http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39101 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45424 Cosmos incognito : Vera Rubin shines light on dark matter Yeager, Ashley This thesis, a profile of astronomer Vera Rubin, highlights her scientific achievements, most notably the irrefutable evidence she gathered to persuade the astronomical community that galaxies spin at a faster speed than Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation allows. As a result of this finding, astronomers conceded that the universe must be filled with more material than they can see. Scientists call this mysterious substance dark matter. This submission explains the scientific history of dark matter, its acceptance, and the current research being done to test its existence. It also mentions counter theories to the dark matter hypothesis and looks at Vera Rubin's current work and how this research will help astronomers better understand the construction of the cosmos and its evolution. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-43). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45364 Proof positive : finding the cause of AIDS Rulison, Megan R. (Megan Rebecca) In 2008, it will have been 25 years since HIV was first isolated from a patient with AIDS. In the early 1980s, when the mysterious disease of the immune system spread across the globe, scientists began a race to find the cause. Through the voices of the men and women involved, this thesis tracks the discovery of HIV from the early outbreak of a deadly epidemic to the design of therapies for a fully-defined disease. When the AIDS outbreak began, doctors and scientists had no idea what was making people sick, and the race to find a cause was a difficult and haphazard process. But it was also a successful one; scientists discovered a definite cause for the disease-the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. However, today there still remain AIDS denialists, people who do not believe HIV is the cause of AIDS. Their beliefs pose the question, why should we trust in science? This version of the history of HIV seeks to answer that question through a particular emphasis on achieving certainty in science, how the steps of the scientific process led to certainty that HIV is the cause of AIDS, through both experimental research and community acceptance. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-48). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45363 The grass is half-full : new biofuels from field to wheel Moseman, Andrew (Andrew Garet) The current biofuels market in the United States is dominated by ethanol made from corn. But corn ethanol has limitations that will prevent it from displacing a large amount of fossil fuel use in the U.S. To achieve that goal, biofuels will need to come from different sources. Cellulose, one of the main candidates, looks like it could provide a much higher volume of ethanol. The Department of Energy has sponsored new research centers to investigate cellulosic ethanol and improve the technology necessary to produce it. Even so, questions remain about the true potential of biofuels in the future alternative energy market. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [38]-[41]). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45342 Singing the Brain Electric Chua, Grace (Grace W. J.) Singing the Brain Electric Brain pacemakers, scientists have found, can treat depression by correcting neural circuitry gone haywire. This thesis examines how such technology - a technique known as deep-brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted within the brain - was developed and how it works. We are introduced to a patient who received deep-brain stimulation for her refractory depression, and consider the risks, ethical issues, and questions of humanity and identity the technology raises. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. [36]-[38]).