The Spectrum
The Spectrum is the Triple Helix’s science blog. Every quarter, we guide a team of writers and editors through the process of producing timely, creative, original, and accurate commentaries, articles, and/or editorials on issues that are most relevant for the scientific, political, and social climate of our time.
Here you can find The Spectrum’s articles about recent scientific discoveries, technological advancements, and opinions on science in society.
Bioplastics: The Future of Waste?
By Anoushka Ghosh, Spring 2025. Plastics are everywhere. From packaging to pipes, the convenience of this material has made it indispensable to modern living. This convenience, however, comes at a cost– companies refuse to biodegrade, producing harmful and toxic waste...
Hybrid Quantum-Classical Methods: The Future Of Quantum Computing And AI?
By Bartek Fecko, Spring 2025.
What happens when AI meets quantum computing? When classical computers are hitting their limits, hybrid quantum-classical systems could be the key to unlocking a new era of computer-assisted scientific discovery.
Effective Language Learning: Focus on Input or Output?
By Prayag Patel, Spring 2025.
What is the most optimal way to learn a new language: is it better to read and listen to native material or speak and write as much as possible?
Unveiling the Universe’s Hidden Asymmetry: A Pioneering Discovery in Galaxy Distributions
By Jialin Yang, Spring 2023. Imagine looking in a mirror and not seeing yourself. That was the shock astronomers had last year when analyzing the large-scale structure of galaxy distributions. Two research teams – one led by Oliver Philcox of Columbia University [1]...
Alzheimer’s and Chronic Stress: Is Cognitive Decline the Price of a Lifetime Under Pressure?
By Urja Vohra, Fall 2024. Imagine the human brain as a bustling metropolis, where neurons communicate like citizens in constant interaction. But what happens when this city is besieged by an unrelenting storm—chronic stress—that gradually erodes its infrastructure? It...
Unifying Physics: A Geometric Revolution In Quantum Field Theory?
By Bartek Fecko, Fall 2024. Perhaps no intellectual symbiosis has been as profound as that between physics and mathematics in recent centuries. Since the development of modern physics, the two fields have largely co-evolved: first, mathematicians develop the symbolic...
Warfare in the Age of AI
By Samuel Hagood, Fall 2023. Figure 1: By studying the Vietnam War, John Boyd developed the OODA decision-making loop in the early 1970s. Today, businesses, law firms, and militaries all use the OODA cycle to achieve faster and more effective results.[1] U.S. Air...
Sperm Whales and AI: An Interspecies Dialogue
By Maria Victoria Bardon Soto, Fall 2023. Humans have wanted to communicate with animals throughout history. From ancient myths to fiction books to TV shows and movies to owning pets, we have always been in search of a connection with the natural world. As Marine...
How a Telescope in the South Pole is Observing the Beginning of the Universe
By Aditya Singh, Fall 2023. Perhaps the most significant enigma in scientific inquiry revolves around the genesis of the Universe and the intricate events that unfolded during the Big Bang. At the forefront of exploring this monumental question in astrophysics lies...
Using AI Technology to Boost Beneficial Outcomes of Invasive Neuro-surgery
By Saliou Thiam, Fall 2023. Since neurosurgery was invented in the early 1900s by Harvey Cushing, there has been monumental progress made in the realm of improving neurological surgical techniques and instrumentation to better the outcomes of patients. In 2023, there...
The Vitamin Supplement Debate: The Basics
By Ana Serban, Fall 2023. For many people, taking a vitamin before heading out the door is a regular part of their morning routine. Many of those people taking them do not know a lot about them apart that they are supposed to increase the levels of the vitamin they...
The Future of Cancer Treatment: Cancer Vaccines
By Bloom Lerngutai, Fall 2023. The idea of a cancer vaccine may sound like something out of a science fiction novel. While most people have heard of flu or Covid-19 vaccinations, vaccines for cancer are perhaps less widely known. However, they have existed for quite...
The Medical Conditions Secured Behind Golden Gates
By Lucas Perez, Fall 2023. The key to solving an issue is understanding where the roots of the problem lie. Such knowledge allows us to attack the cause of a problem and not its effects, as tackling the effects only temporarily masks the intensity of it. Transferring...
Nanotechnology: The Robots of Our Future
By Nicole Liu, Fall 2023. Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field of research that has seen a spike in advancements in recent years. It utilizes matter at the atomic scale to create new materials and devices for areas like healthcare, manufacturing, and even food....
From Discovery to Drug: How Bristol Myers-Squibb Made a Billion Dollar Molecule
By Yoyo Ma, Winter 2023. The realms of over the counter drugs and laboratory research seem disparate upon first glance, but one of the most beautiful parts of the drug development and discovery process are the years of struggle and strife. One such discovery is the...
Does Chess Really Improve Cognitive Function?
By Sarah Kim, Winter 2023. Two sides, sixty-four squares, and one simple objective: capture your opponent’s king while protecting your own. Of course, chess is rarely that simple. At the professional level, every move is predicated by thousands of hours of practice...
The Great Garbage Cleanup: How Organizations are Working to Remove Plastic from the Oceans
By Lizzie, Fall 2022. Of the five major gyres (spiral vortexes in the ocean) on Earth, the North Pacific is the largest and most notorious. Nicknamed the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (GPGP), it’s “great” for a reason: this pile of plastic halfway between Hawaii and...
Rising drug prices– Who is to blame?
By Shannon, Fall 2022. On top of the many other bills they need to pay, patients in the US are worried sick over an often overlooked yet crucial problem in the industry– increasing drug prices. In 2017, the Altarum Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on...
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