2022 DISCOVERIES IN STEM
Award-Winning Summer STEM Programs for Teens
We asked our incredibly gifted Summer 2022 alum to share their picks for notable advances in STEM. Below are the essays they submitted.
NASA Releases First Breathtaking Images Taken by James Webb Space Telescope
In December of 2021, the James Webb telescope was launched and we are finally seeing the results of this remarkable instrument. In July 2022, the first image from the James Webb telescope was released with the deepest and sharpest quality that scientists have ever seen of the universe. This telescope is a huge improvement over the Hubble telescope from 1990 since it images using infrared waves to capture more information.
– Ayelet Yablon, Biomedical Engineering Student
In December of 2021, the James Webb telescope was launched and we are finally seeing the results of this remarkable instrument. In July 2022, the first image from the James Webb telescope was released with the deepest and sharpest quality that scientists have ever seen of the universe. This telescope is a huge improvement over the Hubble telescope from 1990 since it images using infrared waves to capture more information. Webb released an image of Orion’s Nebula, a stellar nursery that was previously observed by Hubble but now with much more detail. The new images show ionized and molecular gases and dust being scattered. In addition, the Webb instrument captured images of thousands of unobserved galaxies. Another example of the power of this new James Webb telescope is its images of Jupiter clearly capturing the northern and southern lights, the hazes, and the storms. Jupiter’s surface below the thick layer of clouds in dust has always been a mystery, but the Webb telescope will change this. Scientists say that understanding the weather patterns on this planet will help understand the weather patterns on Earth which is now possible due to Webb. Additionally, Webb captured an image of a star dying, furthering our understanding of what would happen if the sun died as well. Scientists have much to learn about the universe, and the Webb telescope will speed this process up due to its ability to capture cosmic structures we have never seen before with greater detail than ever before.
Astronomers find a "cataclysmic" pair of stars with the shortest orbit yet
MIT researchers recently found a stellar system with the shortest orbit of just 51 minutes ever to have been discovered! This stellar system is called a “Cataclysmic Variable”, a binary system of a star about the size of our sun and a white dwarf star (a hot dense remnant core of a star). These systems form when a white dwarf and its partner star get closer to each other over millions of years.
– Kirthi Sivakumar, Astrophysics Student
MIT researchers recently found a stellar system with the shortest orbit of just 51 minutes ever to have been discovered! This stellar system is called a “Cataclysmic Variable”, a binary system of a star about the size of our sun and a white dwarf star (a hot dense remnant core of a star). These systems form when a white dwarf and its partner star get closer to each other over millions of years. As this happens, the white dwarf starts to accrete, or pull gas and dust from its partner star and grows bigger. This process is predicted to continue until the system’s orbit time of merely 18 minutes! Researcher Kevin Burdge, a Pappalardo Fellow at the MIT Department of Physics and Astronomy, made this discovery with his team and published their work in Nature (one of the top publishing journals in the world). They used data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a high-resolution telescope that takes images of different regions of the sky. He recalls, “This thing popped up, where I saw an eclipse happening every 51 minutes, and I said, OK, this is definitely a binary”. As he tried to make sense of the phenomenon, he realized that this discovery confirms predictions about cataclysmic variables (30 years ago, MIT professor Emeritus Saul Rappaport predicted that ultrashort-orbit systems should exist as cataclysmic variables). This discovery now confirms predictions made by Rappaport and others and also now stands as the stellar system with the shortest orbit period to date.
New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune's Rings in Decades
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched in late December 2021 and has since released multiple high definition images of the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond. One of the telescope’s most recent images photographs a planet a little bit closer to home; Neptune. What makes this image of Neptune so spectacular is its starkly visible rings, which have not been captured by any space telescope in over 30 years. The release of JWST’s unique photos of Neptune highlights the beauty of space and the growing capabilities of modern technology to further understand Space as we know it.
– Sonia Warwick, Astrophysics Student
Asteroid's path altered in NASA's first test of planetary defense system
An astonishing breakthrough in science this year, more specifically aerospace technology, was the forming of DART. DART, which stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is NASA’s first planetary defense test using a guided spacecraft to collide with an asteroid on September 26, 2022. This technology has been under development for seven years and launched as a first test in November 2021. The test was a success. On October 8, 2022, DART conducted its first test that actually struck an asteroid. NASA chose the asteroid Dimorphous, which is orbiting a larger asteroid called Didymos. Dimorphos’ orbital period was altered by 32 minutes. The test was a major success! DART is a vital advance in space research because it can alter the trajectory and speed of a hazardous asteroid. Threatening asteroids that may be presented in the future can now be avoided if detected early enough, thanks to the invention of DART. Although the planetary defense has not yet had to be put to use in a real crisis, the science shows that DART would be effective if it were necessary.
