New Hopes for a Cancer Diagnosis

“You have cancer.” The dreaded three words that no patient wants to hear when they go into the clinic. A cancer diagnosis can be devastating on an emotional and psychological level, and most importantly, it prematurely reminds us of our mortality. According to 2017 Cancer Statistics, over 1.7 million Americans will be diagnosed with some

Hidden World: How Perception Influences Science

If you use social media, then you probably remember the uproar surrounding the optical illusion known as “The Dress.” Some people saw blue and black, others, white and gold. The vehement arguments over the color of the dress are a perfect example of how our perception can influence what we think of as reality. Unfortunately,

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

Thinking About How We Think

Intelligence — we've all heard this word, but what exactly does it mean? Intelligence can be broadly defined as the ability to learn, reason, and problem solve. While many will point to environmental factors having a major influence (and they do), there is a genetic and hereditary component to intelligence as well. As a considerable

Ready, Set, Grow! Confessions of a pre-med student performing undergraduate research

As a campus tour guide, I get to interact with high schoolers considering spending four years (and lots of money) at the University of Georgia. When I ask if any prospective students are  interested in conducting undergraduate science research, more often than not, I'm met with confused looks rather than eagerly raised hands. Four years

When water becomes dangerous: pollution in the Smokies and beyond

During the summer, I love to visit the Smoky Mountains to enjoy the fresh mountain air and to get away from the pressures of life. However, on a recent trip, I ran into a surprising fact on a small placard: the Smokies have the highest deposits of sulfur and nitrogen of any monitored national park.

The Mythical “Math Person”

Every time I hear the phrase, “I'm not a math person,” I imagine that deep in the heart of college campuses and libraries across the world, there dwells a mysterious creature who spends their days scribbling complex calculations on napkins (or windows). The math person is closely related to the equally-elusive science person, known for

Cosmic Proportions

Everyone you've ever loved (or hated), everything you've ever held dear, every experience you've ever had – all of these have been confined to one tiny rock orbiting a giant ball of gas at 67,000 mph. From a distance, that tiny rock – Earth – is just a pale blue dot – or in the

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.

Man's best friend is a hospital superbug's worst enemy

Dogs can do amazing things from sniffing out bombs to hunting rabbits. But Angus, a 3-year-old English springer spaniel, is a detection dog like no other. In 2016, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in Canada introduced this four-legged bacteria fighter to help detect Clostridium difficile (C. diff) in their hospitals. According to the Centers for Disease

Microplastics: A Macro Problem for Our Oceans

Ever wonder where those little plastic beads in your face wash end up? Or what happens to all the plastic bottles that don't wash up on your local beach? Well, they may end up in one of the five oceanic garbage gyres, or they may just wander about in the water column or on the

The Language of Music

What is it with humans and music? We sing our babies to sleep and compose endless cascades of love songs. We get melodies involuntarily wedged in our heads. We spontaneously break into song in the shower, hum while cooking, sing in the rain, and whistle in the dark. Yet despite our collective obsession with music,

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