In February 2015, the internet was afire with debate about a dress. #TheDress, as it became known, was a picture of a dress that people either saw as black and blue or gold and white. A matter of chromatic perspective, and certainly a problem with no right answer, #TheDress was the subject of heated debate […]
A brief history of memes: The forgotten past of an internet phenomenon Read More »
To most, irrational numbers seem — well — irrational. We may be familiar with pi (π), Euler’s Number (e), and the square root of two, but a lesser known irrational number may hold many secrets to the universe: the Golden Ratio. From the Pyramids of Giza to the Mona Lisa to vegetables, this number can
The Golden Ratio: Myth or magic of mathematics? Read More »
Content Warning: This article discusses but condemns racism, ableism, and eugenics. Before seeing a single patient, every doctor learns the ultimate maxim of healthcare: primum non nocere — first, do no harm. The principle of nonmaleficence is essential to medicine, and this ethical tenet grants the field a strong level of trust among the public.
Scientific research’s unsavory past Read More »
If Americans learned anything from the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, regardless of party affiliation, it was that polls cannot be trusted. Pollsters wildly missed the mark in 2016, with the New York Times giving Clinton an 85 percent chance of winning, FiveThirtyEight predicting a 71.4 percent likelihood, and Reuters gambling
Statistical slip ups: The problems with political polling Read More »
When it comes to our memories, the expression “hindsight is 20/20” isn’t exactly accurate. We’ve all experienced a time when we remembered something wrong, even if we haven’t realized it. In reality, there is a scientific reasoning behind misremembering events. Furthermore, the misinformation effect also acts at a group level, playing an important role in
Alternate realities or malleable memories? Read More »
Arabian horses are often considered the most beautiful horse in the world, distinguished by their dish-shaped face, large eyes, and high tail. They originated in the Middle East over 2,000 years ago, and they are capable of enduring heat and traveling long distances. Whether by accident or by strategic breeding, many European horses contain traces
Genes across continents: Investigating genetic diversity in Arabian horses Read More »
The plight of 2020 has shaken our lives as we knew them, and understanding and adapting to our current situation is certainly no easy task. The burden of figuring out the rest of your life as a young adult was seemingly not hard enough on its own. Searching for guidance myself, I turned to my
NEU’s declassified school survival guide Read More »
For centuries, alchemists, ancient forerunners of chemists, set out to transmute one element into another. This prospect attracted people of a variety of different professions from miners to natural philosophers to goldsmiths. Even physicians of ancient times grew interested in alchemy, as many saw the biochemical reactions within the human body as transmutational processes. Today,
The search for the Midas touch Read More »
Running into a friend looks very different during the COVID-19 pandemic: both parties pause and take extra moments to scan for familiar cues on their mask-wearing counterpart. When trying to recognize masked neighbors or peers, people must rely more on clothes, hair, mannerisms, and other elements to identify the person in front of them. The
Facial blindness and mask wearing: A look into prosopagnosia Read More »