News Feature

Negative Emissions Technologies: A Decisive Step Towards a Better Tomorrow

Negative Emissions Technologies: A Decisive Step Towards a Better Tomorrow

On April 22nd 2016, one hundred seventy-four states and the European Union signed the Paris Agreement; an international framework that aims to avert an irreversible climate catastrophe. Aware of the disastrous consequences climate change has on our planet these nations compromise, inter alia, to keep global warming at least under 2ºC, with an ideal target of 1.5ºC.

Since April 2016, many efforts have been made to restrain the causes of global warming yet climate scientists warn the 1.5ºC target will not be met unless global carbon emissions reach net-zero around mid-century. Luckily, mechanisms exist to achieve “net-zero”: Negative Emission Technologies.

Altering Communities: From Microbes to Biological Machines

Altering Communities: From Microbes to Biological Machines

What makes us human: our genes or the microbes that colonize us? Throughout our body the microbes that constitute our microbiome outnumber our human cells, meaning there are more microbes present on us than our own genetically distinct cells (Gallager). Moreover, our microbiome contains more genetic information than our human genome (University of Washington). Does this evidence of a large amount of life colonizing our bodies influence our lives? Indeed, the microbiome has been linked to health outcomes such as the development of autoimmune diseases and contraction of non-communicable diseases (West et al.).

A Primer on Linear Algebra in Machine Learning

A Primer on Linear Algebra in Machine Learning

With the advent of many new machine learning packages and tools being open-sourced, there has been increased popularity in machine learning applications among various industries. From predicting the best routes for pharmaceutical drug delivery to gaining insights on stock movements using prior financial data, machine learning has been ever-expanding for the past few decades. Although there has been an increase in its utilization, there are still many who do not know the underlying math used in these algorithms.

Let’s Get This Bread: Sourdough May Reduce Immune Response

In recent years, researchers have examined links between diet and health outcomes, especially as they pertain to gut microbiota. Several of these studies focus on sourdough due to its unique fermentation process. A recent study found that wheat bread made with sourdough may reduce immunoreactivity and certain metabolic enzyme activity with consumption.

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning: Are They All the Same?

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning: Are They All the Same?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science and computer systems that emphasizes frameworks to perform tasks that conventionally are perceived as requiring human cognition and intelligence. It is an industry that has been progressing and integrating into our daily lives through the technologies we use. With recent scientific developments, Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) have been prominent names associated with AI. While there is an overlap among all of them, they are not the same.