blogs

Private cargo rocket test launches successfully

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 22, 2013

Since the ending of the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA has turned to private companies to begin delivering cargo – and eventually astronauts – to the International Space Station. California-based SpaceX and D.C.-based Orbital Sciences have collectively received $3.5 billion from the space agency to send supplies to the ISS. Today, Orbital Sciences successfully…

Prehistoric fish’s genome may show how fins turned to feet

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 19, 2013

Dinosaurs themselves may no longer roam the earth, but many of their relatives are still around today as birds, including birds and members of the Crocodilia family. Fish from the order Coelacanthiformes were thought to have gone extinct during the mass event that wiped out the dinosaurs until one was caught in the 1930s. Since…

A week in photos — April 18, 2013

By Ithacan Staff • April 18, 2013

Click to enlarge and view caption.

Will Washington act on gun laws?

By Rachael Hartford • April 18, 2013

In the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, there was much talk about gun control laws and ways to curb the all-too-familiar headlines of mass shootings. The topic has recently found its way back to the national stage. Last week, President Obama handed over his weekly address to Francine…

Beer compounds trigger brain’s reward system

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 17, 2013

Friday has become synonymous with happy hour, when workers retire to their favorite watering hole and enjoy a cold one with friends. The booze serves as a reward for working through the 40-hour workweek, but recent studies suggest that the taste beer itself, and not the alcohol, can trigger the brain’s reward system as well.…

Teachers teach how to cheat

By Brian Porreca • April 17, 2013

“We expect school administrators and teachers to teach students to play by the rules and to lead by example, so these allegations that they changed grades and coached students during exams are very troubling,” a statement from district attorney Kathleen M. Rice after the investigation of teacher’s aiding young elementary students and giving answers on…

Attack coverage shifts regular programming

By Chloe Wilson • April 16, 2013

The Boston Marathon bombing yesterday interferes with nightly programming. Out of all the Big Four networks, ABC, FOX and CBS chose to continue with their regularly scheduled programming. NBC chose to pull its new episode of "Revolution," a show about a war-torn world where people fight for energy. Many have frowned upon NBC's decision, especially…

Supreme Court to decide on gene patenting

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 15, 2013

After reviewing the DOMA and Proposition 8 cases this spring, the Supreme Court will begin looking into a case regarding whether human DNA can be patented by the research laboratories or universities that have discovered and sequenced them. Myriad Genetics, based out of Salt Lake City, patented the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which have been…

Nonprofit proposes extensive science ed reform plan

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 12, 2013

Several studies by the US Department of Education show that American students are academically behind on STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math – subjects as compared to their peers in Europe and Asia. Personal struggles with the subject become more pronounced when students specialize in college: I have friends in the humanities who loathe…

A week in photos — April 11, 2013

By Ithacan Staff • April 11, 2013

  Click to enlarge and view captions.

They’re coming: Eastern seaboard preparing for cicadas

By Amanda Hutchinson, Contributing Writer • April 9, 2013

While it’s not quite the swarm of locusts of Biblical lore, this year’s appearance of the Brood II periodical cicada is sure to be a big one. From Connecticut to Virginia, these bugs will be out and about, covering any vertical surface they can find and filling the air with their distinctive chorus. Periodical cicadas…

Fatty education

By The Ithacan • April 8, 2013

There is the notion that food fuels the brain, even if it clogs the arteries. As I watch students drown their French fries with ketchup and fill their plates with a greasy burger and potato chips there is one cause that comes to mind. With lunch boxes filled with cholesterol and soda cans cracked open…