In cells, self-destructive behavior suggests strategy for fighting cancer

SOMETIMES, TO SURVIVE, our cells destroy their own ribonucleic acid (RNA), the part of our genetic instruction code that helps turn genes into proteins. Cells do this as part of the first line of defense Continue Reading →

No more mirrors: a new way of making molecules for tracking disease

RADIOACTIVITY IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED with nuclear fallout or comic-book spider bites, but in very small amounts it can be a useful tool for diagnosing diseases. Small molecules containing a radioactive isotope of fluorine, called 18F, Continue Reading →

Light-splitting crystals from inexpensive ingredients

HIGHLY PURIFIED CRYSTALS that split light with uncanny precision are key parts of high-powered lenses, specialized optics and, potentially, computers that manipulate light instead of electricity. But producing these crystals by current techniques, such as Continue Reading →

New technology enables computing with the wave of a hand

A FORWARD-THINKING TEAM of electrical engineering students has designed an interactive display surface that allows users to control objects on a screen simply by gesturing in the air. The SpaceTouch surface can either replace an Continue Reading →

Entrepreneurship at Princeton: An interview with Mung Chiang

PROFESSOR MUNG CHIANG has integrated fundamental research on computer network optimization with several successful business ventures. As director of the Keller Center, which expands the scope of engineering education to include leadership and societal issues, Continue Reading →

Focus on undergraduate research: Power grid solutions in Nigeria

GROWING UP IN LAGOS, NIGERIA, Oladoyin Phillips was accustomed to the power outages that struck just as she was about to use her computer or charge her cellphone. “I was frustrated on those afternoons,” she Continue Reading →

Philosophical differences: What does physics tell us about the real world?

IN COLLEGE, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY Hans Halvorson was dismayed by the idea of having to choose between science and the humanities, so he blazed his own path, combining philosophy with physics and mathematics. Why are Continue Reading →

Math and music spark student’s research interests

WHILE PRINCETON SENIOR Alexander Iriza, of Astoria, New York, credits his parents for sparking his interest in math — his mother gave him math workbooks when he was a toddler — that was merely “a Continue Reading →

Emotional map illuminates an iconic rock song

IN A TYPICAL ROCK SONG, a few chords and a simple rhythm form the foundation for catchy lyrics that carry the listener along for three or four minutes. Expand these elements into a 20-minute song, Continue Reading →

How to train your worm to explore the circuits involved in learning

AS AN UNDERGRADUATE, Angelina Sylvain was fascinated to learn that devastating declines in cognition and muscle coordination could be caused by changes in a single gene — the cause of Huntington’s disease. She was intrigued Continue Reading →

Study casts doubt on fairness of U.S. democracy

AFFLUENT INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESS CORPORATIONS have vastly more influence on federal government policy than average citizens, according to research by Princeton University and Northwestern University. The researchers used a data set comprised of 1,779 policy Continue Reading →

New mineral: Steinhardtite

A MINERAL DISCOVERED to be of meteoritic origin has been named “steinhardtite” in honor of Paul Steinhardt, Princeton’s Albert Einstein Professor in Science and a professor of physics. The name was approved by the Commission Continue Reading →

A farewell to arms? New technique could aid nuclear disarmament

SCIENTISTS at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are developing a system to verify the presence of nuclear warheads without collecting classified information, as a step toward the Continue Reading →