In cinema and science fiction, one small change in the past can have major, sometimes life-changing effects in the future. Using a series of snapshots, researchers recently captured such so-called “butterfly effects” in heart muscle cell development, and say this new view into the sequence of gene expression activity may lead to better understanding disease risk.
Recent news from The Johns Hopkins University
This section contains regularly updated highlights of the news from around The Johns Hopkins University. Links to the complete news reports from the nine schools, the Applied Physics Laboratory and other centers and institutes are to the left, as are links to help news media contact the Johns Hopkins communications offices.
New Analysis Predicts Top 25 U.S. Counties at Risk for Measles Outbreaks
A new analysis co-led by The Johns Hopkins University identified 25 United States counties that are most likely to experience measles outbreaks in 2019. The analysis combined international air travel volume, non-medical exemptions from childhood vaccinations, population data and reported measles outbreak information.
MEDIA ADVISORY: JHU Expert Available on Implications of 3-Parent Baby
A 32-year-old Greek woman is reportedly pregnant from an experimental reproductive technique that uses DNA from three people, the result of the first known clinical trial to use the controversial procedure to treat infertility.
Jeffrey Kahn, director of Johns Hopkins University’s Berman Institute of Bioethics, who chaired a 2016 U.S. National Academy of Sciences panel that examined the science and ethical issues raised by the three-parent procedure, is available to discuss the implications of this new pregnancy and the procedure, known as mitochondrial replacement therapy, which is banned in the United States.
JHU collaborates with Morgan, Coppin to promote STEM diversity
With $2.46 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the Johns Hopkins University is teaming up with two historically black Baltimore institutions, Morgan State and Coppin State universities, to cultivate a diverse group of highly trained biomedical researchers.
Johns Hopkins Faculty Members Elected To National Academy of Medicine
Six faculty members from the Johns Hopkins University have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
New ‘E-Dermis’ Brings Sense of Touch, Pain to Prosthetic Hands
Engineers have created an electronic skin, aiming to restore a real sense of touch for amputees using prosthetic hands.
Science and Health News Tips from Johns Hopkins
News tips for reporters from stories in the spring 2018 issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine.
New Computational Strategy Designed for More Personalized Cancer Treatment
Mathematicians and cancer scientists have found a way to simplify complex biomolecular data about tumors, in principle making it easier to prescribe the appropriate treatment for a specific patient.
Souped-up Walker to Help Get Pediatric ICU Patients on Their Feet
An undergraduate student design team is developing a walker designed to help get pediatric ICU patients up and moving as quickly as possible.
Smartphone ‘Scores’ Can Help Doctors Track Severity of Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease, a progressive brain disorder, is often tough to treat effectively because symptoms, such as tremors and walking difficulties, can vary dramatically over a period of days, or even hours. To address this challenge, Johns Hopkins University computer scientists, working with an interdisciplinary team of experts from two other institutions, have developed a new approach that uses sensors on a smartphone to generate a score that reliably reflects symptom severity in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Science and Health News Tips from Johns Hopkins
These news tips come from stories in the winter issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine.
JHU Researchers Elected Into National Academy of Engineering
Two Johns Hopkins University researchers were awarded one of the highest professional distinctions for engineers: election into the National Academy of Engineering.
JHU Finds How Brain Instantly Tells Trash from Treasure
Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have found how the brain can detect an object’s value almost as soon as we see it.
Mind of a Medalist: Scientists Explain How the Brain Can Lead to Olympic Gold
Any athlete who’s made it to the Olympics has speed or strength or whatever physical skills it takes to lead the world in their sport. But Johns Hopkins University scientists say those who ultimately bring home gold have also honed the mind of a medalist.
Kidney Disease Expert Wins University’s Frontier Award
Deidra Crews, an expert on chronic kidney disease and on racial disparities in the condition’s impact and treatment, is the 2018 winner of the university’s $250,000 President’s Frontier Award. With video of surprise presentation.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Super Bowl Marks the Season’s End, But Concussion Concerns Continue
During this year’s Super Bowl, K.T. Ramesh, a biomechanics expert at Johns Hopkins University, will pay more attention to the collateral damage that can occur during football games: head injuries. He is developing a technological tool to help better diagnose concussions and predict where related brain damage has likely occurred.
Johns Hopkins Engineering Students Build Custom Walker for Special Needs Toddler
Santa’s helpers made a visit to the Port Deposit, Maryland, family this week, delivering a gift that promises to make their holiday season especially happy and bright: a walker that was custom-designed and constructed for the family’s smallest member by a group of Johns Hopkins engineering students.
Johns Hopkins Scientists Explain Rudolph, Grinch, Scrooge
This festive season, Johns Hopkins University researchers dug deep into their reserves of scientific expertise to explain how these unexplainable plot lines in holiday classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Carol just might be (almost) (possibly) possible.
New Computer Model Sheds Light on Biological Events Leading to Sudden Cardiac Death
Some heart disease patients face a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, which can happen when an arrhythmia—an irregular heartbeat—disrupts the normal electrical activity in the heart and causes the organ to stop pumping. However, arrhythmias linked to sudden cardiac death are very rare, making it difficult to study how they occur—and how they might be prevented. To make it much easier to discover what triggers this deadly disorder, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers constructed a powerful new computer model that replicates the biological activity within the heart that precedes sudden cardiac death.