“I can quit whenever I want!”: How the e-cigarette industry retains customers for life

Health / /

Initially, electronic nicotine delivery systems were not marketed to target teenagers. However, their sleek design and soothing fruity flavors had a consequential appeal to youth. For example, the first highly popularized e-cigarette by JUUL gained traction in 2015. Shaped like a USB drive and mango flavored, JUUL and similar e-cigarette brands quickly became the cool […]

“I can quit whenever I want!”: How the e-cigarette industry retains customers for life Read More »

The promise of machine learning in predicting the outcome of cardiac surgery

Health / /

On Sept. 3, 2023, my grandpa suffered a minor acute heart attack. Left without many options, we turned to a form of cardiac surgery called an angioplasty. Despite the doctor’s initial confidence in the surgery, the heart attacks intensified, and my grandfather fought hard until the moment he passed away. After the surgery, the doctors

The promise of machine learning in predicting the outcome of cardiac surgery Read More »

Ruthless environmental dangers during infancy

Health / /

An average of over 120,000 babies with congenital complications are born a year. Congenital complications are believed to result from genetics, maternal choices during pregnancy, environmental factors, and other influences. One environmental factor, air pollution, is associated with low birth weight (a birth weight under 5.5 pounds) and being preterm (born prior to 37 weeks

Ruthless environmental dangers during infancy Read More »

Biological antifreeze: Wood frogs and organ cryopreservation

Biology, Health / /

On February 4, 2023, Boston hit the coldest temperature recorded since 1886 at minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. While most of us were snug in our blankets with a warm mug of tea in hand, others were not as lucky. Lithobates sylvaticus, commonly known as the wood frog, is a fascinating vertebrate model of freeze tolerance

Biological antifreeze: Wood frogs and organ cryopreservation Read More »

What would Micky Mouse do?: Mickey Mouse and the origins of devotion

Culture, World / /

Nobody lies awake at night contemplating the existence of Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse is the world’s most famous rodent. His conceptual existence is unquestionably true, and his physical existence is unquestionably false. He is, after all, fictional. Despite his widespread reach, it is generally assumed that no one lets the existence (or inexistence) of Mickey

What would Micky Mouse do?: Mickey Mouse and the origins of devotion Read More »

The mycelial cycle: Replenishing the world with fungi

Environment / /

Think mushrooms. Other than juicy, beefless patty substitutes sizzling on a grill, your first thoughts may have ventured to vivid, orange blooms sprouting out of rotting tree trunks. Fungi — even the term evokes vague revulsion or apprehension — are synonymous with rot and decay. They are harbingers of death, macabre forest floor scavengers who

The mycelial cycle: Replenishing the world with fungi Read More »

Napping — it’s more important than you think!

Health / /

Napping is a prominent part of today’s culture; many partake in after-school naps, midday naps, and power naps before an exam, among other types. People often label those who nap as lazy, but studies show that napping provides both academic and physical benefits. Napping should therefore be regarded as productive, rather than the opposite. Surrounding

Napping — it’s more important than you think! Read More »