Becoming a Lump With Knobs

Driving down any rural road around this time of year, you’re likely to see rows on rows of corn blowing in the wind. You might notice that they look like twins of each other, almost exactly the same height and precisely the same color.  That uniformity is also why corn lovers can walk into near

Getting SAFER with Space Waste

When the International Space Station (ISS) reaches the end of its lifespan in 2031, where will it go?  No options for major recycling exist in outer space, so when a spacecraft is decommissioned, there are only three “trash cans” available. The first is a so-called “graveyard orbit,” where spacecraft are blasted away from Earth into

The Dark Past of Yaupon Tea, and What Genetics Can Do To Brighten Its Future

Whether you drink coffee, tea, or both, it’s hard to deny that we live in a caffeine culture. In 2021 alone, Americans drank over 62 billion servings of tea, and over 60% of Americans drink coffee every day. With such high numbers, tea (and especially coffee) industries are straining to keep people’s daily kick on

Structuring the Next Generation of Vaccines

COVID-19. Flu. AIDS. Pathogens like these have had a profound impact on our lives, whether it’s prolonging quarantine or causing annual pandemics that kill thousands of people every year. In response, we’ve developed vaccines against them. Still, how do modern vaccines work? And what’s next in the pipeline? A history of vaccines Vaccines have been

Air conditioning units, Rose Street North Lane

Cooling just got cooler

As we head into Georgia’s hot and humid summers, you might find yourself chilling in an air-conditioned room, or reaching out to your fridge for a cold beverage. But have you ever thought about how these appliances might be heating up our planet?  Refrigeration is integral to our modern lives, affecting everything from household food

Ivermectin for COVID-19: silver bullet or snake oil?

At the height of the pandemic, when hospitals were packed with COVID-19 patients and people suffered feelings of isolation due to quarantine, many were desperate for a silver bullet to speed the return to normalcy. This sentiment, along with the rampant spread of misinformation online, fueled the promotion of “miracle cures” people claimed would stop

Navigating an ADHD diagnosis in graduate school

About two months ago after approaching a mental health professional for what I thought was persistent depression, I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had seen various mental health professionals in my life and ADHD never came up in our conversations. All I actually knew about ADHD is that ADHD stigma exists

Planet 9: Where no man has gone before, if it exists….

What do you mean “if Planet 9 exists?” We know it exists; Pluto is still within our solar system! Well yes, this is true. Though, as of 2006, Pluto was redefined as a dwarf planet instead of a planet, which is how we classify the Earth, Mars, and others within our solar system.   Speed Running

The damage of traditional lawns and what you can do to help

When I think about the suburban USA the main image that comes to mind is a bright, prim, proper, and trimmed yard with fresh turf and maybe a berm with a rose bush. However, in recent years, there has been a push to move away from these cookie-cutter landscapes and toward a more natural or

Biting the forbidden fruit

Book banning. Those two words never fail to stir up controversy, and have been especially active in the last few months. From critical race theory to evolution to gender studies to fiction, the topics that have been suggested become entirely erased from school education are wide and varied. It's understandable, though. We, as a whole,

Drifting through cosmic dust into April Lyrid Meteors

People say that April showers bring May flowers, but have you ever considered meteor showers? We are in the midst of the annual Lyrid meteor shower, and it is one of the oldest meteor showers ever observed with sightings dating back to 687 BC. In 2022, the shower is expected to peak on the night

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