Astrology has long been a topic of interest in society, dating back to the Babylonians and the Greeks. More recently, Millennials and Gen Z have led a resurgence in its popularity. We continue to be enthralled by the idea that some otherworldly source knows everything about us simply from our date of birth. But are […]
Written in our genes Read More »
Nature’s intricacies often reveal themselves in unsettling ways, and the cuckoo bird is a striking example. For hundreds of years, bird enthusiasts have been intrigued by the sight of a little reed warbler mother feeding a young cuckoo bird, a species that will grow to five times her own body mass. In fact, Aristotle recorded
How cuckoo are cuckoo birds? Read More »
You have just gotten back from a long day of work to eat dinner. You pick up your fork, take a generous scoop of food, and are instantly disappointed. Where is the flavor? Where is the satisfying reward of a savory meal? Luckily, the saltshaker on your table is an easy fix. However, this common
What Do You Mean Electric Chopsticks?! Read More »
The earliest example of physical writing is widely considered to be Cuneiform, a system of wedge-shaped inscriptions dating back to 3000 BCE. Attributed to the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia, the informal system was utilized namely for communication and maintaining transactional records. Although this physical remnant of Sumer offers invaluable insight into ancient civilization, most anthropologists
Opinion: The cultural significance of handwriting is too great to lose to keyboards Read More »
Let’s face it, hair care is not an easy task. Personally, it takes me around four to five minutes of brushing my hair to get it looking presentable, and even then, the outside world could easily not cooperate and mess up my look. However for some people, no matter how hard they try, their hair
When your hair just won’t go flat Read More »
In the year and a half since the Russia-Ukraine War began, there have been an estimated 500,000 casualties between the two sides. Ukraine has also experienced infrastructural damage totaling hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet these aren’t the only significant and tragic losses the region has suffered — the conflict has had a grave and
Redlining, a historical practice of discrimination, has had lasting effects on racial inequities that remain persistent today. However, recent analysis of ecological diversity has revealed that the effects of redlining reach far beyond impacting humans. Specifically, bird diversity and population experienced a marked decline in areas subject to redlining. This means that though one street
Redlining’s reach: Disparities in bird data Read More »
The ocean surrounding the Windmill Islands of East Antarctica is polluted, and an ecological research station is to blame. The pollution jeopardizes some of the most unique ecosystems on the planet — and scientists’ ability to study them. It’s a stark warning to the other hundred research stations at the South Pole, and now, the
In the state of Massachusetts, it is punishable by imprisonment to frighten a pigeon. This law may seem surprising to most modern-day Bay Staters, many of whom abhor the seemingly infinite number of so-called “rats with wings” multiplying across their urban areas, but to people from the not-so-distant past, this law is a way to
Venerated to vermin: A brief history of pigeons Read More »