– Alexa Koller, Anatomy Student
Insights into the Differential Preservation of Bone Proteomes in Inhumed and Entombed Cadavers from Italian Forensic Caseworks
Bones are commonly analyzed in forensics science to identify a corpse. Though their properties usually identify physical characteristics like height and sex, the abundance of certain proteins in bones can detail the time since death (PMI) and one’s age at death (AAD). A research paper in the Journal of Proteome Research, published in March of 2022, analyzes bone proteins and their relationship to PMI and AAD. It sampled protein levels of the corpses entombed in a zinc coffin and corpses inhumed in a wooden coffin.
– Sonia Warwick, Astrophysics Student
Bones are commonly analyzed in forensics science to identify a corpse. Though their properties usually identify physical characteristics like height and sex, the abundance of certain proteins in bones can detail the time since death (PMI) and one’s age at death (AAD). A research paper in the Journal of Proteome Research, published in March of 2022, analyzes bone proteins and their relationship to PMI and AAD. It sampled protein levels of the corpses entombed in a zinc coffin and corpses inhumed in a wooden coffin. Some bone proteins in either type of coffin did not experience much chemical change, but the proteins in zinc coffins had higher abundances than proteins in wooden coffins. Some protein levels show a strong negative correlation between PMI and AAD (with a few exceptions). This discovery allows forensic scientists to determine the time since death and the age of death using bone protein data. With liquid chromatography, scientists can easily read the amounts of certain chemicals in a sample. Forensic scientists commonly use it to analyze remnants of arson, but now it also applies to bones. Boston Leadership Institute provides a forensics science summer program which I attended. It covers many aspects of forensics science, including the application of liquid chromatography. I had hands-on experience in using instruments that perform chromatography, and it was an enriching experience.
Will artificial intelligence help build better protein drugs? This scientist quit his job to prove it can.
Typically, when you get medicine, you take a pill, which you can get from a pharmacy. These medicines are chemicals. There is another form of treatment which are protein-based and are typically antibodies. Antibodies are challenging to make into drugs, and can only be administered directly by a doctor. AI Proteins is a new company that uses artificial intelligence to design miniproteins that can become drugs more easily than antibodies. These miniproteins are not based on anything in nature, rather they are synthetic.
– Elias Novina, STEM Entrepreneurship Student
Typically, when you get medicine, you take a pill, which you can get from a pharmacy. These medicines are chemicals. There is another form of treatment which are protein-based and are typically antibodies. Antibodies are challenging to make into drugs, and can only be administered directly by a doctor. AI Proteins is a new company that uses artificial intelligence to design miniproteins that can become drugs more easily than antibodies. These miniproteins are not based on anything in nature, rather they are synthetic. AI Proteins makes the miniproteins, tests them, and uses this information to improve the design of artificial intelligence. Because the proteins are so stable, they may be administered in a pill, and acids in the stomach are not likely to break them down. Miniproteins are also very specific to the proteins in the body that cause disease. When miniproteins bind to these proteins in the body, they could help cure disease. Founder and CSO of AI Proteins, Chris Bahl, closed his lab at Harvard and took his team to start this company to develop mini-proteins into medicines for lots of diseases, including cancers and immune diseases. There is a massive global market for protein therapies, “whose value approached $284 billion in 2020 and is predicted to nearly double to $567 billion by 2030, according to a report from QY Research Medical.” (Cross, Ryan. “Will artificial intelligence help build better protein drugs? This scientist quit his job to prove it can.” The Boston Globe, November 3, 2022).
A new technique could make some plastic trash compostable at home
In the year of 2022, we have seen many breakthroughs in science and technology. One such example is a new enzyme which can help in making plastic compostable in our homes. This new enzyme is stored within the plastic itself in the manufacturing process and only starts breaking down the plastic when exposed to warmth and moisture.
