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Hot or Cold? Why climate change affects disasters in different ways.
Hot or Cold? Why climate change affects disasters in different ways. By Chris Zhan Image: A Californian wildfire, taken on August 17, 2013, provided by the US Department of Agriculture. You are standing on a giant precipice. On the left is a windfall into wildfires and heatwaves, and on the right is a sheer drop…
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Lethal Mutagenesis
Lethal Mutagenesis By Pei ChenAmidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been living under the shadows of viruses. While viruses have small genomes, they can compromise our health, and with it, our sanity and society. The original strain of SARS-CoV-2 was destructive, and its countless variants are even more daunting. In the past two years, we…
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Do You Carry the Trauma of Your Ancestors?
Do you ever wonder how your parents, grandparents, or ancestors endured traumatic events? Your DNA might have the answers. Researchers have debated the possible biological underpinning of intergenerational trauma when answering the complex question, “Does trauma end at the initial victim?”
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Giant Rodents Provide Insight into Cancer Paradox
Giant Rodents Provide Insight into Cancer Paradox By Julia Wong Capybaras have recently taken the internet by storm. Not only are these giant guinea pig relatives undeniably cute, but they also have the personalities to match. Nicknamed the “coconut doggy” for its friendly disposition and coconut-like fur, the capybara gained traction across social media for…
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Bugs in Your Stomach
Bugs in Your Stomach By Leighton Pu Microbes—a constellation of bacteria, viruses, fungi— typically exist on the scale of micrometers. These tiny organisms are everywhere and constantly go undetected by the naked human eye.But despite their less-than-impressive size, microbes can have an incredibly profound impact on public health. Some of the most devastating diseases have been…
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Actinides: Radiation for Remission
Actinides: Radiation for Remission By Noah Bussell Take neptunium, plutonium, and actinium—these “things” may sound fake, or perhaps it seems that they belong alongside the jargon of a Madeleine L’Engle novel. However, these are actually a few of the rare and radioactive elements known as “actinides” (sometimes referred to as f-block elements because of their location…
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Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Boulder-Pushing
Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Boulder-Pushing By Leighton Pu One Greek myth tells the story of a man named Sisyphus, who was condemned to an eternal afterlife of boulder-pushing for escaping death twice. Regardless of his efforts, he has and never will get the boulder to the top of the mountain. Anyone trying to attain high self-esteem may…
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From a Plant to a Capsule
From a Plant to a Capsule By Eunice Tsang Ever wonder how pharmaceutical companies develop drugs? The drugs that we see in hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies usually come in capsules or pills, but did you know that many drugs originally derive from herbs and other ingredients found in nature? So, how do scientists turn a plant…
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Gearing up with Headgear: In Soccer, headgear may not be as useful as expected in protecting against concussions
Gearing up with Headgear: In Soccer, headgear may not be as useful as expected in protecting against concussions By Nanda Nayak Petr Čech is a household name to soccer fans around the world. Many consider him the greatest goalkeeper to have played for Chelsea, while others consider him the greatest goalkeeper in the history of…
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Bringing Light to the Coral Reef Crisis
Bringing Light to the Coral Reef Crisis By Veronica Paul What do you picture when you think of coral reefs? A myriad of colors, an ecosystem filled with vibrantly colored sea-creatures, or maybe even the Great Barrier Reef? These depictions we are so familiar with one day will only be stories future generations will hear.…
