Category Archives: Reviews

Science Podcast: Botox & Depression, Fruit Fly Sex Drive And New Books

First this week, Contributing Correspondent Cathleen O’Grady talks with host Sarah Crespi about controversy surrounding the use of Botox injections to alleviate depression by suppressing frowning. 

Next, researcher Stephen Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses his Science Advances paper on what turns on the fruit fly sex drive. Finally, we are excited to kick off a six-part series of monthly interviews with authors of books that highlight the many intersections between race and science and scientists. This week, guest host and journalist Angela Saini talks with Keith Wailoo, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, who helped select the topics about the books we will be covering and how they were selected. 

Tech View: Microsoft CEO Nadella On Windows 11

Windows 11, due out later this year, is full of new features, including a new Start menu that’s been moved to the center and a Microsoft Store with Android apps. In an exclusive interview, WSJ’s Joanna Stern spoke with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about the software, the influence of the pandemic and his strategy of competing with Google and Apple. Photo illustration: Alex Kuzoian/The Wall Street Journal

Science: Birds Navigating With Quantum Mechanics

Some birds can sense Earth’s magnetic field, using it to navigate. But precisely how they do this has long remained a mystery. Now, researchers have confirmed that a protein found in bird eyes displays a quantum mechanical phenomenon which makes it sensitive to magnetic fields. The researchers suggest this mechanism could be behind birds’ magnetoreception abilities.

Read the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4158…

Analysis: The Hunt For Covid-19’s Origins (WSJ)

More than a year into the pandemic, scientists are still debating Covid-19’s origins. WSJ breaks down key events in three locations in China – a seafood market, a lab and a mine – to piece together how the global health crisis might have started. Photo composite: George Downs

Inside Views: Building New York City’s ‘Little Island’

New York City’s waterfront just got a radical addition. This is Little Island – a public park over the water financed by a billionaire. For more by The B1M subscribe now – http://ow.ly/GxW7y Full story here – https://theb1m.com/video/the-battle-t…

Science: What Is CRISPR And How Does It Work?

This revolutionary gene-editing system has taken science by storm. CRISPR is the basis of a revolutionary gene editing system. One day, it could make it possible to do everything from resurrect extinct species to develop cures for chronic disease.

CRISPR is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea. These sequences are derived from DNA fragments of bacteriophages that had previously infected the prokaryote. They are used to detect and destroy DNA from similar bacteriophages during subsequent infections. 

Ransomware: Its Rise And How The U.S. Is Fighting It

Ransomware attacks are increasing in frequency, victim losses are skyrocketing, and hackers are shifting their targets. WSJ’s Dustin Volz explains why these attacks are on the rise and what the U.S. can do to fight them. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann