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 Larry Adams, C2ST Volunteer
In the fight against the fast moving, fast evolving, and highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19), public and private entities around the world are marshaling their resources to halt the disease. These activities are occurring even as the numbers of cases spike upwards. Continue reading “The War Against COVID-19 Rages On In Chicago And Beyond”
Dear friends of C2ST,
The global spread of COVID-19 has become a source of concern, stress, and disruption for businesses, families, and organizations big and small. We understand that the situation in Chicago is not yet dire, but we are also aware that preventative measures need to be taken to keep it that way.
That being said, we are in the beginning stages of an audit of our programs and public appearances over the coming weeks. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely, and should things begin to change here in Chicago, we will notify you of any changes made to our schedule.
We take public health and safety very seriously here at C2ST and the last thing we want is to contribute in any way to the spread of both the virus and the fear or uncertainty that comes with it.
Please keep an eye on our social media platforms for immediate updates. Emails will surely follow if necessary. In the meantime, please practice proper hygiene and social distancing techniques. And most importantly, stay positive!
By Robert J. Kriss, C2ST Editor
We know how to generate electricity from solar and wind energy, but we haven’t figured out how to provide electricity at night or on cloudy or calm days relying solely on renewable energy. Some politicians and environmental activists talk like we can and should take all nuclear power plants and fossil-fuel plants off-line immediately. That just isn’t possible yet. The pace of change must quicken, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that we have a ways to go to develop the technology necessary to save our planet. For anyone interested in curbing global warming, the focus should be on how to promote the development of new technologies to keep the lights, heat and air-conditioning on all the time. Continue reading “A Dam Good Idea to Transition to Renewable Energy”
On Thursday, May 21 the Chicago Council on Science and Technology will hold our largest fundraising event of 2020: Science in the City. The evening supports C2ST’s mission and the full spectrum of our programming. Your support is critical to our mission.
Continue reading “Save the Date for the 2020 Science in the City Gala”
By Robert J. Kriss, C2ST Editor
In a notable line from the 1967 movie, “The Graduate,” a savvy businessman takes a recent college graduate played by Dustin Hoffman into a quiet room at a party to give him a hot tip for his future. The businessman says he has a single word for the graduate — “plastics.” Today, the word might be “batteries.” Continue reading “Chicago “Hard-Tech” Tackles Global Warming”
Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST, Editor
In a collaboration with Google, Northwestern researchers are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop machine learning programs that identify cancer with better accuracy than a radiologist in some cases. Other research is using powerful new microscopy techniques to examine changes in cells at the nanoscale level. These breakthroughs promise to detect cancer at very early stages when the chances of successful treatment are highest. The innovative techniques will also reduce false positives and negatives — incorrect diagnoses — and thereby target treatment better. With these advances, scientists hope to detect a range of cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung. Learn more about this pioneering research being performed in Chicago by visiting these sites here and here.
