Stars flicker faintly as the dark horizon reddens. Howling, freezing winds and desolate craters starkly contrast the lush tropical rainforests and coral gardens 10,000 feet below. As the blinding light finally emerges over a sea of swirling clouds, a bright reflection appears from the sparse, reddish slopes. It is a silver plant, radiating under the […]
Mirror of the sun: The Hawaiian silversword Read More »
At first glance, graphs are collections of nodes, or vertices, connected by lines, or edges. Although visually simplistic, they are surprisingly useful as tools, especially in machine learning. As Frank Harary, a founder of The Journal of Graph Theory, once wrote, “It has become fashionable to mention that there are applications of graph theory to
Connecting the dots: A look into applications of graph theory Read More »
Yolanda Quispe, a park ranger at the Quelccaya glacier in Peru, is greatly saddened at the dismal state of what was once the world’s largest tropical ice cap, she told The Guardian journalists who joined her in the park. Located at the heart of the Peruvian Andes, the climate crisis has had a direct impact
Life without the ice cap Read More »
For centuries, humanity has used windmills to convert wind energy into usable electricity. As the modern world faces an unprecedented climate crisis, scientists and engineers have endeavored to make windmills more efficient, and most windmills are now tall structures with massive spinning blades. Although this design structure allows for an abundance of sustainably produced energy,
Swords in the sky: The effect of windmills on winged species Read More »
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… The famed, infinite Fibonacci sequence forms its pattern using a “one step forward, two steps back” approach. It generates each subsequent nth term by adding the two preceding numbers. A mathematical concept rarely elicits excitement; however, Fibonacci’s sequence can help explain how nature creates order and
One step forward, two steps back: A glimpse into the Fibonacci sequence Read More »
A creature more ancient than dinosaurs by over 200 million years, the Atlantic horseshoe crab is an organism treasured by conservationists, biomedical researchers, and even Northeastern’s very own “Dang, I love fossils” club. With five pairs of claws and able to grow up to two feet long, the horseshoe crab is an incredibly useful animal
Baby-blue blood: Nature’s antidote Read More »
Picture this: You have gotten sick from COVID-19 before. So much so, your family is worried you will be hospitalized the next time you catch the virus. After consulting your doctor, you find out about a new drug recently approved by the FDA that can mitigate the severe effects of a COVID infection, allowing you
Opinion: The underutilization of Paxlovid Read More »
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 »
If you come home from concerts with disheveled hair, a leather jacket, and neck pain, chances are you are a headbanging metalhead. Whether you listen to Led Zeppelin or obscure Turkish death metal, headbanging is a form of musical appreciation common for artists and fans. Can rocking too hard cause brain injury? Crowds are connected
Can your brain handle the beat? Read More »