In the March issue of The Blue and White—on-campus and online now—now, Britt Fossum, CC ’16, tells us about some crazy desert science stuff Columbia used to be into. “The strange part was the rationale for construction in the first place,” admits Dr. Nicholas Christie-Blick of Columbia’s Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, describing the glassy […]

While we in America celebrate the signing of some yellowed document, physicists around the globe are engaging in a less nationalistic, but equally historic celebration: the elusive Higgs Boson, the “missing piece” in our current understanding of the subatomic world, has been confirmed to five standard deviations of significance. This discovery was made using the […]

Renowned theoretical astrophysicist Janna Levin has mastered the art of simplifying the overwhelmingly complicated into something tangible. She wakes up every morning looking to explain the mysteries of the universe, which, she tells us, has a great soundtrack. While holding the position of Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard, Levin’s research interests include the […]

BunsenBwog had been stowed away in the metaphorical chemistry stock room over winter break, but science doesn’t take a holiday. Instead, Columbia’s tireless teams of professors and (let’s be honest) mostly graduate students have been toiling away during the winter months, presumably synthesizing the most chemically pure hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted. In reality though they were up to some cool stuff, and […]

When they aren’t whispering stories in our ear, Professors enjoy cooking up knowledge in the lab. In this weekly feature, Propugnator Scientiae Zach Kagan gives the low-down on what scientists at Columbia have been up to. In a new experiment neutrinos are detected to be still traveling faster than the speed of light. That’s right, the not-sure-if-trolling […]

Ivy League schools are under fire for animal abuse in their laboratories. Try to treat the subject of your next dissection with a little more kindness, k? (SFGate) Working Muppets of All Countries, Unite! (Slate) Thanks to some mice, we’re one step closer to developing a vaccine against the Ebola virus. NYPD officers are in hot […]

Soon the world’s population will hit 7 billion! (New Yorker) The new iPhone already ended at least one marriage. (HuffPo) Unexpectedly large numbers of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal. (NYMag) Dark matter is even more puzzling than we thought. (Wired) Young eyes needed washing after porn was posted on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel. […]

When they’re not headbanging or falling for our anecdote baiting, Columbia faculty enjoy getting dirty in the lab. Bwog takes a moment to look back on this week in science. Headlines were compiled by test-tube enthusiast Zach Kagan. CSI is real—Columbia’s nanoscience brainboxes have created a device that can sequence DNA at the speed of a primetime crime drama. By dragging […]

Yesterday, Jim Ottaviani, author of the recently released graphic novel “Feynman“, stopped by Butler as part of his book tour. He discussed Richard Feynman— his book about a sardonic Nobel Prize-winning physicist with a knack for bongos, and the appeal of graphic novels. Bwog Daily Editor and Feynman Fan Brian Wagner was in attendance. To […]

Overheard from Dr. Evelyn Hughes during a Frontiers of Science lecture today: “Just because physicists don’t show videos of frogs doing it, that doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking about it.” We’ll follow suit and spare you, but while we’re on the subject, we may as well introduce you fresh batch of College folk to what […]

The Vagelos family is giving University of Pennsylvania a $13 million present to help the school create a new undergraduate program in energy research. As if helping students learn how to build solar powered cars isn’t enough, the program’s acronym is VIPER. Now we’re really jealous. (UPenn) Barnard President D-Spar was inducted into the American Academy […]

The physics community’s collective world was recently rocked by the latest results from CERN, with some now claiming that they have measured neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. While the discrepancy is small (only 60 nanoseconds), it could force physicists to reconsider Einstein’s theory of relativity. Columbia’s go-to physics rock star, Brain Greene, […]

Columbia scientists take no vacations! Defying conventional medical technology, one Columbia engineer has decided to build his way out of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. The mChip, now passing its fourth year of testing, aims to deliver the diagnostic capabilities of a full-fledged lab to patients on a hundred-dollar chip. In case that’s not impressive, […]

When they’re not jamming or answering our inane questions, Columbia faculty enjoy getting dirty in the lab. Bwog takes a moment to look back on this week in science. Headlines were compiled by our Resident Scary-Number-Things Expert Ricky Raudales. Using cutting-edge computer models, scientists at the Earth Observatory determined that the depletion of ozone over Antarctica has directly […]

When they’re not headbanging or answering our inane questions, Columbia faculty enjoy getting dirty in the lab. Bwog takes a moment to look back on this week in science. Headlines were compiled by our Strong-Willed but Gentle- Handed Correspondent Ricky Raudales. A team of scientists recreated functioning enzymes that date back between one and four billion years […]