It’s the Fourth of July in Boston, and residents seek respite from the urban heat island inferno. The commuter rail offers a great escape: the ocean. Just a short train ride away residents can cool down on the North Shore, lay on the hot sand, and settle into a favorite beach read. But a faraway […]
Originally dubbed as the “dirtiest harbor in America” by George Bush in the 1980s, Boston Harbor was a cesspool of toxic sewage and wastewater. Large amounts of pollution were constantly dumped into the harbor, damaging marine ecosystems alongside the Massachusetts coastline and causing extremely poor water quality. If people were to swim in the water,
Rehabilitating the harbor of shame: Past and present solutions Read More »
The Bajau people of Southeast Asia spend 60 percent of their workday underwater. Commonly known as the Sea Nomads, the Bajau population has survived for over 1,000 years collecting and hunting food through underwater diving. Their extraordinary breath-holding capabilities seem almost humanly impossible. When the brain experiences hypoxia — the deficiency of oxygen in bodily
Spleen or scuba tank? How we hold our breath for longer underwater Read More »
Imagine water seeping up from the solid ground beneath our feet. Then imagine water falling from the sky — not as rain, but as a giant rock crashing into Earth. Both seem like ridiculous scenarios, but they closely relate to real theories about what may have happened billions of years ago. The origins of water
From rock to water: Studying the origins of water on Earth Read More »
Water is undeniably the source of life. Consequently, it is one main factor that scientists look for when combing the universe for habitable locations. As it turns out, they may not have to look far. Our neighboring planet, Mars, has been confirmed to have liquid water lakes deep beneath its southern polar ice cap. Evidence
Diving under Mars’ ice cap Read More »
In the dead of winter, the Atlantic Ocean can reach a frigid 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Diving into this water would immediately activate the cold receptors beneath your skin, causing you to experience a “cold shock.” This reaction has the potential to be lethal. First, it triggers an involuntary gasp of air, followed by hyperventilation. This
Polar plunge: No pain no gain Read More »
The world is constantly in motion. From the smallest particles vibrating in a rock to planetary motion in space, few things remain unchanged. It, then, should be no surprise that Earth’s poles — its rotational axis — also shift. This is actually quite normal; polar motion is categorized in multiple time scales, and the most
Earth unbalanced: Are we changing Earth’s rotation? Read More »
Lawns have long been the sign of a clean and respectable neighborhood, causing U.S. homeowners to maintain weekly or even daily upkeep on 40 million acres of lawn nationwide. The history and environmental impact of a trim yard, though, suggests the grass is not always greener with traditional lawns. British colonizers initiated today’s concept of
The American lawn: Is the grass always greener? Read More »
There may already be time-travelers among us: people who elected to be frozen solid after their death to live once again in a scientifically updated future. It can certainly be argued that these individuals are quite literally in over their heads (in liquid nitrogen), but even though hardly anything is known about how exactly they
Human cryopreservation: How and why (not)? Read More »