For most of our lives, it has been engrained in us that illnesses are primarily caused by unhygienic environmental factors. However, in the case of leukemia, recent studies have shown that it may very well be the opposite. With an annual incidence in the United States of approximately 3,800 children per year, leukemia is the […]
The paradox of leukemia and cleanliness Read More »
Tea bags, coffee cups, clothing, soda cans, and gum are only a select few items that surprisingly all contain some form of plastic. The more obvious plastic water bottles, bags, electronics, and containers further display how humans live in a plastic-filled world. Although innovation and standard of living have greatly improved since its invention, plastic
A world without plastic? The pros and cons of plastic Read More »
In 2014, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading voice on the matter, released its latest assessment report, delivering stunning predictions of the potential consequences of human-driven climate change in the 21st century. At the same time that the U.N. panel in Geneva prepared the report for release, an international team
While cities cover only 2 percent of the Earth’s land area, they house upwards of 55 percent of the world’s population and account for a whopping 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that nearly 70 percent of the population will live in cities by 2050 and bring with them a hefty carbon
Building a greener future starts with the buildings themselves Read More »
For most people, fire is synonymous with destruction and death. After the recent apocalyptic-looking orange skies in northern California made national news, this association has only been strengthened. Because of California’s rampant wildfires, thousands of people and countless animals have been displaced, more than a thousand homes have been destroyed, and five people have tragically
Fire is a blessing and a curse (and a result of climate change) Read More »
In the blockbuster hit “Jurassic Park,” fan-favorite Jeff Goldblum stars as the eccentric Ian Malcolm. As a critic of the magnificent park, Malcolm often claims that nature is best in its most primal form, untouched, as even small artificial changes can have dire consequences. This notion is known as the butterfly effect, a small piece
A method to madness: The mathematical basis for the butterfly effect Read More »
We intuitively know that the ocean is constantly moving: the tides ebb and flow, waves swell and crash, plane wreckage moves mysteriously across latitudes to be beached on the other side of the world. But what makes the ocean move? The steady heartbeat of the ocean is its global-scale currents. Ocean circulation is the global-scale
The heartbeat of the ocean is slowing Read More »
As fall descends on the Northern Hemisphere, bears and chipmunks begin to hoard food and build fat stores in preparation for winter. Hibernation occurs in hundreds of known species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and even one species of bird — the common poorwill. While animals hibernate, their metabolism slows dramatically: they become hypothermic, their heart
Low-resource survival: How hibernating animals conserve energy Read More »
Dolphins are generally regarded as one of the most intelligent species of mammals, even demonstrating the ability to learn and follow verbal cues and gestures from human trainers while in captivity. In the wild, dolphins use sound signals to navigate, hunt, and communicate with other creatures, including individuals of their own species and of other
Whistles underwater: How humans are changing dolphin communication Read More »