Northeastern College of Science

The shape of skis makes the biggest difference in maneuverability If you assumed that changes in ski shape were about maximizing contact in the name of speed, you'd be wrong, said physicist Stefan Kautsch.

Different ski events require different designs — and physics explains why.

“The shape determines stability and the maneuverability of the ski,” says Teaching Professor Stefan Kautsch. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/3OYmFyQ

#COSConnects #Physics

The mystical 'overview' effect - from underwater Northeastern researchers document transcendent experiences of aquanauts that are similar to the “overview effect” reported by astronauts.

Astronauts feel the “overview effect” in space. 🌍

Aquanauts feel something similar underwater. Marine Science Center researchers call it the “underview effect” — a powerful shift in how people relate to the ocean that could inspire conservation. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4uakj00

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A two-decade journey hunting for dark matter’s ‘smoking gun’ One scientist spent 20 years developing an antimatter particle detector to record traces of dark matter. It recently launched in Antarctica.

A giant cube + a helium balloon + Antarctica = a new way to hunt for dark matter.

Assistant Professor Tsuguo Aramaki helped send a massive detector into the stratosphere to search for deep-space particles — the result of 20+ years of work. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4rQ7JkP

#COSConnects

In our latest online exclusive, Jonathan Kahn draws from his new book and traces how race has become entangled with law, politics and biology in ways that threaten efforts to address racial injustice. @northeasterncos.bsky.social
magazine.law.northeastern.edu/in-my-opinio...

Congratulations to Assistant Prof. Yizhi You, named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar! 🎉 The award recognizes her innovative research program and supports her project on open quantum systems and mixed states. A well-deserved honor! 🧪

#Physics #COSConnects

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Sijia Dong on winning the 2026 I-APS Young Investigator Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society! 🎉 This award recognizes her outstanding contributions to photoscience and dedication to academic excellence. 🧪

#Chemistry #COSConnects

Dr. Olga Vitek, director of the Barnett Institute and Raymond Bradford Bradstreet Professor, will present “Statistics, Machine Learning and AI for Interpreting Mass Spectrometry Imaging experiments.”

Dr. James Monaghan, professor and director of the Institute for Chemical Imaging of Living Systems at Northeastern, will present “Deciphering the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Axolotl Limb Regeneration Using Multimodal Imaging and Omics.”

Dr. Brian Hoffman, director of Protein Sciences and Mass Spectrometry Services at The Jackson Laboratory, will present “Multi-Omics Integration to Define the Molecular Architecture of the Aging Brain.”

Tire rubber decays into a potentially dangerous chemical cocktail Crumb rubber, used as a fill material in many artificial turf fields, contains a complex and potentially dangerous miasma of chemicals.

New research led by Zhenyu Tian, an assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology, shows crumb rubber in artificial turf can degrade under sunlight and weather, generating hundreds of previously untracked chemicals. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4kEdyiA

#COSConnects #Chemistry

A ‘stunning’ dark matter map reveals insight into this cosmic mystery Dark matter is integral to the universe, but it’s virtually invisible. How did researchers create the most detailed map of dark matter yet?

Dark matter accounts for a large portion of the universe, yet remains invisible. Jacqueline McCleary, an assistant professor, used data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to help create the most detailed dark matter map to date. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4aXe1co

#COSConnects #Astrophysics

2026 Karger Medal Recipient Dr. Ron Hereen will present “Imaging Complexity: Visualizing Nature with Bioanalytical Chemistry.”

What is dark energy? Research shines light on space's biggest question While there are still more questions than answers, the Dark Energy Survey will impact astrophysics for decades to come.

Dark energy remains one of the universe’s biggest mysteries. Jonathan Blazek, an assistant professor of physics, contributed to the Dark Energy Survey’s final results, offering new insight into how the universe expands and evolves. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/3OngnbS

#COSConnects #Astrophysics

Details - Barry L. Karger Medal in Analytical Chemistry 2026

Join us on March 12 for the 2026 Barry L. Karger Medal in Analytical Chemistry Celebration! Hear from peers and industry leaders about research in separation science, protein analysis, DNAs sequencing, and proteomics. 🧪

Register today: https://bit.ly/4qgWfWe

@barnettinstitute.bsky.social

He’s been knighted by Italy, and now has another feather in his cap Applying physics to the spread of disease has yielded important information about getting ahead of pandemics.

Congratulations to Professor Alessandro Vespignani, director of NU's Network Science Institute, on receiving the European Physical Society’s SNPD Award for his work on complex networks and disease spread. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4rXPU39

#COSConnects #Physics

Mass Spectrometry Facility awarded grant to advance single-cell proteomics research - Northeastern University College of Science Northeastern University’s Mass Spectrometry Facility has been awarded a $2.2 million research infrastructure grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to build a cutting-edge core suppo...

