ChallengHers Newsletter - January 2025
- Frances Liang
- Jan 30
- 2 min read
Dark energy is a mysterious force thought to make up about 68% of the universe. Unlike matter, which exerts gravitational pull and slows the expansion of the universe, dark energy has a repulsive effect. It works in the opposite direction, causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. Despite its vast influence on the cosmos, we know very little about dark energy. It does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it undetectable by conventional means.
Previously, scientists believed that dark energy was a constant force throughout the history of the universe, as based in Albert Einstein’s equations for general relativity. However, new data data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which measures the expansion rate of the universe, suggests that the expansion rate (and therefore dark energy) may not be constant. With confidence levels reaching up to 99.7%, it challenges the idea of a static dark energy and could significantly impact our understanding of the universe’s expansion.
Vectors are DNA molecules used to transport genetic material into a cell, playing a crucial role in genetic engineering and biotechnology. They can originate from plasmids, viruses, or artificial constructs, and are designed to efficiently deliver and integrate desired genes into host cells. Vectors often contain essential elements like an origin of replication, a selectable marker (ex: antibiotic resistance), and multiple cloning sites to facilitate gene insertion.
However, recent research in Nature has shown that these vectors that are heavily relied-upon in research may not be as accurate as we think. A recent preprint has suggested that upwards of 45–50% of lab-made plasmids have undetected design and/or sequence errors that could potentially compromise the intended applications. Despite this, it is still often difficult to control the quality of these vectors, emphasizing the importance and need for better open source resources and databases to comprehensively evaluate vector quality before its results can be fully trusted.
Surprisingly, the behavior of pasta can illuminate phenomena in physics and engineering. For instance, the way spaghetti strands break when bent has parallels in material science, shedding light on fracture mechanics. Additionally, the dynamics of pasta shapes during cooking can model fluid dynamics and structural transformations, providing insights into how materials respond to various forces. By examining these everyday occurrences, scientists can draw analogies to cosmic events, such as the bending of light around massive objects or the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.
