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General Science

Five ways to stay positive during a pandemic

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[A photograph of a young woman looking in the mirror. Her reflection shows that she is smiling, with her hands cupping her face.]

It’s been over a year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and staying positive this past year has not been the easiest. Despite what your greatest instincts say, going on your phone could be the cause of your blues. After a year of foregoing family and friends, we crave connection now more than ever. While social media may initially seem like a good way to engage with others when we’re apart, research has shown that social media can negatively impact our mental health and lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. Like social media, a sedentary lifestyle often harms your mental health. Luckily, researchers have discovered small hacks that you can do everyday to increase your levels of serotonin (the mood and happiness hormone)…

Five fascinating facts about bees

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[a photograph of a swarm of bees sitting on golden honeycomb. There are many bustling workers surrounding a significantly larger queen bee.]

There is more to bees than what initially meets the eye! Sure, we couldn’t live without these busy pollinators, but bees are scientifically interesting beyond just the honey they create. Bees can provide insight into other areas of science, and they themselves are fascinating little creatures. Get to know bees better with the five crazy facts below…

Cannabidiol: A step in the right direction for treating epilepsy

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[Black and white image of the brain. The black lines represent the many different “connections” our brain uses in order to communicate and function.]

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by sudden, uncontrolled electrical activity between neurons in the brain. These electrical disturbances typically manifest in the form of seizures which, in their mild forms, can go unnoticed, but in more severe cases can cause uncontrollable muscle twitches, loss of consciousness and, ultimately, memory loss. There are two classes of seizures: general, whole brain seizures and focal seizures, in which only a part of the brain is affected. Based on these two classes, additional seizure types are characterized by their severity and symptoms… 

5 Strategies to Maximize Studying

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[aerial view of someone wearing jeans who is studying in front of laptop sitting criss-crossed with several books laid to their side against white sheets]

Getting back into school and a study routine is not always easy, yet we have to manage somehow. But have you ever considered you could be studying wrong? As it turns out, common techniques such as highlighting, re-reading, and mnemonics (for example, PEMDAS) are not very effective. In fact, most of the time, they do not boost performance and offer limited benefits compared to other techniques. Luckily, researchers have identified study methods that are actually effective and improve learning. Check out these 5 proven studying techniques that will help you maximize studying…

Rain-on-snow: I’m melting!

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[Two “road closed” signs because a major flood blocks a street in the outskirts of a big city.]

In mid-February 2021, Bloomington, Indiana was hit by a winter snowstorm that dropped several inches of white, fluffy snow around town. Schools and businesses closed. However, as other people were wondering “How will I get my car out of the driveway?”, I caught myself wondering “Will it rain soon?” What? Why? Rain-on-snow melt events have been receiving a lot of attention in scientific articles I have been reading. Aptly named, these events occur when a warm rain falls on an existing snowpack…

The Origins of 420

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[A cannabis plant, seeds, and oil displayed on a canvas cloth.]

This Tuesday is April 20th, otherwise known as 420. For some it’s just another day in the week, but for others it’s a much-anticipated and beloved holiday. However, have you ever stopped to consider how this pseudo-holiday came to be? A quick google search will provide a number of varying and amusing theories. Some of the most popular 420 stories include 420 as a police dispatch code for cannabis use, as the number of chemical compounds in cannabis (actually there are over 500), or  the day of Bob Marley’s death (actually May 11th). However…

Work-life balance

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[An inquisitive dog and cat get in the way of a computer screen on a work desk.]

I am writing about work-life balance, the subjective idea of basically having a life outside of our job or schoolwork. Experts say that a healthy work life balance is when we are able to fulfil our responsibilities to our jobs, families, and other parts of life that are important to us. It has been the buzz on social media lately. Why? It seems at times there is almost an expectation to constantly be working, known as “hustle culture.” This can be fed by many things including changes in job demand, a fast-paced work environment, and the inability to escape work because of that darn internet. People early in their careers have not been satisfied with this and are pushing to discuss better balance…

A quick summary of the immune system and the COVID-19 vaccine

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[This image shows a person’s hand, and a syringe is being held between the person’s fingers. The needle of the syringe is pointed towards a round pathogen cell with small projections.]

There are many strategies when it comes to developing a vaccine, but the idea behind all of them is similar. Vaccines are designed to pose a foreign invader, such as a virus or bacterium, to your adaptive immune system without causing you to be sick. Our immune systems are quite amazing, which also makes them quite complex. Here, we will focus only on a few aspects that are important for understanding vaccine development… 

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