– Aban Kaaki, Applied Physics & Engineering Student
In the year of 2022, we have seen many breakthroughs in science and technology. One such example is a new enzyme which can help in making plastic compostable in our homes. This new enzyme is stored within the plastic itself in the manufacturing process and only starts breaking down the plastic when exposed to warmth and moisture. The enzyme should not increase the price of plastics significantly as only a minimum of 0.02 percent of the plastic’s weight is required to be the enzyme to properly dissolve. It should also not impact the durability as they are still posses the same strength and flexibility as regular plastics found on store shelves. These results are very promising since it allow us to get rid of all the plastic we have still with us. This makes this enzyme not only a way to speed up this decomposition and finally allowing us to clear out our plastic landfills. Ting Xu, a polymer scientist within University of California Berkely and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has created a startup with the intention to commercialize this enzyme and get it to every grocery store. Currently, the enzyme does not work on every type of plastic as their molecular structures differ, however, Ting Xu and her team have been working around this drawback before properly commercializing it.
The device that reverses CO2 emissions
Today, scientists all over the world are clearly confirming that simply decreasing carbon emissions is not enough. We are looking toward technologies such as “Direct Air Capture (DAC)” to help limit global warming. Let me explain what is (DAC). There is a Canadian startup company named Carbon Engineering based in Squamish, British Colombia.
– Jean-Sébastien Perrault, Electronics & Robotics Student
Today, scientists all over the world are clearly confirming that simply decreasing carbon emissions is not enough. We are looking toward technologies such as “Direct Air Capture (DAC)” to help limit global warming.
Let me explain what is (DAC). There is a Canadian startup company named Carbon Engineering based in Squamish, British Colombia. The company has built huge fans to draw ambient air (containing 0.04% CO2 which is the present atmospheric level). Then, the air goes into a filter which is soaked in potassium hydroxide (the potash). The potash captures the dissolved CO2. Then, the CO2 goes into a second chamber and is mixed with calcium hydroxide (builder’s lime). The lime seizes hold of the CO2 which creates flakes of limestone. These flakes are then placed in a third chamber, called the calciner. The flakes are heated until they decompose and produce pure CO2 which is captured and stored. At each stage of the process, the extra chemicals are recycled back into the process of CO2 capture. That creates an endless cycle that repeats the process with no waste. The captured CO2 can be buried deep into the ground and eventually becomes stone.
DAC has become an important part of the environmental solution portfolio.
Cellular rejuvenation therapy safely reverses signs of aging in mice
Aging prompts the deterioration of several human processes, from the cardiovascular system to tumor suppressor genes. As you age, epigenetic markers in your cells change, causing a gradual decline in physical health. Certain chemicals, called Yamanaka factors, restore these epigenetic markers to their initial state. Scientists at Salk Institute injected Yamanaka factors into middle-aged and elderly mice to see if they would have anti-aging effects.
– Prattay Bhattacharya, Biological Research Student
Aging prompts the deterioration of several human processes, from the cardiovascular system to tumor suppressor genes. As you age, epigenetic markers in your cells change, causing a gradual decline in physical health. Certain chemicals, called Yamanaka factors, restore these epigenetic markers to their initial state. Scientists at Salk Institute injected Yamanaka factors into middle-aged and elderly mice to see if they would have anti-aging effects. These mice’s vision, brain, and heart functions drastically improved over the months of the experiment. The treatment enhanced the mice’s ability to regenerate tissue, suggesting that Yamanaka factors reverse the effects of aging on a cellular level. The therapy showed no signs of adverse side effects. With the potential to safely reverse cellular aging, we can make older cells more resistant to ailment and injury. Adapting this therapy for humans can slow or reverse degenerative diseases like muscular dystrophy. The full range of this therapy’s capabilities is yet to be understood.
PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System
One scientific breakthrough in September of 2022 was the approval of the PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System is used to help repair the heart’s mitral valve without open-heart surgery. It is inserted by a delivery catheter through the femoral vein to the left side of the heart.
– Bryanah Houston, Emergency Medicine Student
One scientific breakthrough in September of 2022 was the approval of the PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System is used to help repair the heart’s mitral valve without open-heart surgery. It is inserted by a delivery catheter through the femoral vein to the left side of the heart. Acting as a clip, it clasps the two tissue flaps of the mitral valve in order to reduce the amount of backflow of blood. Once clipped, the delivery catheter is detached and removed from the body. The PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System is hoped to be used when open-heart surgery is too risky because of mitral regurgitation being too significant. The intention of this is to reduce the amount of blood in the mitral valve that is moving in the wrong direction. This will initially help patients limit their hospital visits and help improve their health physically and mentally. Overall, the PASCAL Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair System will provide patients with an alternative procedure when open-heart surgery is too dangerous under their conditions.
