POSTECH uploaded a post on its website on July 26 titled Announcement of the invitation of professors from all areas of medical science. Accroding to the post, MD Ph.D.s, who study medical science including the drug discovery, stem cells, artificial organs, and neuroscience, will be invited.President Moo Hwan Kim said, “Since it may take time to establish a medical school and graduate school, we will first build the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering (working title) to prepare for a research base camp.” Once the recruitment of professors is completed by this year, the school wi

The research team led by Professor Won Jong Kim of the Department of Chemistry (CHEM) and Kim Tae-jeong (CHEM Ph.D. candidate) cooperated with OmniaMed Co., Ltd. to develop an injectable hybrid hydrogel platform that delivers therapeutic drugs to the sites of rheumatoid arthritis. The platform simultaneously removes nitric oxide (NO), the main cause of inflammation, through localized reactions without any side effects. This research was published in the inside back cover of the 34th issue Advanced Materials Volume 33.Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis produce excessive nitric o

It has been a month since the fourth pandemic wave began in Korea, and COVID-19 is spreading at a frightening pace, constantly renewing the highest daily number of confirmed cases. One main cause is the Delta variant, which was first detected in Korea on April 18. Its rate of transmission is 225 times faster than that of the original strain, and the Delta variant has already established itself as the dominant species in the U.S. and other countries. Even worse, the rate of prevention of the Delta variant after two doses of vaccinations developed by companies such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Mod

There is no new discovery in the recently published United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report; rather, it is the sheer certainty that reinforces the dire threat of the climate crisis. This 4,000-page report lays out piles of evidence obtained from both observed and simulated data that show the devastating trends of global temperature, precipitation, drought, etc. Unsurprisingly, the data points to anthropogenic factors as the main driving force. It is a “Code Red for humanity … the evidence is irrefutable … greenhouse gas emission and deforestation

With the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI has recently been utilized in smartphone cameras, providing functions such as auto-focusing, face recognition, and 100x zoom. It has also been applied to the research and development of new materials.A joint research team from POSTECH and the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has applied deep learning to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) system, which is an essential material analysis equipment, to detect and improve the quality of SEM images without human intervention. The findings were recently published in Acta Materialia

Avian influenza, which occurs in poultry such as chickens, ducks, and migratory birds, is also reported to be infectious to humans. The influenza is difficult to control because it is spread by migratory birds that travel all over the world. To make situations worse, culling the birds not only costs a fortune but also causes serious environmental pollution. To solve these problems, a Korean research team recently developed a recombinant protein vaccine that uses plants to induce a strong immune response to influenza viruses without an immune enhancer.Professor Hwang Inhwan of the Department of

The 47th G7 summit was held between June 11 and 13 at Cornwall of the U.K.. The G7 is an organization of seven of the world’s most advanced economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.) and the E.U. that usually meet annually. Though the G7 cannot pass laws, it can make promises and decisions that have effects worldwide. South Korea was invited along with India, Australia, and South Africa, showing our nation’s heightened global status.The main topics of discussion were COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, responses to China’s rise, and tax havens among many others. T

On Dec. 2, 2020, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs removed hemp from its drug list as not all substances are necessarily harmful. While tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp causes hallucination, cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp does not; CBD is rather classified as a health functional food and is used to treat epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease in some countries.Korea also reorganized regulations on hemp. The original law (Narcotics Control Act) prohibited the production, sale, and smoking of hemp. But in Nov. 2018, revisions on the Narcotics Control Act passed the Nat

The research team of Professor Junsuk Rho (ME and CE) and Dr. Gwanho Yoon (currently Assistant Professor in Manufacturing Systems and Design Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology) developed and freely distributed the software, “MAXIM”. MAXIM is an open-source electromagnetic wave simulation software optimized for designing metamaterials with intuitive graphical user interfaces. The research along with the software package was published online in Computer Physics Communications, a global journal in computational physics.Metamaterials are new materials made of artifi

Water must be decomposed into oxygen and hydrogen gas to obtain hydrogen energy. This water decomposition reaction proceeds differently depending on the movement of bubbles in water. The research team lead by Professor Yong Kijung (CE) and Han Kiduk (CE Ph.D. Integrated Candidate, advisor Prof. Yong Kijung) has developed a technology on surface materials that freely controls the movement of bubbles in water decomposition to produce hydrogen energy. The new technology can adjust the movement of bubbles both horizontally and vertically, and overcome the limited movement of bubbles that was restr

