By Andreana Chou Passing by the mouth-watering scents from local restaurants after a long day can often evoke memories of comfort food at home. But are scents universally effective across different people and powerful enough to cause significant health changes?   While commonly regarded as a holistic health treatment, aromatherapy and its reported effects are…

By Andreana Chou The last thing you’d expect to have in common with the octopus is increased socialization after taking ecstasy. Ecstasy, scientifically known as 3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine, or MDMA for short, is a drug that alters our mood and perception. Although humans and octopi are separated by over 500 million years of evolution, they share a…

By Xandria Ortiz The Eel River is part of the third largest watershed in California. It is one of the major rivers in northwestern California, and is a major source for local industries, agriculture, and municipalities. The river is also a hotspot for outdoor recreation as many people enjoy camping and hiking around the river…

By Isabelle Chiu We can all trace our roots back to the first animal: the Dickinsonia. The discovery of the Dickinsonia fossil has puzzled scientists for decades because of its unusually large size compared to other organisms found in the Edicarian time period. However, a recent study from the Australian National University has confirmed that…

By Sharon Binoy Climate change has been a hot button topic in the political arena in recent years.  Despite its widely debated existence, its impacts in regions that already experience climate extremes are especially tangible. The harsh conditions in these areas are aggravated by climate change, dropping water availability to historic lows. Even regions in…

By Devina Sen Time: we never seem to get enough of it. Time to get groceries, to study before a midterm, or to binge-watch the latest Netflix original before the next season comes out. It even plays a vital role in our ability to learn language and master sight. But for some learners, time is…

By Ethan Ward Physics is an amazing science that can bring together ideas from seemingly distinct fields and turn them into a greater understanding of the workings of the universe. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a group of telescopes in Chile that allows astronomers to investigate cosmic phenomena that occur in the region…

By Mellisa Mulia ASD is a lifelong, developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior, where symptoms appear around age 2, affecting more males than females. Particularly, it inhibits social interactions with others, causing children to have a hard time interacting with others or expressing themselves. Here is where the mu opioid receptor (MOR) comes in.…

by Meera Aravinth Imagine working for years to prove that a problem can never be solved. A team of mathematicians did exactly that, proving the undecidability of the spectral gap. But what exactly does it mean for a problem to be unsolvable or undecidable? Mathematician Gödel proved in the 20th century that certain mathematical claims…

by Saira Somnay Mosquitos: not just pesky causers of bug bites, but also deadly agents of infection. Should scientists find a way to get rid of them, or would that cause more harm than good? Society may have to answer that question soon. A research team at the Imperial College in London has formulated a…