Organoids: Lab-Grown Organs in the Fight Against COVID-19
COVID-19 has plagued the world for years, but now that functioning vaccines are available, scientists are looking at other effective ways to defeat the virus. One game-changing discovery has been made by using Organoids, three-dimensional tissue cultures that come from stem cells, teaching scientists how the COVID-19 virus infects and affects the brain. Experiments show that infection of brain organoids can be prevented by antibodies that bind a protein called ACE2, or by administering spinal fluid from someone with an ongoing COVID-19 infection. Alongside this, Organoids can be produced with specific variations in the DNA sequence that might make a person more or less susceptible to a disease such as COVID-19. This new breakthrough will help cease effects of the virus as it is examined more and ultimately have a positive boost towards the medical world defeating COVID-19 for good.
– Ava Whitebone, Pediatrics Student
Development of frontal GABA and glutamate supports excitation/inhibition balance from adolescence into adulthood.
A recent publication in Progress in Neurobiology by neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers convincing evidence of a critical neuroplasticity period in the frontal brain during adolescence. It is a breakthrough in Psychiatry because adolescence is a sensitive period for the emergence of many mental illnesses and risk-taking behaviors like substance use. Furthermore, adolescent substance abuse often sets the stage for cognitive issues during adulthood.
– Eva Bennett, Biomedical & Surgical Research Student
A recent publication in Progress in Neurobiology by neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers convincing evidence of a critical neuroplasticity period in the frontal brain during adolescence. It is a breakthrough in Psychiatry because adolescence is a sensitive period for the emergence of many mental illnesses and risk-taking behaviors like substance use. Furthermore, adolescent substance abuse often sets the stage for cognitive issues during adulthood. This is a timely topic as adolescents are currently experiencing an unprecedented mental health and substance abuse crisis, which was worsened during the pandemic. The neuroscientists used high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging to study age-related changes in the balance of two well-known brain chemicals, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the frontal cortex of 144 adolescents and adults (10-30 years in age). The frontal lobe is involved in executive function/decision making, social cognition, emotional regulation, goal directed behavior, and communication. The balance between excitatory signals like glutamate and inhibitory signals like GABA is important in modulating brain function. They found that the balance between glutamate and GABA increased through adolescence, suggesting the presence of critical period plasticity in frontal cortex during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It also helps us understand why adolescence is a vulnerable stage for mental health and risk-taking behaviors including substance abuse and should help destigmatize mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This new insight is valuable to guide the development of preventative, therapeutic, and interventional strategies to address adolescent mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
A new Cretaceous thyreophoran from Patagonia supports a South American lineage of armoured dinosaurs
In 2022, a new species of dinosaur belonging to the Thyreophora group, or shield-bearing dinosaurs, was discovered. The dinosaur was called Jakapil kaniukura, meaning shield-bearer, and paleontologists believe the species may belong to a new, undiscovered Thyreophora clade. The specimen includes a complete jaw bone, several osteoderms, and other small parts of the dinosaur, and the species was predicted to be approximately 1.5 meters in length and 4.5-7 kilograms in weight.
– Aidan Wong, Biomedical & Surgical Research Student
In 2022, a new species of dinosaur belonging to the Thyreophora group, or shield-bearing dinosaurs, was discovered. The dinosaur was called Jakapil kaniukura, meaning shield-bearer, and paleontologists believe the species may belong to a new, undiscovered Thyreophora clade. The specimen includes a complete jaw bone, several osteoderms, and other small parts of the dinosaur, and the species was predicted to be approximately 1.5 meters in length and 4.5-7 kilograms in weight. This small, odd creature stood on its hind legs, was covered in armor, and had a prominent jaw structure for crushing plants, characteristics making the species quite unique. Jakapil was covered in armor-like osteoderms, and unlike most other ornithischians, the dinosaur was predicted to have tiny forelimbs and a bipedal stance. The species’ prominently deep jaw both demonstrates its uniqueness as a species and the predicted diet of the creature, indicating they most likely consumed tough plant material in their desert biome. Related to the more-widely known, armored dinosaurs like Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus, this discovery will further develop the phylogenetic tree of Dinosauria and possibly offer data regarding the evolution of certain dinosaurs of the Thyreophora group.
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