SCIENCE
What’s the deal with the Northern Star?
Freaky freaky Cepheid variables In act III, scene I of Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Caesar says, “I am constant as the northern star.” Well, Caesar is wrong: it turns out that the northern star isn’t as constant as he thinks it is. It belongs to the family of Cepheid variables—the ...
What’s the deal with anti-vaxxers?
Exploring the impact of vaccines on mortality and life expectancy while debunking the ‘anti-vax’ narrative Vaccines have long been at the forefront of medical innovations, preventing death and diseases worldwide. They have eradicated smallpox, which killed an estimated 300 million people in the twentieth century, and reduced the global cases ...
What’s the deal with research funding cuts in the United States?
The true gravity of Trump’s war on science Once a world leader when it came to scientific research, the United States has taken a hard turn on its stance regarding science, as the Trump Administration has implemented significant research funding cuts. Over the past six months, the United States has ...
Resisting AI
Flaws and definitions Chat, what is AI? ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the field of computer science focused on creating systems or machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include learning from experience, understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, and making decisions’ (“Define artificial intelligence”). Similarly, ...
The metabolic mutiny
PCOS & the body’s silent protest to weight loss What is the first thought that comes to mind when you see an overweight woman? That she is indolent? Lacks the willpower to exercise? Isn’t disciplined enough to stick to a diet? Or that there may be an underlying medical issue? ...
Wings of rebellion
It’s more than just a phase “Stop controlling everything I do.” Sound familiar? That’s because no matter who we are, we have all been on the giving or receiving end of such teenage temper tantrums. Children, once predictable and compliant, are now teenagers who are impulsive and argue all the ...
Will the Paris Agreement hold?
The future of climate action—commitment or collapse? On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump’s first day back in office, one of his many executive orders was titled ‘Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,’ wherein he removed the United States of America from the Paris Agreement—just as he did at the ...
The fall of the aves
What you should know about the avian flu I remember growing up during the avian flu scare. Paranoid of the avian influenza LPAI H7N9 resurfacing around Asia in 2013, my mother stopped buying poultry altogether. She stopped hanging clothes out to dry, fearing that infected birds may excrete on them. ...
Love in the lab
Four couples who show us that we don’t need to be alone in the lab on Valentine’s Day It’s hard to imagine falling in love while working in the lab. Bright fluorescent lights, eyes strained from the microscope, and that one vent that always makes a weird noise—personally, it doesn’t ...
The year of hydrotherapy
How throwing yourself into an ice bath may be a good thing this flu season The internet is no stranger to trends—particularly those related to health. Recently, my Instagram has been flooded with videos of people entering cold plunges after warm baths. Trying a sauna and cold plunge cycle myself ...