NU’s Mass Spectrometry Facility received a $2.2M grant to advance single-cell proteomics. Led by Drs. Virginie Sjoelund and Alexander Ivanov, the work will measure proteins at single-cell resolution. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/40gMAUR

#COSConnects #ChemicalBiology

Scientists break down the tape to predict players’ next moves The NetSI Sport research group uses network science to treat sports analytics like conversations. Its grammar can predict what's said next.

What if soccer worked like a language? Research led by Brennan Klein, an assistant teaching professor, uses network science to analyze player interactions and predict how games unfold, with insights beyond sports. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4axWx52

#COSConnects #NetworkScience #Physics

Rare earth element extraction can be doubled with this new technique Research identifies a method of extracting rare earth elements from coal tailings two to three times more efficiently than previous methods.

Rare earth elements power modern tech, but extracting them is challenging. Assistant Professor Damilola Daramola developed a new method to recover them from coal mining waste using a combined chemical and microwave approach.🧪
Read more: https://bit.ly/4s0iocA

#COSConnects #Chemistry

On March 12, join us for the Karger Medal Distinguished Lecture and learn about exciting research developments in chemical analysis.

View the program and register today: bit.ly/4qgWfWe
@barnettinstitute.bsky.social

Congratulations to the 2026 Karger Medal recipient Ron Hereen, PhD! Dr. Hereen’s work has transformed how we visualize and understand molecular patterns in health and disease, enabling insights from the molecular level to clinical applications in pathology and surgery. 🧪

Congratulations! Mary Jo Ondrechen @mjchemist.bsky.social, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, has received the prestigious AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award for her exceptional dedication to supporting underrepresented students in STEM fields. 🧪

#COSConnects
@aaas.org

Your body is full of medicine. Researchers can now synthesize it Northeastern researchers have created a synthetic cannabinoid with all the health benefits and none of the side effects.

Researchers at Northeastern developed the first synthetic endogenous cannabinoid, opening new paths for treating pain, inflammation, and cancer. Unlike THC or CBD, it mimics cannabinoids made naturally by the body. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4a5zT3H
#COSConnects #Chemistry

Join us to celebrate the Karger medal awardee Ron Heeren and spend an afternoon discussing advances in spatial mass spectrometry and molecular imaging. Register at eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/129124...

Don’t miss the 2026 Barry L. Karger Medal in Bioanalytical Chemistry Celebration on Mar 12! Hear the exciting research developments in chemical analysis and connect with @barnettinstitute.bsky.social members and alumni, peers, and industry leaders. 🧪

Learn more & register: https://bit.ly/4qgWfWe

Why we remain attached to the music of our youth Research argues that the social rewards when listening and experiencing music in our youth helps ‘encode’ it onto our memories.

Why does the music from your teen years stick forever?

Northeastern researchers say the “musical reminiscence bump” links music discovery in adolescence with social bonding, locking those songs into memory. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4ccUkye
#COSConnects #Psychology

How brain scan ‘caricatures’ could lead to better treatment outcomes New research removes task-based information from resting-state MRI scans, leading to more individual diagnoses and better predictions.

Could simpler brain imaging be more informative? Northeastern researchers Stephanie Noble and Raimundo Rodriguez found that refining fMRI analysis can better highlight individual differences and improve health related predictions. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4rsMDIO
#COSConnects #Psychology

Feel like your brain is a little sluggish? Try 10 minutes of exercise Research demonstrates that 10 minutes of exercise before class can benefit executive function, making problem solving and learning easier.

Exercise doesn’t just help the body, it helps the brain.
New research from Drs. Charles Hillman and Art Kramer show that a short bout of exercise before class can boost students’ focus and executive function. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4rwHmjy
#COSConnects #Psychology

Twelve Northeastern scholars make ‘Highly Cited Researchers’ list The faculty were included in this year’s “Highly Cited Researchers” list, scholars who rank among the top 1% of their field.

Congratulations to COS faculty named to Clarivate’s 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list, honoring scholars in the top 1% worldwide. “It is a point of pride,” said Beth A. Winkelstein, noting their impact on pressing challenges. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4rtFfNs
#COSConnects

How string theory helped solve a mystery of the brain’s architecture Using the same math deployed in string theory, network scientists have solved a standing mystery about the brain’s architecture.

Are neurons wired in the most efficient way? Researchers at the @netsciconf.bsky.social found that math used in string theory can help explain why neural connections branch and curve instead of taking straight paths. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4acpCD0
#COSConnects #Physics #NetworkScience

No red blood cells? No problem. Icefish, meet the Asian noodlefish Like Antarctic icefish, the warm-water fish called the Asian noodlefish’s veins are filled with translucent white blood cells.

This fish has no red blood cells or hemoglobin. The Asian noodlefish circulates translucent white blood, and Dr. H. William Detrich co-authored new research on how it survives without oxygen-carrying cells. 🧪

Read more: https://bit.ly/4qaOAcx
#COSConnects #MarineScience