By Hayden Nelson, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

Did you know your smile is one of the most powerful social signals you have? Or that the simple act of smiling can change your brain chemistry, and even make strangers like you more? It’s true! Smiles aren’t just friendly gestures, they’re complex psychological signals that influence how we feel and how others perceive us. And what’s more interesting is that this all happens without us even noticing. Our brains respond to smiles automatically, shaping our impressions and emotional responses in a split second. 

Continue reading “The Secret Psychology of Smiles”

By Edita Music, C2ST Intern, Illinois Institute of Technology

We’ve all heard of cause and effect, but what if our universe doesn’t actually follow this principle? That’s the question behind a recent physics study conducted by Dr. Julia Mossbridge at the Mossbridge Institute, who spent a year recording how tiny particles of light (photons) behave inside a dark, sealed box. Her goal was to test something that could be the plot of a science fiction movie: could information about the future somehow show up in experiments done in the present? The phenomenon she studied is called the “causally ambiguous duration sorting effect” or CADS for short. In simpler terms, it’s a hint that the world around us may sometimes blur the line between “before” and “after.”

Continue reading “The Curious Case of the CADs Effect: Is Time Travel Actually Real?”

By Donnisa Edmonds, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, many people have wondered about the long-term impact of generative AI on our ability to remember information, communicate through writing, and think critically. This June, a research group from MIT’s media lab published one of the first studies to address these questions in “Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task.” 

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By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

This past summer, I found myself teaching a classroom full of fourth through eighth graders. When I asked them, “What do engineers do?” Their answers were spot on: “Engineers make things to help people.” This answer is not too different from the one I heard throughout my K-12 education; however, as I get further into my education as a biomedical engineer, I find myself circling back to this definition with more and more questions. Do we help folks who need it?  How do we help them? These questions are even more critical in the medical field where people’s health and wellbeing are on the line. This is where the concepts of Verification and Validation (V&V) come in. Every medical device goes through a rigorous process involving regulatory oversight, review, and iteration before it gets released; this process is ongoing even after a product is released!  

Continue reading “Beyond Validation: Are Medical Devices Meeting Our Needs?”

By Hayden Nelson, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

Have you ever wondered why your teeth aren’t perfectly white? Or why coffee, tea, and red wine seem to leave their mark? The answer comes down to chemistry. Every sip and snack you take sparks tiny chemical reactions inside your mouth. That morning coffee? Its dark pigment slips into the tiny grooves in the surface of your teeth. The glass of red wine at dinner? Same story. Our teeth might look simple, but they’re surprisingly complex structures that react to what we eat and drink every day. Despite their smooth look, our teeth are actually made up of layers of tightly packed minerals with tiny pores that absorb pigments from the foods and drinks we love. Understanding the chemistry behind your teeth and their stains helps explain why some smiles stay bright while others fade, and how everyday choices can make a microscopic difference.

Continue reading “The Chemistry of Your Smile: What Coffee, Wine, and Foods Are Really Doing to Your Teeth”

By Edita Music, C2ST Intern, Illinois Institute of Technology

Genetic testing. It sounds like something that can only be done in a fancy laboratory with microscopes and researchers in white coats. But it’s also something millions of people have done from the comfort of their living rooms.

Continue reading “From the Lab to the Living Room: The Ethics of At-Home DNA Testing”