Tag «Carnegie Institution for Science»

Why Are Some Cells More Cancer Prone?

Washington, D.C.—Cells in the body wear down over time and die. In many organs, like the small intestine, adult stem cells play a vital role in maintaining function by replacing old cells with new ones.  Learning about the nature of tissue stem cells can help scientists understand exactly how our organs are built, and why …

Carnegie Institution for Science: Forecasting a Supernova Explosion

Pasadena, CA—Type II supernovae are formed when massive stars collapse, initiating giant explosions. It is thought that stars emit a burst of mass as a precursor to the supernova explosion. If this process were better understood, it could be used to predict and study supernova events in their earliest stages. New observations from a team …

Carnegie News – Studying Ancient Earth’s Geochemistry

Washington, D.C.— Researchers still have much to learn about the volcanism that shaped our planet’s early history. New evidence from a team led by Carnegie’s Frances Jenner demonstrates that some of the tectonic processes driving volcanic activity, such as those taking place today, were occurring as early as 3.8 billion years ago. Their work is …

Preventing Climate Change: The Size of the Energy Challenge

Washington, D.C.— In 2004 a very popular study aimed to address climate change by deploying wedges of different existing energy technologies or approaches. According to the study by Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala, each wedge would avoid one billion tons of carbon (1 GtC) emissions per year after 50 years. The study showed that, at …

Carnegie Institution for Science – Solving Stem Cell Mysteries

Washington, D.C.— The ability of embryonic stem cells to differentiate into different types of cells with different functions is regulated and maintained by a complex series of chemical interactions, which are not well understood. Learning more about this process could prove useful for stem cell-based therapies down the road. New research from a team led …