World

Riches to rags: How the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment reimagined neurotherapeutics

Culture, Health, World / /

The accumulation of years, cognitive and physical decline, and reckoning with death’s inevitability drew the spoon-fed prince Siddhartha Gautama away from a life of copious riches and political popularity. While embarking outside his palace, the sight of a humble ascetic inspired a quest to understand the universal experience of suffering, or in other words, life. […]

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Cracking the code behind TikTok’s ‘For You’ algorithm

Technology, World / /

Taylor Swift. Northeastern memes. That concert you went to last weekend. Endless scrolling through countless short videos until you zone back into reality. This is a typical experience on TikTok’s “For You” page. Somehow, the mysterious TikTok algorithm never fails to yield an entertaining assortment of content, stealing hundreds of precious active hours with its

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Our brains on psychedelics: Getting creative in the treatment of mental illnesses

Health, Psychology, World / /

Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s. He had struggled with alcoholism since his early twenties and depression even longer. But while AA helped Wilson recover from alcoholism, he remained frustrated with available mental health treatments. So, in the ‘50s, he began collaborating with psychologist Betty Eisner and discovered the power of LSD. In

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Journeying through healthcare inequality in South Africa

Health, World / /

Walk through an average South African hospital, and you’ll see crowded waiting rooms full of unstable patients. Meet the diverse patients hailing from the largest cities and the smallest villages. Admire the nurses who work tirelessly to provide care despite staffing shortages and crumbling hospital infrastructure.  Drive ten minutes through the city and arrive at

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The moral quandary of ‘The Last of Us’: Scientific and ethical implications in the search for a cure

Biology, World / /

This article contains spoilers for Naughty Dog and HBO’s “The Last of Us.” The recent television adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game “The Last of Us” has sparked renewed attention to its source material. The game paints a dismal picture: Humanity has fallen to the cordyceps fungus, which infects humans and takes complete

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Beneath the bandages: A fresh look into mummification

World / /

The word “mummy” often conjures images of King Tut, the Pyramids, and Indiana Jones’s excursions into royal tombs. Lying within the polished stone sarcophagus, the mummy’s body is perfectly preserved, as if frozen in time. The skin, now leathery and dry beneath the bandages, stretches over bones that hint at a once-regal face. While mummification

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