Clik here to view.
A Brief Guide to the 2018 Perseid Meteor Shower
For those who enjoy observing the night sky, summer is a great time of year to look for meteors blazing through the atmosphere, also known as shooting stars. Because of the favorable weather, more of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rhythm of Movement
“If you can walk, you can dance.” Within this traditional African proverb lies a hidden truth about our nature as animals: our bodies are built to have an inherent, subconscious sense of rhythm. From...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting Clean with Some Household Science
Ah, summer in Chicago. A time of long days, longer lines at the Shedd Aquarium, and endless amount of fruit flies everywhere in your kitchen. Fruit flies? At least with me, since my family and I are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eating Bugs: A Diet That’s Hard to Swallow
According to a common piece of folklore, you swallowed eight spiders in your sleep last year. Urban legend or not, the very thought of spiders crawling into your mouth while you slumber likely triggers...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finding Balance and Harmony in a Diverse Ecosystem
Front and center in the news today is the fact that climate change and various human activities are posing a hazard to the health of major ecosystems across our planet, threatening the survival of life...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Go Home Food, You’re Wasted: What You May Not Know About Food Waste in the U.S.
In the last several years, I, like many others, have become increasingly aware of and concerned with the issue of food waste. In 2014 (the most recent published data), the U.S. Environmental...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes, Preventative Measures, and Ideal Outcomes
Have you ever wondered how people develop Alzheimer’s disease? Is it something that begins before the person or anyone else around them fully realizes that someone’s memory lapses are actually a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Genetics of Bliss
The phrase “nature vs. nurture” calls to mind the idea that the traits that make us who we are, such as our strength, weight, and personality, result from a complex combination of genetic factors and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From Complex to Simple: the Curious Case of Myxozoans
Sometimes, simplicity is key to success. In our attempts to understand the evolution of animals, from small, single-celled protists to big, multi-cellular animals, we miss out on the story of a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Science of Grilling vs. Barbecue
Autumn is officially here, and if you’re anything like me, you’re a little sad that the smell of charcoal and mosquito spray is going away with the summer. I’m also always a little sad knowing that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chemical Warfare: an Assault on your Nervous System
You’re out protesting for a cause that’s near-and-dear to your heart. You’re used to getting jostled around in the crowd, but this time things are getting out of hand. What began as an afternoon of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tardigrades: The Animals That Defy Nature
Picture an animal that can live anywhere: hot springs to solid ice, mountaintops to the deepest sea levels, spanning a temperature range of -458 °F to 302 °F. Imagine that this animal can survive in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Diabetes in Low-Income Communities: Its Causes and Its Solutions
According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2014, over 29 million people had diabetes in the United States – a disease that is more common among the poor, the less educated, and racial and ethnic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Did Climate Change Fuel Hurricanes Florence and Michael?
At 7:15 AM ET on Friday, September 14, Hurricane Florence made landfall along the coast of North Carolina as a Category 1 storm. Although, by this point, it had weakened from its peak intensity as a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Jet Lag Sucks: Your Body Clock and You
One weekend in early May, I endured one of the most confusing experiences in my life: a two-legged, 24-hour flight across 13 time zones. I took off from Chicago on Saturday evening, and 24 hours later,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Your Brain Heals After A Stroke
Think about the last time you walked down the street or grabbed a glass of water or spoke to a friend. How cool was that? It seems silly—reaching for a glass of water? Easy peasy—I’ve been doing that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Living the Good Life in Uninhabitable Surroundings: How Microbes Adapt to...
Our planet is home to a diverse array of habitats. These can range from cozy, nutrient-rich, temperature-controlled havens to deadly, gruesome battlegrounds where only the fittest survive. Each...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Genetic Mutations Cause — And Prevent — Disease
Stephen Crohn, an artist from New York, lost a lot to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. For more than a decade, he watched his boyfriend, Jerry Green, as well as nearly everyone he related to slowly grow...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Forget the Ducks: Don’t Feed the Microbes!
You may have noticed signs that say “Don’t feed the ducks!” when walking in local parks with ponds or lakes. While you may be tempted to feed the cute wild animals, you generally understand why you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Spoonful of Insulin Makes the Blood Sugar Go Down
Imagine drinking ten glasses of sugar water. What would you do after? Wash out your mouth? Eat something salty? You’d probably eat or drink whatever it takes to get rid of the extremely sweet taste. In...
View Article