A famous IT YouTuber, ITSub, raised the issue of the slowing down of high-speed internet in his video on April 17. In his video, he claimed, “I subscribed to KT’s 10Gbps internet plan, and when I measured the speed, the actual speed was 100Mbps.” He found out the internet speed was limited to 100Mbps when he checked the modem and the router. ITSub claimed that it was not the first time he faced a speed problem with KT’s 10Gbps internet service. ITSub dialed customer service to protest and requested that the issue not be repeated. However, he received an answer that customers should check and p

On April 25, Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean to win an acting award at the 93rd Academy Awards (Oscars). Youn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the feisty grandmother in the film Minari. Not only Korean society, but also the entire Asian community was thrilled at the news since more than six decades have passed since an Asian had won the award in this category. Before winning the Oscars, Youn Yuh-jung had been acclaimed by critics at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), as well as the SAG (Screen Actors Guild).Minari is a

A research team led by Professor Seung-Woo Lee (LIFE), Sookjin Moon (LIFE Ph.D. Candidate), and Prof. Yunji Park (LIFE) revealed the mechanism by which intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) regulate the differentiation of T cells (intraepithelial lymphocytes, IELs). The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), an authoritative journal on immunology.IELs work at the forefront of the human body, regulating immune responses by interacting with symbiotic bacteria. Therefore, the appropriate differentiation of IELs plays a vital role in the regulation of intestinal immune hom

From small gadgets to electric vehicles, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become an essential source of energy. Recently, Tesla, the leading electric automaker in the U.S., stressed the necessity of establishing an innovative production system and reducing battery costs. Battery costs account for a huge portion of electric vehicles’ prices, and thus a reduction of the expenses is crucial in order to universalize them.Professor Soojin Park (CHEM) and Son Hye-bin (CHEM Ph.D. Candidate) teamed up with Professor Seungmin Yoo of Ulsan College to develop a multifunctional separator that enabl

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, was found guilty of providing 8.6 billion KRW in company money to Park Geun-hye, former president of Korea, and her confidante Choi Seo-won (formerly known as Choi Soon-sil) in exchange for his smooth succession as the head of Samsung. In 2017, Lee was initially sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. However, after serving 353 days in prison, his sentence was reduced to two and a half years with four years of probation at an appeals court in February 2018. In August 2019, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to the Seoul High Court for re

On Jan. 17, Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) for multiple violations of probationary duty. On Aug. 20, 2020, Navalny was attacked on a plane from Tomsk to Moscow with Novichok, a nerve agent. Navalny survived and recovered in Berlin’s Charité Hospital in Germany. After recovery, he made his way back to Russia on Jan. 17. He was arrested at the airport shortly after returning to Russia.The major trigger of his probation dates back to 2014. On Dec. 30, 2014, Navalny was indict

Laboratory-grown stem cells implemented on tissues such as human organs are called organoids. These are also known as “miniature organs”. Due to their capability of reproducing the structure and function of human organs, organoids are considered as the next-generation technology for developing artificial organs and novel drugs. A research team led by Professor Shin Kunyoo (LIFE) recently developed “assembloid”, a new concept of mini-organs that can perfectly create human tissue including every cell within. The research was published in Nature on Dec. 16, 2020. Assembloid is an innovative techn

In many industries, including the automobile industry, catalysts are crucial for increasing product yield and protecting the environment. In particular, catalysts in car emission control systems are repeatedly exposed to temperature extremes. If the catalyst is unstable under such temperature changes, the catalyst is impractical for use in industrial processes. Therefore, industrial demands for catalysts that are both highly active and stable in temperature changes are high. Recently, a research team of Professor Han Jeong Woo of the Department of Chemical Engineering (CE), Kim Hyung Jun (CE P

Starting from 2020, workplaces with 50 to less than 300 employees were subject to the 52-hour workweek system. However, as the government permitted a grace period of one year, the system is to be implemented without delay starting this month. The 52-hour workweek system is mandatory for all businesses with 50 to less than 300 employees from January and less than 50 employees from July. The 52-hour workweek system limits the working hours per week to 52 hours and has been devised to improve working environments.The result of a survey of 1,300 sites in Nov. 2019 showed that 57.7% of companies co

Ever since a breeding duck farm located in Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do was diagnosed with highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI) on Nov. 26, 2020, 29 farms in Korea have tested positive for the flu. Highly pathogenic AI is known to be highly contagious, causing severe illness in birds. As the government’s policy requires all poultry farms within three kilometers radius of the infected location to kill their livestock, 180 farms have culled 9.43 million chickens and ducks during the last month. The situation resembles the crisis of 2016-2017, when 383 cases of AI were confirmed, inevitably leadin