FIRST robotics team at Henrico High School are gearing up for a regional qualifying contest December 15th that will challenge their teamwork and technical skills. The team participates in FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), a program designed to give students hands-on experience designing and building robots, solving problems and competing in high-energy contests. “I love mechanical engineering, so I wanted a program that would help me explore that and develop the skills that I would need in college,” said Aaron Kane, a senior at Henrico High and a veteran of the ROBO Warriors. “I’ve been building things ever since I could walk.” 

Inside Nature’s Giants: Giant Squid

Giant Squid

Thought by many to be the stuff of legend, it was only in the late-19th century that the giant squid was first officially recorded by scientists, after one leviathan washed up on a New Zealand beach. Related to slugs and snails, this monster from the deep, along with its cousin the colossal squid, is the largest invertebrate in the world.  It's never been filmed in its natural habitat, thousands of feet underwater, but occasionally specimens are brought to the surface by deep-sea trawlers.

Your Brain On Music

Bob Milne

Music is a form of communication which, like language, is inherent to human behavior and brain function. The Richmond Academy of Medicine recently learned about Your Brain on Music in an evening presentation held at the Country Club of Virginia with a Penn State Professor and a rag time piano player–a classically-trained piano player with his own exceptional “brain on music” story to tell.

Epigenetics or “Outside Genetics” at Science Pub RVA

Science Pub RVA

Have you ever wondered how your brain cells came into being? Why didn’t those cells develop into muscle cells instead? How we develop and age is a complex process. DNA is not the whole story and nature versus nurture isn’t so clear cut. While every cell in our body contains the same genetic information, it’s epigenetics (or “outside genetics”) that distinguishes our muscle cells from brain cells.  

Sounds complicated, but it will be easier to understand when a pioneering scientist in the field of epigenetics leads a conversation at Science Pub RVA, Tuesday, December 4th. Dr. Shirley M. Taylor, Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, VCU Massey Cancer Center, will talk about the chemical modifications that occur in our DNA and surrounding proteins. Join the conversation at this free, open-to-the-public gathering at The Camel.