The director of the ‘Wicked’ movie, Jon M. Chu, has a simple request for theatergoers: crank up the volume! On the film’s opening night, he shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the ideal audio level should be set to a 7. Chu, who has seen a few screenings, noticed that many theaters play it at around
You might have heard about the drop in the cost of short-read sequencing over the past decade. This has led to a boom in experimental techniques that use sequencing to solve specific biological puzzles. The catch? These methods often outrun the standardized ways of analyzing the data they generate.
Have you ever wondered how detectives solve tough crimes? Believe it or not, tiny bits of genetic code can hold the answers. Genes, like little instruction manuals, make each of us unique. Scientists use specific tools to read this genetic code and catch the bad guys. One of these tools is called P
DNA has been a game-changer in crime-solving, but scientists are constantly looking for better ways to use it. Traditionally, they've used molecular tags, like barcodes, to keep track of DNA samples and spot mistakes. But these tags don't take full advantage of DNA's unique sequence variations. Ente
Have you ever wondered how often women in China change their sanitary pads? A recent study set out to answer this question by looking at the habits of women in 28 different cities across the country. The study aimed to shed light on the frequency of pad changes and identify the key factors influenci
Does a tourist visa protect you from thieves? Not always, especially if you're a professional athlete in North America. The NBA and NFL have alerted their players about a clever, tech-savvy burglary ring from South America. These thieves aren't your average criminals; they use drones, signal-jammers
Wouldn't it be great if all genetic disorders could be detected early, especially the ones that can be treated? Yet, many aren't tested for because it's expensive and needs fancy equipment. Enter SCAN: a new, affordable way to check for common aneuploidies using nanopore sequencing. SCAN first ampli
Ever wondered what makes the United States Air Force (USAF) stand out? It's their amazing collection of one-of-a-kind aircraft. Let's take a look at a few of these extraordinary planes. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, a massive transport plane, has been around since the '70s. Only about 131 of these exist
It's been a rollercoaster ride for Sean "Diddy" Combs' bail hearings. The latest update? A federal judge delayed the decision on Combs' bail request, seeking more details about his communications from jail. Both the prosecution and defense teams have until November 25 to provide this info. The judge
African Americans face a significant health burden from smoking. Nicotine patches can be a game changer, but many smokers struggle to stick with them. A recent study dug into the real-life factors that make African American smokers more likely to ditch their patches. They looked at slips-ups, motiva
