Cult of personality quizzes

Hi, my name's Katie and I'm addicted to personality quizzes. Nothing would make me happier than to know what kind of pizza I am, or which Hogwarts House I belong in. Bring me your quizzes, I will take them all. And most of the time, I will take that quiz, read the result, go “well

There’s a Fungus Among Us! And Not in a Good Way…

For years a microscopic killer has been sweeping through amphibian populations, taking them down one species at a time. Scientists have been at a loss for how this bite-sized butcher has unleashed a plague of biblical proportions across many ecosystems.  Is there any hope for our four-legged friends?  Or will they simply croak? While some

The Price of Life: The Rising Cost of Epipens

It was a typical Christmas for mom Colleen and her family. Everybody was sitting around the living room and enjoying the day. All of a sudden, Colleen's young son Ciaran started to wheeze. Knowing that Ciaran had a severe nut allergy, Colleen scooped him up and hurried to the kitchen. She grabbed an EpiPen and

The More You Know: Presidential Candidates’ Answers to Science Policy Questions

by Natalie Eldredge The White House, Washington, D.C. by Diego Cambiaso Here's why you should be paying attention to the latest presidential campaign news: whether you hate or love politics, the outcomes of our elections have very real impacts on all of our lives. To catch up on the most recent comments by both candidates,

It’s good to be different

Evolution runs on the principle of “survival of the fittest”- individuals that are better suited to their environment will be able to survive and reproduce more successfully. Following this logic, one would think that only the ‘good' (advantageous) genes are passed on through generations, and the ‘bad' (disadvantageous) genes are eventually eradicated. Thus, it is

Is it alive? A peek at the bending and waving robotic stingray

“Imagine a world where butterflies run on batteries.” This is a quote from Terminator 2, when Skynet is just beginning to take over the world. Although it is unlikely that the world will end in complete robotic destruction anytime soon, a new innovation may be putting us one step closer to battery-ran butterflies: a live

The Fungal Connection – They come in peace to all plantkind

The Lorax isn't the only one who speaks for the trees. In the shadow of virtually all earthly plants, an unlikely organism has woven its way into inter-species harmony, and in the process constructed a vast community more cooperative than some human societies. This microscopic diplomat is none other than the humble fungus. Contrary to

Shake a Leg! Or a Branch…The Movement of Trees Under Climate Change

Florida torreya's (Torreya taxifolia) current habitats are threatened by climate change. The Torreya Guardians, a self-organized group of scientists and informed citizens, took it upon themselves in 2008 to move this tree species to new, suitable habitats north of its native range. This was the first assisted migration of an endangered species in the United

The World's Largest Lake is at Stake

Why is the world's largest body of freshwater (by volume), Lake Baikal, currently in danger and why does it matter so much? It is known for its unmatched biodiversity and happens to hold 20% of the world's freshwater. This impressive combination certainly makes it worthy of global attention. To better understand what's at stake, let's

More Than Just a Pretty Song

Birds the world over greet the morning with their songs. Some are hauntingly melodic, like that of the hermit thrush. Others sound liquid and alien, like brown headed cow-birds, who as brood parasites are raised in the nests of other birds. Whether bird songs lighten your spirits or simply wake you from peaceful slumber (blue

Sorry, Peter Parker: Why Radiation Isn't as Cool as You Thought

In the sci-fi world, radiation is synonymous with super powers. Peter Parker became Spider Man thanks to an overzealous radioactive spider, and when a group of scientists were bombarded by radiation in space, they became the Fantastic Four. In the real world, however, radiation is viewed a bit differently. If radiation means “super powers” in

The Beauty Behind Ugly Food

We live in a society that is obsessed with perfection. We expect perfection in our own bodies, faces, jobs and even in our food. We are all guilty of it. Imagine you are in the grocery store faced with the choice of organic or regular apples. Upon closer inspection you find the organic apples are

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