Dr. Phyllis Zee, Chief of the Sleep Medicine at Northwestern Hospital, warned the audience at Horner Park on Wednesday, August 15, that we cheat sleep at our peril. Dr. Zee’s excellent presentation was the first instance of C2ST’s collaboration with the Chicago Park District in the “Science in the Parks” series. Watch the video here.
Dr. Zee explained that three scientists recently shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in the early 1980’s identifying the genes and protein molecules that drive our twenty-four-hour biological clocks, often referred to as our “circadian rhythm.” Every cell in our bodies has the clock mechanism, and all these clocks are coordinated by the master clock in our brains. The mechanism interacts with light and dark. It keeps us awake and productive (usually) during the day and early evening, and puts us to sleep at night to rejuvenate our systems for another day.
This is the repository for all things C2ST. You can learn with videos of our past events, read articles concerning cutting-edge research and development in Chicago and elsewhere that will change our lives (generally one new article posted each week), check out C2ST in the news, and more! Use the Filter Media options below to browse C2ST’s content and discover something new!
By Andrea Lee, C2ST Intern
Think about the last time you spoke to someone. Did you consciously think about the action of speaking? For most people, this movement is subconscious, but that’s not the case for Casey Harrell. Continue reading “Think Before You Speak: How “Mind-Reading” Technology is Giving People Their Voices Back”
By Alyssa Rios, C2ST Intern, Waubonsee Community College
Imagine standing close enough to a fire that the heat would make you instinctively step backward. Now imagine having to work in that environment while relying on specialized materials to protect you. Every time firefighters respond to a structure fire, they enter conditions that can reach temperatures far beyond what the human body can tolerate. Their gear doesn’t make them immune to fire, but it gives them valuable time to do their jobs safely. Behind every helmet, coat, and pair of gloves are decades of research in chemistry, physics, and engineering. Rather than being one bulky suit, firefighter gear is a carefully designed system of materials that work together to slow heat, block water, and protect the body. Continue reading “The Suit That Faces Flames: The Science of Firefighter Gear”
By Alex Zhang, C2ST Intern, DePaul University
“Are we alone in the universe?” For thousands of years, the question has stumped humanity. Through icons like E.T., the Alien franchise, and most recently Project Hail Mary, our fascination with the extraterrestrial has dominated popular culture and media for generations. But the search for life isn’t just contained in scripts or on film reels; scientists in a dizzying number of hyper-specific fields make daily progress expanding our knowledge of space, getting us ever so closer to answering that burning question. One such discovery has been pivotal in that task, providing stepping stones to understanding the universe in completely unexpected ways. This is the history and science of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).
Continue reading “The Future of Our Universe is Bright. Really, Really Bright.”
By Raechel Hearth, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago
You always hear people say “look ahead” or “hold your head high,” but I would challenge you to take a moment to look down and think about the ground below. When I was little – much to my parents’ dismay – my favorite pastime was finding the muddiest puddle around and splashing away in it! If it wasn’t that, I was taking my toys outside and building entire ecosystems for them in the ground, including caves, mountains out of dirt, or even whole river systems using a hose. But this material is more than just a fun mess! Below us is one of the Earth’s greatest resources: soil. It is teeming with life, full of structure, and yet remains mostly hidden to us. In this blog, I hope to share just some of the many ways that soil is unique, fascinating, and crucial to life on Earth. Continue reading “Right Under Your Feet: Why Soil is More Than Just Dirt”
By Alyssa Rios, C2ST Intern, Waubonsee Community College
Have you ever wondered why almost everyone instinctively smiles when they see a baby? Even though babies are a lot of work and can be disruptive, they are irresistibly cute, and it’s hard to stay mad at them. Babies get sweet and affectionate reactions out of total strangers, and the cuteness of a familiar baby seems to never wear off. Scientists believe that reaction isn’t accidental; it may be an evolutionary adaptation to help babies survive. Continue reading “Why Are Babies So Cute? The Evolutionary Science of Baby Schema”
By Stephanie Sorich, C2ST Correspondent
For the citizens of Chicago, the summer of 2026 has not been all sunshine and lake days. Between violent storms turning into flash floods and hazy skies brought on by wildfires, the weather has been a mixed bag. Those smoky days have caused Chicagoans to focus on a once less-considered aspect of the weather: air quality.