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A data scientist at Northwestern University has built a platform that pulls betting data from prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, then runs statistical simulations to forecast election outcomes. The tool refreshes every 10 minutes and is currently being used to track projections for control of the U.S. Senate.
A Northwestern University marketing professor, Lan Nguyen Chaplin, writes in Nature about deciding to stop weighing student teaching evaluations after receiving harsh feedback calling her 'stingy' and 'arrogant.' She argues that prioritizing being liked by students can compromise academic rigor, and says she now focuses on challenging students rather than seeking their approval.
A Northwestern University team led by Gerald Gabrielse used a device called a single-positron quantum cyclotron to hold one positron—the antimatter counterpart of an electron—in a vacuum near absolute zero for several months. The extreme cooling let researchers precisely manipulate the particle's quantum states using electric and magnetic fields without destroying it, a result published in Physical Review Letters.
A Northwestern University team led by Gerald Gabrielse trapped an individual positron, the antimatter counterpart of the electron, for a full month. They generated it from decaying sodium-22 atoms, slowed it using a cold tungsten crystal, then confined it in a near-absolute-zero vacuum using combined electric and magnetic fields with no physical walls. The result was published in Physical Review Letters.
A Northwestern University team led by Gerald Gabrielse has trapped and cooled a single positron, the antimatter counterpart of the electron, to its lowest energy state using a one-positron quantum cyclotron. The setup, described in Physical Review Letters on October 21, is designed to measure the particle's magnetic properties with extreme precision, allowing comparison with equivalent electron measurements.
Researchers at Northwestern University created a synthetic melanin compound, called allomelanin, embedded with a zirconium-based cluster that can absorb and break down organophosphorus nerve agents. The material, detailed in a study in ACS Nano, is designed to be woven into fabrics such as protective clothing and gloves. It is described as renewable and biodegradable, and functions by trapping toxic chemicals in its porous structure while the zirconium component chemically destroys them.
Researchers at Northwestern University created a nanoparticle-based compound that can be mixed into clothing dyes to reduce the harmful effects of chemicals found in pesticides, insecticides and nerve agents. The compound could be incorporated into protective gear such as masks, gloves and uniforms, or applied later by mixing it with water and spraying it onto exposed fabric. The findings were published in the journal ACS Nano.
Northwestern University reproductive biologist Francesca Duncan studied ovarian tissue from postmenopausal women aged 50 to 75 and found the protein composition varied significantly across age groups, rather than staying static as assumed. The findings suggest the ovary continues undergoing biological changes for decades after fertility and hormone production have ended.
Northwestern University postdoc Reese Richardson discovered that images used by lab supply companies to demonstrate antibody performance had been digitally altered, including removed background noise and copy-pasted data meant to fabricate results. His broader search identified these manipulation issues across marketing materials for more than 17,000 commercially sold antibodies.