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Celebrating Science

April 22, 2017

"Here in LA and across the country we gather in support of science. We march to defend an approach, a mode of inquiry based on data, evidence and reason, that has illuminated the natural world and transformed society. We are here for our nation and for our children's future. We are brought together from across the disciplines by shared values, whether we spend our time in a laboratory, over a computer, in the archives, or in a studio. We value openness and collaboration, scientific rigor, and the testing of ideas in the search for truth. The fall of our footsteps will echo over the coming days, but we as the Caltech community must continue the march for science by our daily actions year after year."

Thomas F. Rosenbaum
Caltech President
Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics

Evidence of a Ninth Planet

Last year, Caltech researchers announced that they had found evidence of a giant planet in the outer solar system. Nicknamed Planet Nine, the object has a mass about 10 times that of Earth. Later studies showed that Planet Nine appears to be responsible for the unusual tilt of the sun.

Linking Intestinal Bacteria and Parkinson's Disease

Caltech scientists have discovered for the first time a functional link between bacteria in the intestines and Parkinson's disease. They found that changes in the composition of gut bacterial populations—or possibly gut bacteria themselves—actively contribute to and may even cause the deterioration of motor skills that is the hallmark of this disease.

Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction

On February 11, 2016, scientists announced that they had, for the first time, observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, which confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and opened an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.

New Materials Could Turn Water into the Fuel of the Future

In just two years, researchers have nearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels by developing a process that could speed the discovery of commercially viable solar fuels to replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.

Engineers Build Robot Drone That Mimics Bat Flight

The key flight mechanisms of bats have been recreated with unprecedented fidelity in the Bat Bot—a self-contained robotic bat with soft, articulated wings. The robot design may lead to safer and more efficient flying robots.

Bringing Silicon to Life

A Caltech study has shown for the first time that living organisms can be persuaded to make silicon-carbon bonds—something only chemists had done before. Scientists used a process called directed evolution to "breed" a bacterial protein with the ability to make the man-made bonds.