Brittany Flaherty
As seen in:
PBS,
Scientific American,
Phys.org,
The Boston Globe,
STAT,
RealClear Science,
AGU's Eos
Writer covering medicine, health, & environmental science
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Articles by Brittany Flaherty
Scientists use animals and technology to rediscover eight “extinct” species
It’s hard to imagine an animal with “giant” in its name going unnoticed for decades. But two such species make our list of near misses—creatures once believed to be gone forever.
Computing and the search for new planets
Worlds orbiting stars other than our sun are “exoplanets,” and they come in many sizes, from gas giants larger than Jupiter to small, rocky planets. This illustration of a "super-Earth" represents the type of planet that the TESS mission aims to find outside our solar system. Credit: M. Kornmesser/ESO When MIT launched the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing this fall, one of the goals was to drive further innovation in computing across all of MIT's schools.
Can a New Lyme Disease Vaccine Overcome a History of Distrust and Failure?
As the threat of Lyme disease grows and fears surrounding it spread faster than the ticks that carry the infection, researchers are developing two vaccine or vaccine-like approaches to prevent this increasingly problematic disease. But don’t expect to get one soon. They are at least three to five years away from clinical use, according to their developers. That may seem like a long time to wait, especially since there are several Lyme disease vaccines available for dogs.
Can a New Lyme Vaccine Overcome a History of Failure?
Perry Backus/Ravalli Republic via AP As the threat of Lyme disease grows and fears surrounding it spread faster than the ticks that carry the infection, researchers are developing two vaccine or vaccine-like approaches to prevent this increasingly problematic disease. But don't expect to get one soon. They are at least three to five years away from clinical use, according to their developers. Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments Related Articles
KSJ's Inaugural Director Reflects on a Career of Covering Science
An open-heart surgery inspired Victor McElheny to write about science. Sixty years later, he’s still at it. The 1983 inaugural class of Knight Science Journalism Program (known then as the Vannevar Bush Program) shown with founding director Victor McElheny, fourth from left. In the fall of 1957, budding reporter Victor McElheny saw a beating heart for the first time. It was still pulsing in the open chest of a patient during a live broadcast of the experimental procedure.
Leaving room for a little improvisation
Senior Tony Zhang says his curiosity about physics was piqued by an unlikely source: a rubber band. “When I was little, I would stretch rubber bands across cabinet and drawer handles,” says Zhang. “A rubber band produces a different pitch when you pluck it, depending on the material and depending on the tension. So I wondered if I could make an entire scale.” When he succeeded, Zhang says he wanted to know how it worked.
Meet Lisa De Bode, Knight Science Journalism Fellow
“My journalism explores how we build community, and improve the worlds we live in.” When Lisa De Bode worked as a reporter covering public health in New York City, she turned her attention to a problem that society often overlooks: homeless women’s menstrual health and the challenges they face to access feminine hygiene products. Women are the fastest growing group among the homeless, says De Bode, who wrote about the issue in a series of pieces for Al Jazeera America.
Quantum measurement could improve gravitational wave detection sensitivity
Minutes before dawn on Sept. 14, 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) became the first-ever instrument on Earth to directly detect a gravitational wave. This work, led by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration with prominent roles from MIT and Caltech, was the first confirmation of this consequence of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity — 100 years after he first predicted it.
Spiders and Squid Could Help Solve Our Global Plastic Problem
Plastic has infiltrated oceans, soils, and entire ecosystems around the globe—in part because 40 percent of plastics are currently produced for single-use packaging only. Yesterday, New York State lawmakers signed a budget instituting a statewide ban on most types of single-use plastic bags, a decision that may reflect increased awareness of the effects non-biodegradable products like plastic have on the natural world.
Extreme Damage Caused by Earthquake Could be from Exceptional Speed
Last fall, scientists were puzzled when an earthquake that hit the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia caused more shaking and destruction than would be expected given its magnitude. Two new studies may now offer an explanation. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Sulawesi near the city of Palu on September 28, 2018, triggering a devastating tsunami and ultimately killing more than 2,000 people.
Dangerous sneaker waves puzzle scientists
Home Earth Earth Sciences January 3, 2019 January 3, 2019 by Brittany Flaherty, GeoSpace Cannon Beach in Oregon is a popular site for tourists, but has also experienced dangerous sneaker waves. Credit: Jeff Hollett On January 16, 2016, a sudden swath of large and powerful waves swept through seaside communities along 450 kilometers (280 miles) of Pacific Northwest coastline.
Dangerous sneaker waves puzzle scientists - GeoSpace
Researchers aim to understand the unexpected, tsunami-like waves that slammed into the Pacific Northwest coast in 2016 and 2018 Cannon Beach in Oregon is a popular site for tourists, but has also experienced dangerous sneaker waves. Credit: Jeff Hollett By Brittany Flaherty On January 16, 2016, a sudden swath of large and powerful waves swept through seaside communities along 450 kilometers (280 miles) of Pacific Northwest coastline.
Can Earthquakes Trigger Volcanic Eruptions?
When an earthquake strikes, seismic waves ripple out from the epicenter, often leaving far-reaching damage in their wake. The energy released can be so enormous that scientists have long wondered if earthquakes could sometimes trigger other destructive events, including volcanic eruptions. “Data from 1800 to 1900 suggests there’s a triggering mechanism going on,” Sawi said.
Computational science grad students awarded U.S. Department of Energy fellowships
Four MIT graduate students have been awarded 2018 United States Department of Energy (DoE) Computational Science Graduate Fellowships to address intractable challenges in science and engineering. Nationwide, MIT garnered the most fellowships out of this year’s 26 recipients. The fellows receive full tuition and additional financial support, access to a network of alumni, and valuable practicum experience working in a DoE national laboratory.
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