Science & Pop. Culture

Major Red Tide Hits Florida Beaches

Red Tide: Swimming not recommended. Shellfish harvest closed. Signs, such as in the associated picture, can be seen at many of Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches due to a red tide. An excess of toxic microscopic algae in the water is causing a hazard to wildlife, human health, and local businesses. While the current bloom of

Bioterrorism & Chemical Weapons: Part 1

Smallpox blankets given to Native Americans. Gas chambers in concentration camps. Chemical weapons in the Syrian War. Russian spies poisoned by a nerve agent. What do these have in common? Each weaponizes chemical or biological agents. With today's strained political and foreign affairs climate, there is an ever-looming possibility of war and the use of

Double Take of Ban the Bottle: FOR

This piece is part of a “Double Take”, where two parties argue on either side of a premise. A writer does not necessarily share the view they are arguing; instead, this is an exercise to fully flesh out a discussion.  The premise: “Single-serve, plastic water bottles should be banned in the United States.” I am

Double Take of Ban the Bottle: AGAINST

This piece is part of a “Double Take”, where two parties argue on either side of a premise. A writer does not necessarily share the view they are arguing; instead, this is an exercise to fully flesh out a discussion.  The premise: “Single-serve, plastic water bottles should be banned in the United States.” I am

Insect Riddles

Any true Athenian knows that summer means sweat, more sweat and (best of all) insects! Though summers filled with no-see-ums, mosquitoes, gnats and flies may cause you to despair of their class altogether, don't forget all the fascinating, beautiful and seemingly magical insects that make our existence possible. Whether you're an entomologist or not you

NSF Says #Metoo

Title IX of the Education Amendments was signed into law in 1972, but only recently has begun to achieve its intended purpose: to ensure justice for sexual harassment and assault victims in academia. For decades, institutions have been able to protect their reputation through twisting the use of Title IX to play their own detective,

Barley & Me

Malted grain or more commonly, malt, is one of four ingredients (water, malt, hops, yeast) used in the production of every beer ever produced. I have said that water is arguably the most important ingredient in beer production because of the nuanced flavors it provides. However, malt is the backbone and it bestows the foundational

How Water Shaped the World… of Beer

Walk into nearly any bottle shop and there is a plethora of different beer styles to choose from. It can truly be a daunting task to make a choice between them. Most people just give up on trying something new and stick to what they know; pale ales, IPAs, and the occasional stout or porter.

Egg Freezing: Are Silicon Valley Companies Entering the Ice Age?

In 2014, Facebook was the first tech company to announce it would pay for egg freezing—both for female staff and the spouses of its employees. Soon after, Apple and Google started offering egg freezing as a benefit too. We all know that a gender gap exists in the workplace; and STEM industries, especially tech companies,

Modern Day Eugenics

Throughout all of my training as a geneticist, I've never been taught about the original Eugenics Movement. What is Eugenics and why does it sound so familiar? The definition that I've found that best describes Eugenics is by Edward Larson in his book, Sex, Race, and Science:  â€œEugenics is that science which studies the inborn

The Science of Fashion

This Valentine's day, whether you're settled with a significant other, swiping on dating apps, or single in sweatpants, you're probably going to post about it on social media. If you plan on posing with your boyfriend, best friends, or box of chocolates you'll need a perfectly Instagram-able outfit. On a graduate student budget, fast-fashion retailers like H&M, Forever21, and Topshop are the go-to for recreating the looks of fashion accounts at a low price. However, it turns out that the small price tag on cheaply made garments comes with a huge environmental cost.

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