Communication is crucial on any scale – between friends or coworkers, and between the government and its constituents. While keeping your loved ones informed may be a challenge in itself, keeping Americans informed on progress in scientific research is a wholly different issue. Over the last several years, doubt has been sown between scientists and […]
October
02
Bioluminescence: You Glow Girl
posted by Vani Taluja
If you’re local to Southern California, you’ve probably heard that there is a brief night or two every now and then when the ocean waves crashing on the sand seem to have a bright blue glow. If you haven’t seen this amazing phenomenon, maybe you’ve happened upon a glowing jellyfish at your local aquarium or […]
July
23
Deep Depths and Breaths
posted by Gabriela Franca
Keep Holding On How long can you hold your breath for? Is it over two minutes? Pretty impressive–now imagine holding your breath for that long while sinking deeper and deeper below the dark depths of the ocean, reaching distances of 100 feet (about the length of a 10-story building), while thousands of pounds of water […]
May
15
Making a mom: hormones and maternal behavior
posted by Eleanor Ketterer-Sykes
It was Mother’s Day this weekend… have you called your mom yet? Maternal bonds are essential for the survival of the infant, as well as to encourage the mother to make sacrifices and engage in parental behaviors to care for her young. This is something that your mom probably felt as soon as she met […]
April
24
This brainless blob might outsmart you
posted by JC Gorman
In the spring of 2017, Hampshire College welcomed a new faculty member, one without a brain or even a nervous system. Physarum polycephalum, a species of slime mold, joined the campus not just as a scientific curiosity but as a non-human thinker. As the college put it, this organism “researches important problems from a non-human […]
April
05
Feeling Pooped? Gut Microbiome Interventions for Depression
posted by Seona Patel
We often think of depression as a disorder rooted in the brain—a chemical imbalance or faulty wiring. But what if the roots of depression extend far beyond and below the skull, into an unexpected place? Scientists are increasingly finding that the gut microbiome—a vast ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, and fungi living in your gut—could play […]
Learning and Concussions: a Brain Renovation
posted by Dylan Walmsley
What a Wonderful World Being human, with the brains we have, is wonderful. Our brains give us an amazing ability to learn that sets us apart from other animals. We aren’t the fastest, strongest, or biggest. But we sit at the top of the food chain, enjoying a wonderful world, because of our ability to […]
March
13
Into the Mind of the Manatee
posted by Madelyn Peck
The Lazy Life of the Sea Cow Manatees are the gentle giants of the ocean. Reaching 13 feet long and weighing more than a ton, these mammals should give off a dominating presence, but in reality, the opposite is true [1]. Manatees tend to get along well with most aquatic species. They have no natural […]
February
20
Meritocracy without DEI is a Myth
posted by JC Gorman
JC Gorman The current American presidential administration recently signed an executive order aimed at “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing” [1]. The language of this order, combined with misleading media narratives, has created the false impression that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is at odds with selecting individuals […]
February
14
Your Love Is My Drug
posted by Jessica Arzavala
“Maybe just need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep…” Kesha wasn’t wrong in comparing love to a drug. No matter what you define as a drug, intense romantic love has intoxicating effects. Studies have shown that the brain responds to love through mechanisms similar to those of addictive substances1,2. Whether it’s the rush […]
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